021 Honest, in a way.
The “Guardian Activity Log” is a mini-game where you assist Ms. Iris as a temporary guardian while solving problems in the Netherworld.
The content is essentially a tag game with a time limit.
As you walk through the Netherworld, you randomly encounter problems, and you have to catch the corresponding targets. For example, if it’s a “crime,” you catch the “criminal,” and if it’s a “missing person,” you find and catch the “missing person (including pets)” within the Netherworld.
When the target spots the player, they run towards the edge of the area, and if you can make contact before they escape, you succeed. If you can’t catch them, you fail.
Based on the final score, you receive a small amount of points and an increase in Ms. Iris’s favorability towards the player.
By the way, her favorability affects the story in the Netherworld and is used to determine whether she will accompany the protagonist when they are eventually resurrected in the real world.
Ms. Iris is originally an additional content character, so she doesn’t affect the main story and rarely speaks during main scenario events.
The benefits of her accompanying you to the real world include additional Christmas and Valentine’s Day events, the unlocking of some sub-scenarios, and an increase in the number of quests at the Adventurer’s Guild.
Now, this mini-game is actually quite troublesome.
First of all, the Netherworld map area is quite large, so it takes time to chase and catch the targets.
In addition, the problems occur randomly, so a criminal might be escaping while a missing person problem occurs, and the situations pile up.
Well, this level of difficulty is within the range of a normal mini-game.
The problem is that you have to give instructions and move not only the player but also the NPC, Iris.
As I said at the beginning, this mini-game is about “assisting Ms. Iris as a temporary guardian.”
Therefore, Iris also participates in the map as a support character.
You can move her around the map by giving her instructions, and when a target to chase enters her Perception Range, she will automatically chase after it.
“(However, Iris’s Perception Range is “too wide,” so she often moves here and there, unable to catch anyone, and just runs around in confusion.)”
Iris’s Perception Range is very wide, perhaps due to her magic eye settings. Even if it’s beyond a building where her line of sight is blocked, she will recognize and start chasing a target if it enters her set Perception Range.
However, in the original game, you couldn’t prioritize targets, so if target B entered her Perception Range while she was chasing target A, she would stop chasing target A and start chasing target B, which happened frequently.
Moreover, the shorter the time limit and the higher the score, the higher the rate of problems occurring, so the later it gets, the more incompetent she becomes.
Therefore, the player needs to give her detailed instructions, while also chasing the target, predicting the escape route, and correcting her if she goes in the wrong direction… it’s a constant cycle.
“(To aim for a high score, her cooperation is absolutely necessary, and it’s designed so you can’t overcome that hurdle. It’s not a bad mini-game, but it’s just plain annoying.)”
In addition, once you get a high score, Ms. Iris’s favorability will continue to be boosted, so combined with the tediousness of the game itself, I didn’t really play this mini-game much.
VR players who could play in first-person view liked it because they could simulate a movie-like escape and giving instructions to subordinates, but there was still a certain number of people who found it “annoying” when they had to repeat it.
“Now then, to protect the peace of the Netherworld! And to connect with the people of the area and improve Sakurai-san’s humanity, let’s do our best!”
“O-oh?”
“Yeah!”
While raising my arm slightly in response to Ms. Iris’s energetic voice, I quickly plan to separate from them and slack off.
Ms. Iris is a benefactor who improved my relationship with Higaki, but since I don’t intend to get involved in the original story, I don’t feel the need to increase her favorability.
Well, I understand that she’s taking care of me because she cares, but this mini-game doesn’t lead to Leveling, and if it doesn’t, I can’t really get motivated.
“(But it would be rude to neglect her… I’ll keep her company while slacking off moderately.)”
Just as I decided that, a notification “Social Skills +1” appeared at the edge of my vision.
I see, judging the situation is also considered an action. This is a good discovery, this is how you get along with the world.
“Then, I think I’ll try my best with my own power without relying on others!”
“You seem unusually motivated, Sakurai-san.”
“Of course! Ms. Iris has taken care of me, and I’ll do my best to get through the time I don’t feel like doing anything with forced enthusiasm!”
“Honesty is usually a virtue, but Sakurai-san, you’re using it in the exact opposite direction.”
“Judging from your behavior, the fact that you’re not doing it on purpose makes it even worse, Sakurai-san.”
Alright, I’ll set up shop in the back alley where about half of the targets will pass through to escape due to the geography, and while practicing my sword swings, I’ll get a decent evaluation!