This game's story is too good!!! I tried to summarize just the introduction of the game and ended up writing an essay, this game has a lot more going on than just the H.
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Through Pray Game, U-ROOM asks the question: Is the nature of man good (concern for one's fellow man) or evil (concern for one's self)?
The question is framed through the lens of the Prisoner's Dilemma, although the actual example used in the game is a bit different.
There is a rich man, he gives you and your friend the option to decide whether you would put your friend above yourself, or put yourself first.
Based on you and your friend's answers, he will payout the following gold:
| You say "I am more important" | You say "My friend is more important" |
Friend says "I am more important" | 1 gold coin each | You get 0 gold coins, friend gets 3 gold coins |
Friend says "My friend is more important" | You get 3 gold coins, friend gets 0 gold coins | 2 gold coins each |
Answering "I am more important" will give you the better outcome no matter your friend chooses, yet the best outcome of total 4 gold coins can only be achieved if both put others first. And if both choose the selfish option, they get the worst outcome.
The magic system in the game is designed along the same principles. Every mage has a magical device called "Cell", this Cell has one of the seven attributes Fire, Water, Air, Earth, Dark, Light, and Origin, with Origin being a rare but not unique element that can use all the other six attributes with reduced power. A Cell is irrevocably linked with the mage's experiences, to the point that if the Cell is broken, it is the same as death for the mage.
Our heroine Alcy, whose personality can be summed up as "kind hearted and gullible", is raised in a sheltered environment and taught at the Ackroyd magic academy that the ultimate goal of magecraft is to achieve the fabled "Power IV" through cooperation. Cells have an ability to synchronize with another Cell, this will share the two mages memories and experiences. However, the day before graduation, the academy is attacked and Alcy escaped to the island of Anatol, where no one has heard of Ackroyd Academy before.
Apparently, in the rest of the world, it is common knowledge that Power IV doesn't actually exist, and the goal of magecraft is to achieve "Power III", which is achieved not through cooperation between two people's Cells, but by controlling two Cells, subjugating another person's Cell to themselves. Besides, no one will risk synchronization, as this means exposing your weakness to a potential enemy.
The first generation of mages only used one Cell, being able to achieve "Power I", but the second and current generation of mages utilize 2 Cells simultaneously, achieving "Power II". Since losing a Cell means death, that means mages must either inherit a Cell from someone, or take someone else's Cell by force. Still, no one has yet successfully achieved "Power III" as of now although it should be possible in theory.
Alcy has only a single Cell but it is a special one, with hypnosis powers that are hidden in a black box and activates automatically without her command. Since Cells are heavily regulated in Anatol and having unregistered Cells is a crime, there is no way for Alcy to leave the island and return home unless she goes out to dangerous dungeons and gathers the materials needed to forge a guild registration.
In short, sheltered Alcy, raised in a walled garden and naive to the ways of the world, is suddenly thrust into the real world where people exploit each other for personal gain, whether for magic power or sexual desire. But at the same time, there are also kind hearted people in this world who are willing to help her out. Can her ideals survive intact in this cruel reality?