Author: Tokumei Kibou
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For the past few years now, Final Basuematsu, working under different handles, including as the circle group Tokumei Kibou, has been plugging away at SOLDIERS, a set of loosely interconnected stories told across novels, manga, and most recently SOLDIERS DesireWing, a furige RPG made with RPG Maker 2003. Initially released as a demo in 2021, DesireWing has been periodically updated with version 1.0 having finally arrived earlier this February. The various works in the SOLDIERS series are thematically and artistically linked by their focus on hyperviolence, powerful women, and the erotic-grotesque, elements that have led some commenters to positively describing at least DesireWing as “chūnibyō”-esque. Perhaps most important here is Basuematsu’s own independence from larger industries, and the ways in which this same independence imbues SOLDIERS with a roughshod quality. Just this April, Basuematsu shared footage from one of their earliest games, Memory Angel (メモリィエンジェル), an RPG, according to the developer, made when they were still in adolescence. Going by Basuematsu’s own words—they describe the game as “kuso”—understandably, they consider Memory Angel a mere curiosity, but it is undoubtedly the chūnibyō imagination of the same person behind Memory Angel that strikes one when engaging with the SOLDIERS series. Basuematsu draws their own characters and writes their own narratives, and the resulting impression is that of a devoted hobbyist working free from both creative and market restrictions.
In the time since its demo, DesireWing has slowly accrued popularity, becoming a cult-hit within the furige scene. Back in April 2024, the game briefly went viral on Twitter when Basuematsu shared an image of NPCs impaled on spikes, the dialogue box containing the striking words, “KILL YOU.” In a blog post looking back on the completion of DesireWing, Basuematsu describes their intention for the game as being for a niche audience and as a result of this moment making the game more popular, they began writing more vulgar language into the script as a method of making the game more unappealing, a period Basuematsu immediately reveals that they regret,1 but one that nevertheless demonstrates the tension between DesireWing’s artistic design and its growing fandom. Ultimately, it does not seem that despite its ever increasing popularity, Basuematsu developed DesireWing with a mass audience in mind. As they explain of the game on its download page, “Given that this work exemplifies my own fetishes, it’s filled with the daughters of evil and powerful women.”2 This is Basuematsu’s world and we’re simply in it.
DesireWing takes place in the world of Necronesia (ネクロネシア), a land sealed by the gods as a means to forcibly prevent evolution. Inhabited by humans, demons, and fairies, Necronesia knows nothing but war as each faction strives for survival and control. Amidst all this is the Cult of REA (レア教団), the name being derived from the cult’s scripture which states:
There is no Learning in God
The Earth has no heart
Soar beyond the bounds of Absurdity3
Human, demon, fairy—race does not matter. The Cult of REA is a threat to all. Wielding machines, REA’s goal is to evolve and defeat the gods thus freeing themselves from Necronesia.
Players take on the role of Lactozard Ifrisu (ラクトザルド イフリース), a knight and demon-slayer for hire known as, “the woman who cast aside her femininity” (最も女を捨てた女). Lactozard has received a request from the hero Rean (レーアン) with scarcely any details save that she needs to come to the village of Evala (エヴァーラ). The problem: upon arriving, Lactozard and her partner Mamai (ママイ) find the village all but wiped out with nary a trace of a survivor, including Rean. That is, until they encounter a group of weaker demons attacking a young woman. Easily dispatching the menace, Lactozard questions the woman about what occurred, but she remains unable to answer, not because she’s too scarred from the horror but rather, she’s suffering from amnesia.
Spiriting her back to the nearby city of Crane (クレイン), Lactozard and Mamai are then given a mission from the king to exterminate a nest of demons who may have been responsible for Evala’s destruction. It is there that they come across hints regarding the Cult of REA whereupon the king entrusts Lactozard with a new mission—to carry out the “Great Exorcism” (大退魔), a quest last performed twenty years ago by the five heroes, led by Rean, who defeated the witch Gio (ギオ). Now in tow is the young woman going by the name of Adelena (アデレナ), and the king’s own personal sorcerer, Richeen (リチェーン). Thus, the four set off on their quest to destroy the Cult of REA. Not too long thereafter, they are joined by Safeni (サフェニ), a princess and the daughter of the hero Ateraido (アテライド); Rezusa (レズサ), a fairy rebelling against her own kingdom; and Eris (エーリス), a childhood friend of Lactozard. Billed as a game that will take 45 – 60 hours to complete, anyone familiar with the structure of JRPGs already knows that the story will neither be as straightforward or simple as the above description. New enemies and allies abound, tragedies occur, and heroes are not always who we may think them to be.
Released across five years, DesireWing takes on an episodic format with smaller quests comprising the larger narrative. Alongside the aforementioned chūnibyō elements, the narrative pacing and atmosphere of DesireWing recalls the hot-blooded and violent nature of classic shōnen action manga, most notably, Dragon Ball (Akira Toriyama, 1984 – 1995), and Claymore (Nohiro Yagi, 2001 – 2014). In particular, it seems that as the years progressed and DesireWing reached completion, the game’s direction grew in ambition, especially around chapter 30 when the story introduces the “Emergence Fighters.” Cutscenes grow in length, the animation becomes more expressive with an emphasis on fight scenes accentuated by speed lines, and the overall direction bolder. Forget the fate of Necronesia. This is the story of monstrous (literal and metaphorical) and increasingly powerful women beating, burning, slashing, and tearing one another apart.
As DesireWing embraces the spectacular, the combat too ramps up in difficulty, reflecting the emergence of deadlier foes. Combined with the change in direction, watching the impressively animated battle scenes becomes a reward in itself for defeating the difficult bosses in the later stages of the game. In short, DesireWing establishes a ludo-narrative harmony, one that (re)kindles a certain childish joy in the pleasures of martial heroics told within a grand and dramatic story. With a sprawling cast, everyone here has tragic backstories, secret techniques, and of course, a final speech that typically accompanies a heroic last stand. The game inspires a juvenile sense of wonder, particularly Lactozard who has been raised for a singular purpose and increasingly pushes her body and mind to its limit to grow in strength. As Lactozard simultaneously grinds her axe against those who would stand in her way and wears down her own body in the process, it’s hard not to find yourself cheering at the screen. Despite Lactozard’s particular strength, DesireWing is far from solely being just her story and plenty of characters are fleshed out. Amongst the initial party members, Safeni emerges as something of a co-leader, grappling with her familial heritage and the legacy of her father, and Adelena struggles with her own identity and latent abilities that begin to awaken. Indeed, not wanting Lactozard to bear the lone burden of saving the world, Adelena throws herself onto the frontlines, surprising both herself and those around her. Even Richeen, the sole male and weakest member of the party, has a role to fulfill, his status as a human amongst a cast of genuine freaks (compliment) be damned.
Those who will read this praise for DesireWing and rush off to play the game may end up wondering if the game itself isn’t an elaborate shitpost and those especially unfamiliar with the style and tone of either the furige or VIPRPG scenes may find themselves turned off. If the introduction did not already make it clear, DesireWing may have become something of a cult-hit, but it would be wrong to imagine the game’s growing reputation as an indicator that it is simply another obscure Japanese game awaiting the tireless work of a translator to widen its audience. This is a niche game emerging from a niche community heavily influenced by independence and humor as crude as it is absurd. Take one side-quest involving an encounter with an anthropomorphic save point who asks Lactozard if she would prefer to have sex or gain the ability to save anywhere; an optional encounter with an ether-starved addict who anxiously begs for 99 ethers and blows up the party if not sated; a snow harpy who requires a bikini in order to migrate south, an event which reveals that harpies are of course naturally lesbian; a battle with murderous truck-driver whose vehicle is covered in broken glass and blood; or a floating sentinel simply known as “DIE-VIRGIN.” At what point do these games become so far removed from parodying the well-worn familiar tropes of Dragon Quest that their seemingly “derivative” nature entails referencing subcultures that have become both original and incomprehensible. One brick-wielding super boss seems to be a reference to an either Memory Angel or the game that eventually became DesireWing, while another skill introduced towards the game’s conclusion serves as a callback to Tokumei Kibou’s earlier RPG, Scarlet Valkyrion. But worry not. In much the same way that one doesn’t need an extensive knowledge of European mythology to enjoy Lord of the Rings, the same is true for DesireWing whose absurdist nature nevertheless remains humorous if not at least interesting.
DesireWing uses the familiar active time-battle (ATB) system accompanied by a “baton” mechanic and a version of SaGa’s “sparking” mechanic. When a character “holds” the baton, they deal increased damage, take less damage, and their ATB meter charges faster. Once that character has taken their action, they then pass the baton to another party member. As the passing of the baton can be configured, players will then want to establish a setup where the baton moves through the party.
As for sparking, here it’s instead called the “Holy Evolution Phenomenon,” (聖進化現象) which serves as an actual diegetic explanation for why characters grow stronger during combat. Spells and unique attacks are broken down by elements and target radius, and more powerful enemies have a higher chance of triggering an evolution, a percentage which can be brought up through the combat menu. However, unlike SaGa, attack evolutions are linear rather than branching meaning that “fire” will simply become “fire II” rather than a wholly other different attack.
The game features two difficulties—Story Focus and Battle Mode with players being allowed to change modes at any point in the game. Having only played on Battle Mode, I cannot speak on the nature of Story Focus. Battle Mode presents an engaging challenge, particularly the enemies which start appearing towards the end of the game. As players explore the overworld, unlocking a boat and later airship for easier traversal, they’ll come across optional dungeons, and also encounter a gallery of roaming bosses—dragons whose body parts can be exchanged for stronger gear. These dragons are merely the tip of the iceberg. Between episodes 30 and 38, the game introduces “Alpha King Enemies” (覇王種) that can be found in previously completed dungeons and whose proof of defeat grants some of the best weapons in the game. Ultimately, all this serves as preparation for the most battle-hardened of players to seek out the optional bosses awaiting in the game’s final two dungeons, the optional “Monster Hole,” (モンスターの穴) and the mandatory “Graveyard of Wishes” (願いの墓場).
It is especially at this late point in the game that DesireWing expresses confidence in both its storytelling and battle system with weaker random encounters now being gone. The strange array of beings that remain are those that have been sealed away and forgotten by the world, each unto themselves a walking calamity. Gods, knights, dragons, and perhaps the strangest of them all, a television color test pattern. These encounters push on the creativity of the baton system and party building with bosses casting ailments while being susceptible to afflictions themselves; party-wide attacks; and in some cases, even an “enrage” effect. While players will have available to them an array of strategies for approaching these fights, DesireWing emphasizes difficulty through decision-making. Players will need to keep up a high DPS output while still passing heal checks and just when they believe they’ve fallen comfortably into a rhythm, a boss might wipe out 3/4 of the party, leaving the surviving member hanging by a thread. Do you immediately heal and hope to have enough resources and luck to revive the rest of the party? Do you instead immediately revive the rest of the party and hope that the boss doesn’t follow up with another party-wide attack? Or do you risk it all on one last attack?
Each available character brings with them unique utilities that are then further complimented by endgame gear. For example, Eris has access to songs that provide various party-wide buffs and later gains the ability to extend the duration of all current buffs. It would be far too inefficient to have Eris sing an individual song to buff each stat. Enter the Avriel Destrael (アヴリエル・デストラエール) , a piece of arm gear with the following effect: when guarding, endow the party with every buff but reduce every member’s health to 1. With proper timing, this downside is easily circumvented with an immediate party-wide heal. From then on, Eris can simply continue singing as the rest of the party perform their roles. Notably, one of the buffs includes a haste effect, drastically reducing each member’s turn length. So then, a different party member can be given the “Accelerator” (加速装置) whose effect immediately boosts every member’s ATB gauge when the user guards. This then leaves two remaining party members who are now nearly instantaneously taking turns.
An equally deadly approach would instead be to use Eris as a berserker. Normally, unlike the other party members, Eris is incapable of using physical attacks. However, when afflicted with the “zombi” (ゾンビ) status, she’ll begin unleashing dual strikes. Combined with the “Spirit of Asura” (スピリットオブアスラ) which has a chance of triggering a follow-up melee attack, Eris is now capable of quadra-attacks. Variations of these build ideas remain true for the other characters, and DesireWing’s endgame allows players to explore the different approaches to gear collection, party building and combat.
Following DesireWing’s official release, Basuematsu announced that an updated version of the entire game is now in the works with a tentative 2027 release on DLSite and Steam. Prevailing critiques of DesireWing include frustrating inventory and spell management, its overly foul humor, and a stark contrast in quality between the game’s two halves, and one imagines that it’s especially this last complaint that will be addressed, bringing the direction of the game’s first half in line with its second which not only naturally bears higher stakes but also more action scenes and moments of melodrama, elements that are perhaps best exemplified by the narrative arc centered on Lactozard and her sister Nekri (ネクリ), both vying for strength and both haunted by their family history. To play through DesireWing is to thus watch a developer slowly come in to themselves as they grow more confident in both their storytelling and game design.
The world of Necronesia is cruel and while our heroes certainly aim for a better world, their own actions are guided by a larger mythology that is far from romantic. Heroes are not guided by destiny and neither are they just born. They are honed like weapons and at other times discarded like playthings. It is this exact duality that the various characters of DesireWing grapple with—today’s act of salvation threatening to become tomorrow’s act of ruin.
FURTHER READING – RENEGOTIATING THE JAPANESE ROLE-PLAYING GAME CANON
“Anime RPG Trash” or Clair Obscur and Genre Trouble
Yes, JRPGs Are Vibrant, Experimental, Forward-Thinking, and Ever Evolving – A Response to Polygon
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END NOTES
- 場末の六芒星, “ソルデザを終えて,” FC2, March 18, 2026, https://dongonrenga.fc2.net/blog-entry-9.html. ↩︎
- とくめいきぼう, “SOLDIERS DesireWing,” Free Game Mugen, https://freegame-mugen.jp/roleplaying/game_9561.html, trans by author. ↩︎
- 「学び [Learn] は神に無し。
地 [Earth] には心無し。
不条理 [Absurdity] の輪を飛び越えよ。」
↩︎
BIBLIOGRAPHY
場末の六芒星. “ソルデザを終えて.” FC2. March 18, 2026. https://dongonrenga.fc2.net/blog-entry-9.html.
とくめいきぼう. “SOLDIERS DesireWing.” Free Game Mugen. https://freegame-mugen.jp/roleplaying/game_9561.html.