After many people recommended this game to me, I finally played it! It’s a dark fantasy game published by Langmaor, directed by Yura, who well-known for games like Luckydog1. She was also the main artist of the three other Langmaor games (Enzai, Absolute Obedience and Teikoku Sensenki) though this time it seems like she took a break and Yuzuki Ichi was in charge of the art and character design. If you’re okay with games like Enzai, I think this one should be no problem to play, but of course avoid it if you’re not into that kind of stuff.
Story
This story focuses on protagonist Richard McBain, a young boy living in a small village, who grew bored of his everyday life. One day when he attends the local village fair, he meets a mysterious boy who seems to resemble a jester. He introduces himself as Guillered and talks about a different world called ‘Laughter Land’. In this world, every wish can be granted and children never grow up. Every day is fun and nobody has to work or go to school. Before he knows it, our protagonist finds himself in Laughter Land. Everything Guillered promised him is almost too good to be true...
The game’s story sometimes reminded me a little bit of Peter Pan, the children in this game can stay young forever and they don’t naturally age. Upon entering Laughter Land, Guillered implants a red gem into everyone’s bodies, which gives him the ability to make wishes. He however fails to explain that not everyone in this world stays young forever, the second they develop a more mature mindset their red gem turns into a blue gem and they’re not allowed to stay in Laughter Land anymore. Unfortunately for our protagonist, this also happens to him in the very first route you play, and guards surround his house. He is forcefully taken to the ‘Forbidden Zone’, which is a place where people who possess blue gems live. These gems aren’t able to grant any wishes anymore and basically serve no purpose. The Forbidden Zone is not a place most people want to live, rampant with criminal organizations and drug problems. However not everyone who lives there is bad, there are many people who were unfortunate enough to be born there or who ‘matured’ after being brought to Laughter Land.
Characters
Richard McBain (Dick)
Our protagonist. Everyone in the game calls him Dick (...yeah that's something I had to get used to lol). He's a curious young boy, but a bit sceptical and questions the many rules of this new world he got transported to. Soon after his arrival, he starts regretting his decision of coming here.
Guillered
The person who created Laughter Land and who is responsible for bringing all of the children there. He tells Dick that he just wants everyone in this world to be happy, but he seems to be hiding something. Throughout the story he often appears to give Dick advice.
Ioan
A very intelligent boy who can often be found at the library. He is very shy and can often be found studying and reading. He can sometimes be a little bit clumsy, which often results into him making mistakes.
Roddy
An enthusiastic boy who highly values his friends, always willing to help others in need. He is always looking for someone to accompany him during his daily adventures. He loves flying in the sky and going to various places to play.
Cornel
A boy who helps patrolling Laughter Land, always looking for ‘blues’ (people with blue gems) who aren't allowed to stay there. He likes being the center of attention and has a hard time admitting any of his mistakes. Can often be found together with his brother Oswald.
Sergi
One of the people with a blue gem who lives in the Forbidden Zone. He's very serious and calm. Likes bargaining with people. He seems to be looking for his family who also seem somewhere in Laughter Land, though he doesn’t know where they currently are.
Greg
Also lives in the Forbidden Zone. He gambles a lot and then immediately spends all of his money. He can sometimes be a little bit strange, but he’s very protective of his friends and often takes care of stray animals and injured children. Has a good heart but very irresponsible...
Dag
Another resident of the Forbidden Zone. A talented watchmaker who also seems to be working on several other projects. However, his laid-back behavior and love for alcohol prevent him from completing any of these projects. He is a very friendly and caring person who takes care of his friends.
The game uses an interesting mechanic which allows the main character to travel back in time, so the whole first route is one long common route which introduces the world and characters to you. After this I tried playing the routes of each character with a red gem first, because they’re the first ones you meet in the common route. I was also interested to learn why exactly these characters were able to stay ‘young’ forever, while others couldn’t. Many of them have been living there for years so their real ages remain unknown.
Even during these routes in which Dick’s gem doesn’t turn blue, not everything is as happy as Guillered claims. The second anyone is transported to Laughter Land they forget about people who they used to know in the real world. Furthermore, every time they make a wish, one person they know in the real world will forget about them. By doing so, children who travelled to this world have no reason to return to the real world anymore, as nobody will be waiting for them anymore at home. You can keep track of this in-game too which was quite interesting!
I played the game in the following order: Roddy > Ioan > Cornel > Sergi > Greg > Dag > Guillared > True route. However when I look back at it now it might be better to play Cornel's route a bit later because he returns in Guillered's route too. Sergi's story is also surprisingly relevant to the True route, so maybe that's also one better saved for last. I used half-a-net's guide for this one because the one posted on Aarinfantasy seemed to spoil some endings. Each route is not super long compared to most other visual novels, but I think it's just the right amount. Even though not every route has the most happy ending, the ‘true’ ending definitely makes up for that.
By the way, I really like how the game’s user interface always displays the gem, so you can check if you’re aiming for the right route. When you make more ’mature’ decisions the red germs starts getting darker and eventually turns purple. If you keep making these decisions it will eventually turn blue. In Ioan’s route it’s mentioned that purple gems can still turn red again, but the second your gem has turned blue it’s too late and it won’t be able to turn red ever again.
I think the only thing that didn't get explained much is whatever this side character called Zachariah’s purpose is. He is the leader of this kind of shady organization and the casino owner. I thought he was going to be the main villain but he wasn't really (?), but maybe he's just there to add some suspense to the blue gem routes. That's honestly the only thing I can think of that doesn't make much sense to me, but it’s probably also not that important. I think I do want to try getting a copy of the official setting book eventually, but because the game’s so old I’ll have to hunt down a second-hand copy.
I honestly had no idea this game even existed because Jast only localized Enzai and Absolute Obedience (Zettai Fukuyuu Meirei) a long time ago, which also means Laughter Land is only available in Japanese. It was released I'm 2006 but I still really liked the the art in this game, the CGs are really pretty and colorful. I also really liked the OST! I guess I will continue playing older BL visual novels because you never know when you’ll find something good nobody talks about. Definitely DM me if you have any more recommendations!
