Softbank has announced that a long-distance romance role-playing game for mobile phones, called, amusingly, the “Marginal Prince” from Serendipity will be available this month for users of the latest phone models. The game has become immensely popular since it was released exclusively on Docomo a few years ago.
What exactly is a long distance romance role-playing game, you ask? Here is the premise: Your little brother Youta is studying abroad at a mysterious all-boys academy, St. Alphonso, on the remote and secluded foreign island of the same name. Youta happens to be the only boy at school with a mobile phone (the most high-tech Japanese mobile equipped with one-seg TV capability no less) which makes him very popular with his classmates who are eager to talk to people from the outside world, especially you, most likely a teenage or 20-something girl.
As you, the user, navigate the game, Youta introduces you to these “Marginal Princes,” and if you find one to your liking you can engage in a more romantic conversation, with the goal of acquiring love points in the form of letters or love songs.
If you can think of a better way to while away your morning commute or the wait at the doctor’s office, we’d like to hear about it.
