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Brave Soul

Developer: Crowd Co. Ltd.
Release Year: 2004
Genre: RPG
Platform: PC
Edition: US

tvtropes.org: Brave Soul is a hybrid Eroge/RPG for Windows, released by Crowd and translated into English by Peach Princess. It chronicles the adventures of a young man named Rudy (who the player can rename as he/she sees fit) as he sets out on his own (accompanied by a tiny dragon named Shell), and the women he meets along the way. The game allows the player to equip Rudy, Shell, and 2 other party members with weapons, armor, and accessories, as well as set skill shortcuts from the game menu. Combat takes place in real-time, with the player assuming control of Rudy, and the AI controlling the other party members based on preset behavior settings. For example, a magic-user's actions can be set to spend mana cautiously when attacking, prioritize debuffs, or let loose with her most powerful spells, consuming mana potions like water in the process. Experience gained from combat allows characters to level up, which increases their stats. New skills however are learned / earned through events, initiated by the player choosing to spend time at an inn. The party members go their separate ways, pursuing their hobbies and interests, and the player's task is find them and spend time with them. This is the Eroge part of the game is decided by the following: The number of missions the Hero undertakes with a girl, some of which have a decision tree at the end, determines Rudy's standing in that girl's eyes. The events are also dependent on which of the game's towns the party decides to take a break in; towns have a degree of importance in the girls' histories, so even if Rudy has gotten in the girl's good graces an event might not trigger because the setting is wrong. For example, taking a break in a certain town might bring memories back for a girl when she was just a kid, and she decides to ask you to accompany her to her old home. Rummaging through old family albums, she comes across an old book, which contains a spell or two. The game starts with the Hero having a recurring dream of a naked, blue-haired girl thanking him. He wakes up to find himself on his back, bound, and in the middle of a forest. He's rescued from this predicament thanks to his tiny dragon friend named Shell burning away his bindings and a bit of him in the process. He finds a note from his dad which can be summarized to say, "I'm tired of feeding your unemployed ass, so I'm tying you up and leaving you in this goblin-infested forest. If you make it out alive, then you can survive in the big bad world. Love, Dad." He dusts himself off, and tries to make his way out of the woods when he hears a piercing female scream...