村づくりゲームのNPCが生身の人間としか思えない

THE NPCS IN THIS VILLAGE SIM GAME MUST BE REAL!

MANGA

STATUS
COMPLETE
VOLUMES
6
RELEASE
March 14, 2023
CHAPTERS
30

DESCRIPTION

Yoshio is 30 years old, with no job and a shut-in lifestyle. His mundane days and nights are suddenly interrupted when he receives a copy of “The Village of Fate,” an experimental game with graphics like nothing he’s ever seen before. In the game, he takes on the role of a guardian deity who watches over the people of a new village…but he finds that the game characters are so intelligent, reactive, and human that he starts wondering if they could be real people somehow. Through his connection to their strangely vivid lives, Yoshio begins to discover the brightness that had been missing from his own existence.

(Source: Seven Seas Entertainment)

CHAPTERS

RELATED TO THE NPCS IN THIS VILLAGE SIM GAME MUST BE REAL!

Cover Art for The NPCs in this Village Sim Game Must Be Real!

NOVEL AdventureThe NPCs in this Village Sim Game Must Be Real!

REVIEWS

Nichtsda
90/100
a very interesting and original story about a Shut-In becoming a "Deity" and bettering himself.
Warning
The Manga currently has only 16 chapters as of me writing this review, because of that this review will be updated when new chapters come out, also this review will focus purely on the Manga and will not include anything from the Novel.

Imagine that you're a total Shut-in, a failure in the eyes of society, you are on bad terms with your family and you haven't walked out of the house for almost 2 years now... you always try to win online giveaways so you get deliveries quite often, one day a weird package comes to you with an CD titled "Village of Fate"

Besides the CD is a Note which tells you the following :

"You have been chosen to participate in our alpha test. Congratulations!"
"This game has the latest AI built-in..."

The game you received basically has characters that behave like normal beings, and you will be basically a deity for them, sounds weird and unrealistic right?

That's what our MC though too at first, to be fair who wouldn't think that this is a scam/virus?

The Note continues :

"Please do not share the specifics of this game with anyone else."
"Please do not share any of the details even online"
"If you break this agreement, your privilege will be revoked and the game will be taken from you."

Great... so apparently this is a revolutionary game, and you can't even share anything with anyone about it... now it sounds even more like a cheap scam.

So the MC basically receives a Village builder game, but there is one twist added to it... if all of your villagers die, you can't play it anymore.

Even though this all sounds a bit fishy, our MC still tries the game on his old PC and is surprised when he founds out that the game looks almost real, the Villagers are very advanced (when it comes to Intelligence) and understand his commands, which he can give them once per day.

After a while our MC gets really attached to the Villagers in the game and does everything he can to help them out, thanks to it he also begins to change for the better...

This was a brief summary of the first 1-2 chapters of the Manga, I really think that the Story and the idea is a very interesting one, It's something that I've seen for the first time, I really like the twist of him being a deity for the Villagers in "Village of Fate" and that he can only communicate with them once per day through a prophecy in a Bible, the MC can also perform miracles by using miracle points which he gets by the Villagers believing in him, and yes this game has microtransactions, and also yes the MC uses his money to help the Village, which I also like, by helping the Village he gets to know them better and thanks to that he also begins to understand himself, and what he has done wrong in this life, I mean he's a 30 year old man still living with his Parents.

Art & Characters

To be completely honest the art is nothing special, just your usual Manga art style, which is by no means a bad one, It's just an art style that is often used in Manga.

I would give it a decent 8/10 for the Art, because I like it, the Manga so far is well paced and there isn't too much text so you can get through the first 16 chapters in about half an hour.

The Characters are basic, but I like their personalities, they really fit the Story, and it helps the MC (and the readers) get attached to them and want them to succeed.

I don't really think you should read this for the art, but for the very interesting story, about a Shut-in becoming a deity for a group of runaway Villagers just trying to survive with their gods blessing.

Closing Words

Although this Manga isn't too long for now, and isn't updated that often, I would still recommend it to you dear viewer, the Story is full of potential and character development for the MC.

I really think this Manga deserves a 90/100 just for its great story, and I really await further chapters so I can also update this review in the future.
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DaSlimeSensei
90/100
A great redemption story!
Spoilers ahead, read bottom half if you want to know why I recommended or not!

"The NPCs in This Village Sim Game Must Be Real!" is a refreshingly unique manga that avoids the typical isekai premise and overpowered MC tropes. Instead focusing on a redemption of a NEET who has fallen out of society and his attempt at reintergration. While this doesn't have your typical training arcs, you see character development and improvement of the MC.

The beginning of the story is well-paced with a clear introduction of the characters and their daily life. Everything sort of connects systematically with questions regarding why he became a NEET and also the progression of the story as well. However, to me, it does seemed sort of a rushed progression, they could've dragged out the latter half a bit better building on the antagonistic behavior of the "Evil God" as well as the stalker. While the manga does a great job establishing character motivation (e.g how the MC observes villagers and slowly changes), there are sections of the plot that loses momentum due to a lock of meaningful conflict- whether physical or emotional. However, I can say that the manga progresses in a consistent pace. The main character doesn't suddenly become a better person, he does so by watching his villagers and being motivated by them (We see this with his desire to get a job, but starts to fall back on it, until he watches Carol falling and picking herself up and continuing to work).

Above all else, let's not forget the art. While I wouldn't say this is one of the best manga styles. I do think it does a great job in showing off movements and actions (sword swinging, running, etc). The art style does help keep the reader engaged, for someone like me who enjoys action manga's, having dynamic fighting scenes keep me interested and hooked. Character designs are unique, with the depth of being able to read their emotions and with the focus on details. I would have to say that it has a similar style (with shading and shadows) to that of "Hell's Paradise" or that of "The Abandoned Reincarnated Sage".

In the end my overall satisfaction with this manga is quite high. It wraps up the story quite nicely, leaving room for a potential volume (Which didn't happen, but I believe there are novels of it released). This is a highly recommended read for those who are looking for a straightforward yet engaging manga that you can finish in one sitting. Beyond its simple storytelling element, it offers an insight into real-world Japanese societal issues, such as the struggle of entering the job market and how one might become a NEET because of this. If you're interested in a character-driven narrative with meaningful growth and relatable struggles, then this manga is absolutely worth picking up. (9/10)
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