Review: Rakuen Deluxe Edition

destructoid.com:

As someone who spent much of the late 2000s deep in the RPG Maker community, I can’t believe how far the engine has come. RPG Maker is typically associated with low-quality Final Fantasy knockoffs, but funny enough, it’s the non-RPGs that became breakout hits. To The Moon set the stage for narrative RPG Maker games that are worth both time and money, and Laura Shigihara’s Rakuen follows in that proud tradition. Given Shigihara’s involvement with the former project, this shouldn’t come as a surprise.

Of course, this is old news by now. Rakuen originally released in 2017 to critical acclaim from fans and critics alike. Sporting an Overwhelmingly Positive consensus on Steam, words like “beautiful” and “masterpiece” typically describe this title in reviews. Now, nearly six years later, Rakuen is receiving a second wind with a Nintendo Switch port. Labeled Deluxe Edition, it combines the entirety of Rakuen with a couple of animated shorts and the brand-new game Mr. Saitou. The good news is that Rakuen is fantastic, and I was happy to finally experience this wonderful story. As for the new features that make this a “Deluxe Edition,” well… they certainly exist.

Rakuen Deluxe Edition (PC, Nintendo Switch [reviewed]) Developer: Laura Shigihara Publisher: Morizora Studios Release: March 23rd, 2023 (Deluxe Edition) MSRP: $24.99

Rakuen is a simple adventure game about a boy in a hospital called Boy. Textboxes literally address him as Boy, so I’m not being too cheeky here. The name Rakuen is derived from Boy’s favorite book, which his mother (referred to strictly as Mom) frequently reads to him. Shortly after the introductory sequence, Mom insists that the world inside of Rakuen is real, and they journey from the walls of the