Since 1991 the Princess Maker series has offered deep simulation gameplay rooted in Fantasy RPG traditions. You typically play as some hero who the gods task to raise a daughter, preferably into a princess. As her father, your duty is to nurture her properly by ensuring that she’s happy and healthy. Enriching her life with a good education and part-time jobs is essential as well.
The series favorite has recently received yet another remaster on consoles and PC as Princess Maker 2 Regeneration. Learn all about this deep and charming simulation game with Final Weapon’s Princess Maker 2 Regeneration Review!
The Princess Maker series has been at the forefront of niche Japanese Simulation games since its inception in the ’90s. The series helped establish this genre in Japan alongside other landmark titles such as Tokimeki Memorial. Princess Maker was created by GAINAX, the studio best known for Neon Genesis Evangelion. Back in the day, before Evangelion even, GAINAX made basically whatever they felt like – including games. The game intended to offer the primarily work-oriented males of the era a taste of fatherhood, something many men of the era didn’t have much involvement in. Can Princess Maker capture this incredibly distinctive idea?
Blessed With a Daughter From the Heavens…
When you first start the game, you’re treated to an opening made exclusively for Princess Maker 2 Regeneration, animated by Yonago Gainax, a community-driven offshoot of the main company with a team of only eight people. The game’s intro was led by Takumi Akai, who was the original main artist and director of the Princess Maker series and a co-founder of Gainax. Akai also handled the redrawn graphics present in this new re-release. It’s pleasant, no? A creator still doting on one of his creations. This opening sets the stage for what’s to come during the next eight in-game years by showing you flashes of your daughter-to-be alongside many other characters with whom she can develop kinships. What experiences will you and your daughter have? What sort of woman will you raise her into?
After daydreaming about the possibilities of parenthood and considering whether you’ll be up to snuff, the opening fades out and plops you onto the main menu. From here, you can start the game, rewind time (Load?), reminisce about some memories, or fiddle with the scarce number of settings. Akai’s newly drawn art of the (hopefully) future princess is the true focal point here. It’s practically daring you to prove your worth. This is PRINCESS Maker, after all. Yeah, I’m gonna do it! I’ll raise a perfect princess! Well, let’s get this started!
Before you can dive into nurturing your princess, you have to provide your surname along with some other information. Okay, surname… easy enough. My age and birthday… want my SSN next? Oh goodness, I have to name my daughter. I’m not sure what to call her. She’ll have this name for the rest of her life; it’s her NAME. Melody! That’s a good name, I feel. Very elegant. Okay, filling that out is necessary for a game like this. HUH? I understand she needs an actual birthday, but do I just get to pick that? Oh no… what could this affect? I could go through a rabbit hole of guides to find out what all these could entail, but is it really parenting if you’re fully prepared? I just held and mashed buttons until I randomly selected a date. Interestingly, her birthday landed on May 1st. Can I handle a fellow Taurus? Don’t worry; the fun doesn’t end there because you also have to select her blood type. “Astrology AND Bloodtypes factor into personalities or skills?!” is all that was running through my head. I haven’t even started raising a child, and I’m already worried about messing everything up…
After stressfully planning out the nitty-gritty details of your future daughter’s signs and such, the story truly begins with some backstory – The kingdom the game is set in was meant to be razed by the Demon Lord, as he received a divine decree from the gods to put an end to this sinful kingdom. However, there was hope, as a lone Hero defied the will of the gods and put a stop to the Demon Lord’s advances. After the hero saves the kingdom, he is blessed with a daughter from heaven, bestowed upon him by a patron deity that aligns with his birthdate.
Starting My Journey as a New Parent
Wow, becoming a parent is the easy part, huh? Acting like one is a completely different matter. First, you gotta learn the ropes, and hoooooo boy… What do all of these icons mean? That’s a lotta stats… These menus are definitely classic Japanese simulation style and are super indicative of that design era. Despite being another updated re-release of Princess Maker 2, Regeneration sure doesn’t include any quality of life explaining much. You’re thrown in head first! I respect that, but the number of things to consider is already overwhelming! Trial and error, right? The only thing to do is check and see what everything does.
This icon is surely a stat menu of some sort aaaaaand yep. This is the main stat menu that’s also on the sidebar. You can turn that on or off, but this is good information that is easily accessible. Ah, okay, you can select meal plans for her. I bet the different diets affect things like growth, possibly more. It seems this icon is some sort of personal menu that gives you more details on your daughter’s condition. This is worth checking up on occasionally since it appears to let you know things like her temperance and health. Oh man, there are even town and inventory menus, just like a standard RPG. I think I can work with this! Ok, this menu is used to interact with her. Father-daughter talk, pocket money, and lecturing. Hmm, I can already imagine use cases for these. Talking to your daughter is a must, plus pocket money couldn’t hurt. I wonder what lecturing is used for. Alright! I believe I understand the basic interfacing! Now, it’s time to actually do something! This parenting thing is going to be EZ!
The real test of your parenting skills is how effectively you can schedule every month. The guidance you offer your daughter is integral to her growth as a person. You also have to keep your budget in mind, as classes, food, and extras aren’t free. This all sounds important – even obvious, but this reality hadn’t yet sunk into my brain. I immediately spoiled my daughter and had her try a wide variety of activities as I continued to get my bearings straight. My daughter partook in many different activities. She got a knack for babysitting, tried exploring, and even took some classes. She even ended up getting a decent reputation amongst the denizens of higher society due to the Decorum classes I put her in. I genuinely began to feel pride in her growth. She was learning and changing before my very eyes. I even felt pangs of pride welling up when she went from being a horrible cook to constantly winning cooking contests. The hard work you put in can pay off in spades. Princess Maker 2 absolutely succeeds in creating a simulation game where progression is a satisfying learning process, just like actual parenting. What awaits Melody and I? How will we grow and change?
Watching the Years Fly By
The factor that ultimately gives all of the mechanics weight and meaning is the passage of time. Everything you do in the game revolves around keeping dates in mind and understanding how to plan around setbacks. Even some of the more challenging components of the game force the player to really make the most of the limited time that they have with their daughter, as certain outcomes and events only spring up when meeting certain criteria. Your daughter can form relationships and rivalries with other people, meet unique characters, and even gain new interests. The player, as her father, genuinely influences her path in life and, through dedication and planning, can make her flourish. Adding the passing of time to this is what creates this game’s spectacular sense of progression. Nothing would have as much meaning if you didn’t get to see things slowly change.
One of the ways the game communicates its sense of progression is through its RPG mechanics. Constantly viewing your daughter’s stats rise and fall gives a sense of mechanical bliss as you see your dedicated planning and your daughter’s hard work pay off. Taking note of how certain actions affect her lets you get a clear picture of what must be done to make her dreams come true. Every job, every interaction, every event has a role to play in her development. You get to see her improve within certain fields over time. The sincere pride I felt when seeing her hone her skills through sheer diligence made me want to improve myself.
The game already gives you an excellent sense of progression through its mechanics. However, the graphics also brilliantly reflect this. Every year, you actually get to see your beloved daughter grow. Every year, on her birthday, her main sprite changes. That’s not all! Her clothing options even change the sprite, so you can see how she sports the same styles differently over time. She even has different facial expressions that represent her personality and health! The combinations of art that make up her sprite contain an absurd amount of detail. As the mechanics push the ideas of growth and change, the graphics show it. The art does a superb job of illustrating this life journey. Even the vacation spots contain dozens of unique artwork that correlate to the season, location, and age of your daughter!
Your daughter not only shows your progress, but the decorations in the room also portray the passage of time with the seasonal flowers being changed. If your daughter makes paintings during her art classes, the painting on the wall will be replaced with her own artwork. This creates many layers of visual indication of growth. Every year, your daughter grows and learns as the seasons change.
Boundless Parenting Styles
I’ve mostly alluded to the mechanics and what they do thus far, however, the way they interact with each other is where Princess Maker 2 truly shines. Stress is always a factor you must consider as every task takes some sort of toll on your daughter, be it a job, classes, or even seasonal events. Stress levels also alter her personality and health, making it arguably one of the most important factors to consider in the game. Dancing around keeping your daughter within the stress threshold you desire and budgeting your money accordingly will be the main driving forces in your decision-making. On top of this and the continuous march of time, every stat point your daughter gains will influence her potential future. Each job, class, and event she experiences will both give and take stat points. These stat points determine what she’s good at and what she’ll become. You, as her guiding hand, of course, can influence her and help her overcome any challenge. Scheduling her to do certain activities will make her gain and lose different stats, which in turn determines which one of the over 70 endings awaits your daughter. Every ending requires a different amount of the variety of stats to trigger, making this the ultimate End-Game planning simulation for some.
As mentioned, having your daughter partake in part-time jobs and paid classes is the main way to get her some stat points. The points she gains and loses are dependent on the activity. Having her take a job at the church will increase her faith, and putting her through a science course will raise her knowledge while whittling away at her faith. Everything is give and take in that regard. Trying to keep her perfectly balanced is a fool’s errand. She’ll wind up educated, but jacks of all trades can’t find much success in this kingdom, it seems. You must have goals in mind and work towards them. Classes cost money, and your yearly pension is nothing short of piddly. Budgeting, managing your daughter’s stress, and planning your goals for your daughter’s future are all at odds with each other. Picking and choosing the right activities is key. Putting your daughter through a job she’s good at is a guaranteed way to make good money, but that puts her in a specific career lane. That may not align with your goals. Sometimes, you’ll need to accept that practice makes perfect and have your daughter take on activities she may not excel at immediately. On my first playthrough, my daughter was not blessed with the gift of cooking. Through hard work, she eventually became a consistent winner of the yearly cooking contest at the Harvest Festival. There’s plenty of room for experimentation, of course, but there’s more to consider besides just taking classes and working jobs. Several more factors in the gameplay can be taken into account.
Another intriguing layer that the game adds is reputation. Your daughter can interact with a plethora of NPCs and even gain rivals. Performing certain actions does change her public perception. Winning different contests and specific activities will garner her reputation in different categories like Combat and Housework. This will heavily influence her future. Your daughter can even get in good with the people of the higher society by taking Decorum classes and climbing the social ladder by earning Reputation points. This system makes it so that spreading you and your daughter too thin will get you an ending you may not have wanted. Focus is the name of the game. Although clear focus will lead you towards your desired ending, it can result in the player putting their blinders on. Be sure to enjoy all of the little things and try some new things from time to time! It builds character.
Princess Maker 2 is an absurdly deep simulation game, but it has even more to offer! There are special events that can be triggered, and they depend on the decisions you make. There are time-limited NPCs, items that trigger events, and more. There is a young soldier that your daughter can meet with every January, Traveling Merchants, and even gods and spirits that show up periodically. These events deepen the world and tie into the simulation aspects. Some events will give your daughter stat boosts or only be triggered if she meets certain stat requirements. I probably barely saw any of these as there are tons of event scenes linked to stat numbers or limited to Vacations and Errantry.
The Baby Bird Leaves the Nest
Princess Maker 2 Regeneration is a solid remastering of the second game in Gainax’s child-rearing simulation series. It’s still the same charming experience that was released in 1993. All of the depth is retained, and the remastered art is handled by the original director and artist, ensuring that PM2’s legacy is preserved 30 years later. The game itself utilizes classic fantasy tropes and RPG elements to create a highly rewarding and replayable game where the possibilities of raising your daughter are endless. You can meticulously plan things out or go with the flow when tackling the monumental task of raising the ever-changing girl before you. As your daughter learns and grows, it falls upon you to do the same. Learn from your own parenting mistakes and grow into the father she needs you to be.
As her father, your influence is paramount to her development. Your scheduling and management are what will determine the future that awaits her. With over 70 endings, there are plenty of outcomes you can strive for. Will you raise a Princess, as the title suggests, or will you raise a famed artist? A chef? Or even a heroine? Or possibly lead your daughter down a darker path…? It’s your job to care for her, and there are plenty of events, characters, and unforeseen circumstances that alter you and your daughter’s course through the eight years the game provides you with. Decision-making is the name of the game. The stats your daughter works so hard to gain mean nothing if she doesn’t have the proper guidance.
This game is a true parenting simulator that makes you go through the whole gamut of emotional baggage real parenting can bring. I felt worry, anxiety, and pride while doting on Melody over several playthroughs. Eventually, with enough patience and care, my daughter blossomed into a wonderful princess. I referred to some internet guides, but many required you to put a lot of strain on your daughter. I decided against this and did things my way. Ultimately, I was deemed a “good father” by my patron deity and kept Melody in the best of health and spirits. Even with setbacks and mistakes, Melody and I gave it our all. She experienced many things and even mastered some skills! And it all paid off. Eight years flew by in a flash, and she was whisked away to be a prince’s bride. This hero not only saved the kingdom in its time of need but guaranteed them a bright future.
Disclaimer: Bliss Brain provided Final Weapon with a PlayStation 4 copy of Princess Maker 2 Regeneration for review purposes.
