is a Japanese

visual novel A , often abbreviated as VN, is a form of digital semi-interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with and used in the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with sta ...

developed by

Circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclis ...

that was released for

Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for ser ...

on May 31, 2019, and was released for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 on December 19, 2019. It has a spin-off, ''Da Capo 4 Fortunate Departures'', which was released for Windows on February 26, 2021 and was released for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 on October 27, 2022. Both game has its adult version, named ''Da Capo 4 Plus Harmony'' and ''Da Capo 4 Sweet Harmony'' respectively, released for Windows on August 27, 2021 and April 28, 2022. ''D.C.4'' is the fourth main installment in the ''Da Capo'' series, after ''

Da Capo Da capo (, also , ) is an Italian musical term that means "from the beginning" (literally, "from the head"). It is often abbreviated as D.C. The term is a directive to repeat the previous part of music, often used to save space, and thus is a ...

'', ''

Da Capo II is a Japanese adult visual novel developed by Circus which was first released on May 26, 2006 for Windows computers. It is a part of the ongoing ''Da Capo'' series of games by Circus, and is the direct sequel to Circus' previous title '' ...

'' and '' Da Capo III''. The game was first announced on September 23, 2018, and takes place in a different setting to its predecessors: Kagami Island. The story is told from the perspective of the protagonist Ichito Tokisaka and the

narrative A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether nonfictional (memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travelogue, etc.) or fictional ( fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller, novel, etc. ...

focuses on his relationship with the seven main heroines. The

gameplay Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game, and in particular with video games. Gameplay is the pattern defined through the game rules, connection between player and the game, challenges and overcoming them, plot and pl ...

is mostly reading text and dialogue between the characters and making decisions which can alter the story route that the player takes.

Gameplay

''Da Capo 4'' is a

romance Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings * Romance languages, ...

in which the player assumes the role of Ichito Tokisaka. The

requires little interaction from the player, as most of the duration of the game is spent simply reading the text that appears on the screen which represents either dialogue between the various characters or the inner thoughts of the protagonist. The text is accompanied by character sprites, which represent who Kanata is talking to, over background art. Throughout the game, the player encounters

CG artwork Computer graphics deals with generating images with the aid of computers. Today, computer graphics is a core technology in digital photography, film, video games, cell phone and computer displays, and many specialized applications. A great deal ...

at certain points in the story, which take the place of the background art and character sprites. Every so often, the player will come to a point where he or she is given the chance to choose from multiple options. Gameplay pauses at these points and depending on which choice the player makes, the plot will progress in a specific direction. To experience all of ''Da Capo 4s plot lines, the player will have to replay the game multiple times and make different decisions to progress the plot in an alternate direction.

Synopsis

Unlike its predecessors in the ''Da Capo'' series which take place on Hatsune Island, ''Da Capo 4'' is set on where "

cherry blossoms A cherry blossom, also known as Japanese cherry or sakura, is a flower of many trees of genus ''Prunus'' or ''Prunus'' subg. ''Cerasus''. They are common species in East Asia, including China, Korea and especially in Japan. They generall ...

float in the sky". However, the story takes place in

winter Winter is the coldest season of the year in polar and temperate climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Different cultur ...

so the cherry blossoms are replaced with snow. Ichito Tokisaka, the protagonist, has a magical power to see floating mirrors around the island that reflect smiles. He aims to become a true magician in the future. Ichito attends the high school , as do his love interests. The ''Da Capo 4'' love interests are Arisu Sagisawa, the main heroine and a popular and outgoing student at the high school who frequently has to turn down confessions; Nino Tokisaka, Ichito's younger sister-in-law and an honor student who loves cats despite her cat allergy and has a devilish personality; Sorane Ōmi, Ichito and Nino's childhood friend and next-door neighbour who likes to cook and acts like an older sister to them; Hiyori Shirakawa, a beautiful troublemaker in Ichito's class who assumes the role of love contractor with a high success rate; Shīna Hōjō, a quiet but sharp-tongued girl who likes games and often comes across as difficult to approach; Miu Mishima, the president of the discipline committee who has a timid disposition and always has to scold Hiyori; finally, Chiyoko Hinohara, an eccentric and happy-go-lucky girl who records herself in live broadcasts using the

stagename A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Choco.

Development and release

''Da Capo 4'' was announced on September 23, 2018 as

' 20th project and the official website opened on November 11, 2018. Similarly to '' Da Capo III'', no adult scenes were created for ''Da Capo 4'' so the game is rated for all-ages. The character designers for the game were Natsuki Tanihara, Yuki Takano, Mamu Mitsumoto, Yū Kisaragi and Shayuri. Tanihara designed the characters Arisu, Sorane, Chiyoko, KotoRI and Alice; Nino and Hiyori's designs were drawn by Takano; Mitsumomo drew the character design for Shīna; marking both their first work on a visual novel, Kisaragi designed Miu, while Shayuri designed Ichito and supporting characters. Six writers were appointed to the game scenario: Hasama, Nakamichi Sagara, Shingo Hifumi, Kei Hozumi, Izumi Yūnagi and Hakumai Manpukutei. A limited edition of ''Da Capo 4'' was released for

PCs on May 31, 2019. A port for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 will be released on December 19, 2019.

Music

The opening theme for ''Da Capo 4'' is sung by Rin'ca. The intermediate route opening theme is also sung by Rin'ca. Yozuca sings , the grand theme song of ''Da Capo 4''.

References

External links

Official website
*{{vndb, 24351 2019 video games Visual novels Windows games Windows-only games Japan-exclusive video games Video games developed in Japan