I will freely admit that I enjoy a good harem game. I will also freely admit that I go after these routes in visual novels that offer them. That said, something needs to be there to capture my interest. In the case of Harem Protagonist, there just happens to be nothing worth even trying out the demo for. I’m not expecting an award winning narrative, but this one is as shallow as it gets.
In Harem Protagonist, you’re a self aware character that knows what he is. Your task is to chase after as many cute girls as you can, presumably to create your own harem. The plot isn’t discussed much, but the developers outright tell you that this is a harem game. Plot is secondary to fan service. Normally, I wouldn’t mind playing a harem game but this one seems, well, off.
It’s hard to pinpoint what’s wrong with Harem Protagonist, but there’s enough to make me walk away. Maybe it’s the artwork, or the proposed stretch goals, but just reading the pitch makes me feel dirty. The “touch mode” goal sounds too risque even for my tastes, and I won’t even talk about how the “genderbend event” stretch goal makes me feel.
Harem Protagonist may not be for me, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there are enough fans out there to make it a reality. I don’t want to be overly negative, and I’m sure there are positive points somewhere, but this one is an instant pass.
