DekaPari

While I had previously played DekaPari a year ago, only a machine translation was available and thus a lot of the plot and themes went over my head. Thankfully we finally got a proper English TL.

After having played the game again I can say with confidence this is one of the best games in the series and it’s definitely high up there when it comes to other RPG Maker titles outside of Towelket. The atmosphere, music, story and characters are simply incredible.

It’s really a game that must be enjoyed firsthand, so I hope you already played it before reading any of this.

The characters in this game are one of it's strongest points. This game has my favorite portrayal of Lasagana who finally comes back as a main character after 14 years since TK1. Unlike TK1 Lasagna who was all about being Demure and gentle (for the most part), Dekapari Lasagna is a sharp contrast, she’s far more assertive and outspoken, and sometimes is the one that will move the plot forward by suggesting visiting Conchelle, moving to the city or getting a part-time job. She’s a good foil to Moochasu who is, for the most part, a passive main character. So, her being such a fun and forceful character is very welcome.

Paripariume is an incredibly complex character, and even now, I’m not completely sure I understand her fully. She comes across as someone that doesn’t really care about anyone else but Moochasu, she will use and discard people without a second thought to further her plan, it doesn’t matter if they used to be friends, she has detached herself from everything. Even though she’s now this powerful being, it feels as if she doesn’t care about what labels people use on her; God, devil, or the one that will end the world. What matters most is her reunion with Moochasu.

Yet there are moments where she does feel like a sort of angry god, like when she calls Lasagna a “lowly human” affirming her divinity showing me that she has indeed placed herself above humanity. There are also times where she will express her resentment towards all the people that have tried to use her for their own agenda, like the cultists or the organization. Her jealousy also surfaces when she sees other girls growing closer to Moochasu after her death, expressing the desire to murder them.

All I can say is that even if she’s now this powerful otherworldly being, she still feels very human, she feels anger, resentment, jealousy and love. There’s definitely a long conversation to be had about her and her motives.

As for Moochasu, as a silent protagonist, it’s a bit hard to understand what he’s feeling without projecting my feelings onto him. He was dating Paripariume and we even get to see bits of their dates. After her death he was visiting her grave and placing flowers at the start of the game, so I don’t doubt he loved her.

Something I noticed is that he has a hard time accepting the giant girl on the horizon as Paripariume, referring to her as a “thing” or having the option to ask several times about the true identity of the giant girl. Which is perfectly understandable, anyone would have a hard time reconciling with the idea their loved one would do all these things and bring humanity’s end.

Another thing that throws me off is the note in the secret room from a “previous” Moochasu, who seems to be trying to help him to escape PPU’s love. Yet by the end of the game, it’s as if our Moochasu does not oppose to PPU’s plan, instead he listens to her and does not struggle at all. I’m not sure if this was out of resignation, love, or something else.

Sadly, Conchelle doesn’t have as much screentime as the other two due to story reasons. This iteration of her character feels more subdued compared to her appearances in other titles. I interpret this as her being mindful of Moochasu’s emotions after Paripariume’s death. She expresses genuine concern for his well-being and has hidden feelings for him, though she’s unsure whether it’s the right time to confess given the relatively recent loss of PPU.

As many have noticed this is the same group as Towelket 1! This game seems to have many parallels with towelket 1 and 2. As for another parallel with towelket 1. There seems to be some sort of time loop being implied, cycles and the repeat of things. We even see Chun inside Moochasu’s house near the secret room with the green cases. But I can only speculate on this.

The story is divided into three parts, with the first part serving as an introduction to the main cast: Moochasu, Lasagna, Conchelle, and PPU. This section does an excellent job of establishing the relationships between them, particularly their shared history with PPU, who is dead at the start of the game. It also explores the dynamics between Moochasu, Lasagna, and Conchelle

This chapter has an amazing sense of escalation, where it gets more ominous with each new chapter. I liked how PPU’s letters accentuated the feeling of uneasiness with how angrier she becomes each day. You quickly realize that she might be dangerous. All of this plus the atmosphere and climax make it a strong start.

The second part was a lot of fun, and the move to the city kept things fresh. From the haunted apartment to working at Mogumogu Burger and exploring the Cabbit Kingdom, this section provided a much-needed shift in tone. After the tense and ominous first part, the humor and whimsical feel of the second part were a welcome change of pace. It was just a lot of fun.

I know the cabbits weren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I’ve always enjoyed the whimsical elements in Towelket. It reminded me of how in Towelket 1, humans and Pons lived together despite the initially grounded tone of the world. The cabbits added a similar charm here! Plus, they were very cute! Personally, I didn’t feel this section went on too long. Instead, it offered more time to explore the world and better understand Moochasu and Lasagna. The end of this part also gave us some great revelations about the upcoming end of the world.

Finally, part 3 is the longest and heaviest. After Tartcheffe prophecy of the end of the world we get to experience it. The world is ravaged, and most humans are dead. During this part the game presents lots of interesting ideas like Tartcheffe inversion of life and death, the realm of proper and improper deaths, the merging of the afterlife and real world, which ends with the culmination of PPU’s plan. There’s a lot of things in this section that can only be interpreted, and we are never given concrete answers, for example the secret room. While some might not like this, I don’t think it’s a deal breaker, the game functions perfectly fine with the information given and the other stuff is just fun to speculate about.

During the end of part 3 I couldn’t help but think about Towelket 2’s Paripariume and all her subsequent incarnations. During the entire series PPU’s treatment has been harsh to say the least, she’s someone that’s been used, abused and killed unfairly a number of times, but in this game, she finally the one in control of everything, she completes all her objectives, and will no longer be used or harm by anyone. She’s finally reunited with the one she loves, and they will be together for eternity. Even if it meant dooming humanity.

Like I said previously, the music selection is just great. Kanao did a good job choosing tracks that would enhance the atmosphere of a scene. A lot of times I would let the OST just play out while looking at the screen, just thinking of the scene unfolding or just because it was that good. It really enhanced the experience and made it more immersive. Talking about this the track selection in “Yorumorukimiri” comes to mind, and while that game is one of Kanao’s best, it had a lot of instances where very unfitting techno music would play in serious scenes which would just break the immersion and just make you wonder “why this is even playing here?”.

Personally, I think this game is very pretty, most of the assets in this game are original and you can tell the effort that went into making them. Night scenes look incredible, this is even more true for these happening near the end of the game, a lot of them would make for a good wallpaper. Scenes where PPU would speak to Moochasu also include a heavily edited “realistic” photo with her sprite over it, and I think it looks really good.

DekaPari was an amazing experience to revisit, Kanao did an amazing job with everything. I’m glad PPU’s return to the spotlight after 15 years resulted in one of the best games in the series. I'm sure there's plenty I didn't understand but this gives me a reason to play it again in the future.