Instead there is simply an interstitial line or two between the start and conclusion of a scene to bridge the gap. You do not see any sexual CGs nor do you read any sexual descriptions. All sex was removed from the game on Steam. So too is being aware of the sexual assault he faces at the hand of his classmates. Knowing clearly what he suffers from is part of the stomach-churning body horror element.
Early descriptions of Youji’s ailment are veiled, making it hard to discern what exactly is happening with him. Unfortunately, the censorship removes the game’s bite entirely. On Steam, Sweet Pool was cut likely to meet Valve’s requirements at the time of submission.
It’s possible to sidestep this content by simply playing the Steam release and never buying the DLC patch for $4.99. If you cannot handle that kind of content in fiction then unfortunately playing Sweet Pool in its uncensored form is a very bad idea. No matter which of the paths you go down, there is always a moment where he gets attacked and raped by another character. One aspect that remains hard to stomach is the raping of Youji.
Some of the body horror scenes actually come across as strangely beautiful due to the skilled writing and artistry on display.
They’re done in a surprisingly artistic manner, though. Expect to see your fair share of body horror including CGs featuring gore and blood. While it is true that Sweet Pool is now a decade old, the story it tells remains sharp, intriguing and incredibly disturbing. Fortunately, there are spoiler-free guides online for those who would prefer to use them. It can be tough to attain all the endings and especially the final one. Even so, it’s these choices which lead players down one of six endings. Instead, when it’s time to make a choice players must opt to go with Youji’s “instinct” or “reason.” It’s never clear what either choice will result in. In Sweet Pool, you don’t get any dialogue options. Most visual novels provide dialogue or action choices. There’s also a unique gameplay aspect at play. The VO work is well done and equally skillful at promoting immersion.
The game also features full Japanese voice acting for all characters. The tracks perfectly match the mood of the game and enhance the player’s feeling of dread throughout. Of course the music simply can’t go without mention. Even the backdrops, which are often unimaginative in visual novels, provide a great, creepy setting for the story. The men are professionally drawn and quite handsome in a multitude of CGs. As such, expect Sweet Pool to provide high quality audio and visuals. Nitro+ (and Nitro+Chiral by extension) is an established developer with a wealth of titles under their belt. Everything spirals out of control from there. The weird thing is that they somehow seem connected to interacting with his stoic classmate Tetsuo. For some reason, it appears he is getting new symptoms from his ailment - and they’re far more distressing than anything that came before. Almost immediately, however, he finds himself in trouble. As the school year begins it looks like Youji has hope for having a pleasant, if uneventful high school experience. Makoto’s playful behavior contrasts with Youji’s reserved nature. Fortunately he has one friend in class with him named Makoto. He didn’t want to miss school - his poor health made it a necessary move. The game begins with our protagonist Youji returning to school after an entire year off. It’s one heck of an initial title to make available to English-speaking audiences. Sweet Pool is the first game available from the JAST BLUE brand. It was huge news and meant that games from the Nitro+Chiral catalog would finally receive an official release despite being years old at this point. JAST USA then announced their brand JAST BLUE to exclusively focus on these titles. This is the boys’ love, or BL, genre featuring male/male romantic relationships. Even so, one genre has had an especially tough time breaking through via official translations. It’s amazing how visual novels have taken off in English-speaking regions over the last decade.