Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3 is a PlayStation 2 otome adventure game developed by Ruby Party and published by Koei. Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3 is the third main entry in the Haruka series, and it is a part of Ruby Party's Neoromance label.
Two gaiden games have been released that expand on the story of Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3 - Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3: Izayoiki (Chronicle of the Sixteen-Day-Old Moon) and Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3: Unmei no Labyrinth (The Labyrinth of Fate).
STORY:
One rainy day Nozomi Kasuga and her two friends encounter a strange boy at their high school, who sends them hurtling across time and space to a place in another world called Kyo. This place bears a strong resemblance to Kyoto at the end of the Heian period, where the Minamoto clan (Genji), led by Minamoto no Yoritomo (based on the historical Minamoto no Yoritomo), is at war with the Taira clan (Heike), led by Taira no Kiyomori (based on the historical Taira no Kiyomori). The Heike hope to defeat the Genji by releasing vengeful spirits (onryo) to disturb the Earth's natural flow of energies and to terrorize the land. The boy that Nozomi met is revealed to be the human form of Hakuryu, the White Dragon God said to protect Kyo, whose powers have greatly weakened due to the presence of the onryo. Nozomi discovers that she has the power to seal the onryo as Hakuryu no Miko (Priestess of the White Dragon), and she allies herself with the Genji in order to seal the onryo, restore Hakuryu's powers, and return home to her own world.
CHARACTERS:
- Nozomi Kasuga: The main character. A girl in her second year of high school. Chosen by the god called Hakuryu (White Dragon) to be his priestess, she is brought to a strange world where the Genji and the Heike wage war with one another. In order to return home, she must fight alongside the Genji against the Heike. Having obtained the power to cross time, she is determined to save those friends she loses in battle. She grew up with the Arikawa brothers, and until recently the three of them have virtually always been together. In the anime, she harbours feelings for Masaomi.
- Masaomi Arikawa: Nozomi's childhood friend and classmate, and Yuzuru's older brother. A charismatically bold and reliable young man. He is separated from Nozomi and Yuzuru when they are sent across time and space, and the only contact Nozomi has with him is through her dreams.
- Minamoto no Kuro Yoshitsune: A general of the Genji army. Called "Kuro" (rather than "Yoshitsune"). He initially opposes Nozomi's wish to fight, believing that women should not be exposed to the dangers of the battlefield, but readily accepts her when she can prove herself in battle.
- Hinoe: Mysterious young man who appears without reason during Nozomi's stay in Kumano. Seems to be a part of the Kumano navy. Bright, fearless, and easygoing.
- Musashibo Benkei: Kuro's confidant and military tactician, well informed in many areas of knowledge. A seemingly calm-mannered young man.
- Yuzuru Arikawa: Nozomi's childhood friend and one year her junior. Younger brother of Masaomi, the Ten no Seiryu.
- Kajiwara Kagetoki: Showy and frivolous, the army magistrate and a military commander of the Genji. Confidant of Kuro's older brother, Minamoto no Yoritomo. Although a soldier, Kagetoki also uses a gun-like tool to effect Onmyoji arts.
- Taira no Atsumori: A young nobleman of the enemy Heike clan. Nozomi finds him collapsed from his wounds on the battlefield and takes him in.
- Ridvan: Nozomi and Kuro's sword instructor. Sometimes called a tengu of Mt. Kurama. He gives off a silent, dark, cold impression, but he is in fact very gentle and kind.
- Kajiwara Saku: Younger sister of Kagetoki and only a year older than Nozomi, yet very mature. She is the Kokuryu no Miko. She is romantically involved with Kokuryu until the day he mysteriously disappears.
- Hakuryu: The Ryujin who summoned Nozomi and the Arikawa brothers through time and space to a foreign world. Having lost all his powers, he first appeared in the form of a child when Nozomi met him.
HARUKANARU TOKI NO NAKA DE 3 - UNMEI NO MEIKYUU: (Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3 Unmei no Labyrinth), Unmei no Labyrinth translated as "Labyrinth of Fate") is the canonical sequel to the third Haruka. Like other Neoromance fan discs, the narrative is a shorter experience than its base and concludes in eight chapters.
Its Premium Box includes a memorial CD and an illustration book of the events stills. One of Yuzuru's event images is missing on the CD so Ruby Party offered it as a free download with their apologies.
PLOT:
The Genpei War ends with a peace treaty, and the main characters have defeated an arcane evil within the modern world. The protagonist's winter break can still be celebrated through the power of time traveling. Yet she begins to experience sudden memory loss, and Hakuryu is too weak to return to the parallel world due to a magically erected labyrinth. Wishing to restore everything and everyone to their proper form, the protagonist and her comrades seek to unravel the maze's secrets.
CHANGES:
Players can no longer use the White Dragon Scale meaning that the main story is a standard linear experience; every completed chapter can be revisited again in the chapter selection screen. The main story is divided by two focal settings: the modern world in Kamakura or the dimensional labyrinth. Either chapter will end once the main story objective has been achieved. Kamakura chapters generally serve as non-combative exposition with multiple character events and the vanilla game's world map system. These segments are lightly colored in the chapter selection screen.
Labyrinth chapters are tinged turquoise within the chapter selection and offer a revamped map exploration. The protagonist is redrawn as an isometric projection who can move in the four cardinal directions. Different sections of the labyrinth are unlocked each chapter, but the player is free to backtrack to other areas at their discretion. These chapters are battle intensive with sparse character events. Characters will have to be leveled up from the ground up, and each character gains a new ability related to the labyrinth map area. Battles and their method of activating them follow the same system as the original, except voice actors reprise their lines and may say new character quotes.
MANUFACTURER'S DESCRIPTION:
Love adventure was to stage the modern world after ending of "Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3". Combat inherited the fighting style of the previous work. Modern Kamakura can enjoy the love romance on the stage, events of unique modern world also packed. After the battle with Chakichi Amaten, Hachiyo who had come to the world of hero and Kasuga Nozomi begins a new battle for return to the original world.
FEATURES:
- First person perspective.
- 2D graphics
- Cartoon graphics
- Demons, Medieval Japan, Romance, Fantasy & Anime themes.
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