Yorite Konoha wa Kurenai ni

Typical gameplay from Yorite Konoha wa Kurenai Ni, showing dialogue and character sprites. From left to right: Ikaruga Kazuha, Tarumi Konoha, and Sasaura Suzuna.

Yorite Konoha wa Kurenai ni is a romance visual novel in which the player assumes the role of Seiji Sasaura. Most of the gameplay is spent reading text, representing the story's dialogue as well as Seiji's inner thoughts.[2] The text is displayed alongside character sprites. The player encounters different CG artworks throughout the game.[2] It has multiple different routes for the story to take based on the player's decisions. The game revolves around the four main heroines, following a branching plotline where the player chooses different "routes" for each of the characters. The game consists almost entirely of game sprites displayed alongside text, to make the emotions of the characters clearer. There are also pre-rendered CG scenes, often at pivotal points in the story. The game depicts the main character performing sexual acts with the four main characters.[2]

Yorite Konoha wa Kurenai ni was developed by Lump of Sugar. The storyline of the game was written by Mizuki Satori, Tetsujin, and Yoshii Hajime, with art designs by Moekibara Fumitake and Kanade Nakoto.[16]

Mizuki and Moekibara worked together on the creation of a light novel and Mizuki was satisfied with Moekibara's performance, so he wanted to work with him again for the development of the game.[3] They were inspired by the opinions of users and staff during the development process. For example, Kemonomimi heroines is a theme that was added to the game after following the advice of users.[6]

According to the producer, KawausoP, the concept of Yorite Konoha wa Kurenai ni is "coexistence and coprosperity between different species".[3] The title is a metaphor for the story itself. Yo (縁, lit. 'destiny of two people') refers to the divine connection between protagonist and heroines, and Konoha wa Kurenai ni (此の葉は紅に, lit. 'this leaf turns red') refers to the character arc over the game, describing the characters as metaphorical leaves that change and mature over time.[3]

Moekibara was able to design the characters of the game "freely". He drew the characters based on their "personality and atmosphere". In the interview, Moekibara described the background setting of Yorite Konoha wa Kurenai ni as "a mixture of Japanese traditions and modern culture", so he also designed the character's clothing based on this atmosphere.[3] Moekibara gave Kazuha's maid costume as an example; he said that her costume was designed to a mix of Hakama and Apron.[5] During another interview, Moekibara explained that they designed Kemonomimi of heroines to be fluffy so that they can fit with the atmosphere of game as a whole.[5] They also paid attention to the animal parts and clothing of heroines when it came to erotic scenes, looked for "the feeling of chaku-ero (着エロ, transl. non-nude erotica)".[5]

The game was able to be pre-ordered on the Lump of Sugar website from August 25, 2017.[17] They held a campaign for the customers who pre-ordered the game from August 25, 2017, to December 3, 2017, in which they were offered a poster with Momiji printed on it.[18][19] Lump of Sugar first released a free trial of the game for download on November 24, 2017.[20] Multiple talk shows and distribution meetings were held all over Japan until December 22, 2017, in which Yorite Konoha wa Kurenai ni related gifts being handed out.[21][22][19]

The Download Edition, First Press Limited Edition, and Premium Edition of Yorite Konoha wa Kurenai ni were released by Lump of Sugar on January 26, 2018, compatible up to Windows 7/8.1/10.[23] The Premium edition of the game was bundled with some gifts, such as a key case and calendar.[19][24] Merchandise such as dakimakura covers and posters were also included as bonuses when customers bought the game from Sofmap and other shops.[21] A regular edition was released on March 9, 2018.[25] On December 25, 2020, a popular edition of the game was released, which had a lower price than other editions of the game.[lower-alpha 1]

External video
Akari no Arika by Kicco on YouTube

The opening theme of the game, Akari no Arika (アカリノアリカ), was created by Kokomi and Mizuno Daisuke, sung by Kicco.[28][6] The full version of the song is not played during gameplay, but a CD containing the full version as well as other songs from the game was released with the game.[29] A two CD original soundtrack album was also produced.[30]

On Getchu.com, a redistributor of visual novel and anime products, the first press limited edition and premium edition of the game ranked as the fifth and eighth best selling bishōjo game for the month of its release.[31] According to the Japanese magazines Megastore and BugBug, it was the best and second best selling bishōjo game when it first appeared in the monthly ranking, respectively.[32][33][lower-alpha 2] The game's soundtrack was ranked ninth in the Bishōjo Game Awards 2018 "Music Category".[34]

Panzer Komori from TG Smart compared its setting to Tayutama: Kiss on my Deity before the release, and pointed out the selling points of the game are Kemonomimi heroines and computer graphics. He expected that the game will have a well-done love story and romantic atmosphere. He was also curious about whether the game would make the fans of Lump of Sugar happy because of the similar setting.[3] Nekoko from BugBug published a positive review of the game. He wrote that the Kemonomimi heroines designed by Moekibara were "very cute" and considered Konoha's appearance, which he described as "childlike" and said she was his favourite character overall. Nekoko also praised the relationships between the characters, which he believes were all well portrayed.[1]

When BugBug introduced Wakaba-iro no Quartet, another visual novel developed by Lump of Sugar, it noted that Moekibara's popularity was based on his performance on Tayutama and Yorite Konoha wa Kurenai ni.[35]

• Official Website (in Japanese)
• Yorite Konoha wa Kurenai ni at The Visual Novel Database