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Create a custom character, battle friends, and play minigames in this eye-catching 'gachapon' game

Create a custom character, battle friends, and play minigames in this eye-catching 'gachapon' game

Vote: (67 votes)

Program license: Free

Developer: Lunime

Version: 1.1.0

Works under: Windows

Also available for Android

Vote:

Program license

(67 votes)

Free

Developer

Version

Lunime

1.1.0

Works under:

Also available for

Windows

Android

Gacha Club is a role-playing video game originally developed for Android by the Lunime game studio, but the company has expanded the game's platforms to include modern versions of Microsoft Windows. What is interesting to note about Gacha Club is that Lumine ported a full version for Windows PC players by popular demand. Unlike games such as PUBG Mobile, which require the download and installation of an Android emulation package, Gacha Club for Windows runs as a native app that many players consider to be better than the original Android and iOS versions.

What is Gacha Club?

This is pretty much an eponymous game because it is based on the gacha vending machine concept created by the Japanese toy giant Bandai in the early 1960s. If you have dropped a coin into one of these machines, you probably remember the chances to win cheap toys and trinkets stuffed 4inside plastic capsules; somewhere along the line, you figured out that getting the exact prize you want is a matter of sheer luck. Perhaps you wanted a cool set of fantasy earrings, but most of the capsules in the gacha machine have stickers instead, so you were tempted to deposit more coins to keep trying. It is important to remember this gameplay mechanism because it is at the heart of Gacha Club, but it will not cost you real money, at least not as of January 2023. This will be explained in more detail later in this review.

In Gacha Club, you enter a virtual world populated by cute anime characters meant for role-playing. There are a few storylines you can follow, but they are mostly secondary to the three main aspects of the game, which are:

* Customizing and spiffing up your characters.

* Engaging in battles against other players for status and prizes.

* Playing an assortment of mini-games.

The main draw of this game is for players to get into character customization. You start with one character, which can be your sole or main avatar, but your player account and profile can accommodate nine other characters. Furthermore, players have opportunities to load up another 90 characters and place them in storage for future use.

Customization is extensive in Gacha Club, and it is closely tied to the in-game virtual economy, which is driven by its proprietary digital currency. Just like with real-life gacha machines, everything that can be obtained in Gacha Club involves "pull" mechanisms. Traditional gacha machines feature levers you pull to activate the mechanism that delivers toys to the tray, and you don't know what you'll get. In Gacha Club, the pull mechanism is digital, which means you activate it by using a mouse click or a touchscreen tap.

Naturally, each gacha pull requires money, and this is where the in-game currency comes in. When you set up a Gacha Club account, you are gifted a few pieces of in-game currency tokens, which are known as gacha coins. This welcome gift is good for a few pulls you can use to customize your character, but there are various other methods to earn more coins.

Adding Personal Touches to Your Gacha Club Characters

This game shines when it comes to customizing the look and abilities of characters; Lumine markets Gacha Club as the ultimate in character customization, and this is an accurate statement. The basic options for customizing characters are:

* Presets

* Head

* Face

* Body

* Pets

* Objects

* Clothing

* Units

As you make progress through the game, you will unlock even more customization options. The most in-demand options are the units and pets; the former determine how you will fare in battle, and the latter are simply adorable. There is a competitive and collectible nature to pets and units because they are respectively capped at 150 and 180, although Lumine could very well expand these numbers in the future as the game becomes more popular.

If you enjoy playing around with the appearance and ability of digital characters, Gacha Club will very likely be up your alley. You can spend hours in the character studio, where you can further customize with backgrounds and text bubbles. You also have accessories such as jewelry, tattoos, eyeglasses, weapons, and more. Everything requires a pull, which as previously mentioned is contingent on the number of coins you have; to this effect, you can head over to the mini-games section and start earning.

The mini-games are of the casual kind. You have memory-style games as well as rhythm-based skill challenges. Once you have played the mini-games a few times, they will get repetitive, but you can continue grinding to make your characters look cool or prepare them for battle. While you can earn more coins when battling other characters, you can also lose them if you do not come away victorious.

Gacha Club Battle Mode

This is about as close to socializing as you can get in Gacha Club. The Battle Mode is framed by storylines that are mildly interesting to read and follow. You are supposed to arrive at the arena with a character that is ready for battle; this is crucial because the only control you have is when to release special abilities.

You don't lose characters in Gacha Club, but losing a battle will strip away some of your units. One of the goals of this game is to make your characters stronger, and this can be accomplished through victories in battle.

Loot Boxes in Gacha Club

As you play Gacha Club, your character will come across mystery boxes that you can open to earn pulls, coins, or items. Unlike the loot box mechanisms of other games that are based on in-app purchases and microtransactions, you don't have to shell out any cash in Gacha Club. While it may seem strange to see a game of this kind without monetization schemes, keep in mind that it has only been around for a few years, which means that purchasing coins with real money could be a possibility in the future.

All in all, Gacha Club is a cute and interesting game that will appeal to young players who are of reading age. The gacha pull concept is pretty neat, and the anime aesthetic is quite colorful. About the only thing that Gacha Club is missing would be greater social interaction, but Lunime already offers Gacha Life, which is more like a playful virtual world. For the time being, Gacha Club is free to play, and that is somewhat surprising when you look at how well-developed it is. The only issue you may encounter would be network lag at some points of the game, but this does not happen very often.

Gacha Club for Windows Pros

  • Extensive customization of characters.
  • Fine anime aesthetic.
  • Completely free to play without monetization schemes.

Gacha Club for Windows Cons

  • Mini-games can get repetitive.
  • Few social media features.