Platforms:
PS4, PC, Nintendo Switch, PS5
Released:
July 11, 2024
Publisher:
Bliss Brain
Developer:
Bliss Brain
The childrearing genre is pretty niche, but those who are aware of it will know the Princess Maker series, which is undoubtedly the most well-known example and likely the inspiration for many of the more modern titles like Long Live the Queen and Volcano Princess. And of the Princess Maker series, the most beloved is probably Princess Maker 2, which was first released for PC back in 1993-1994 across the world. What better way to celebrate this masterpiece’s 30th anniversary than with a new remaster?
The Steam page for Princess Maker 2 Regeneration includes a heartfelt message from Princess Maker director Takami Akai that reads, “I am deeply grateful to see that “Princess Maker 2”, which came out 30 years ago, is still so beloved by so many fans that we can release a new version.”, which makes me feel slightly bad for them when I say that this remaster is a pretty poor anniversary present.
The biggest problem with Princess Maker 2 Regeneration is that an almost identical remaster of Princess Maker 2 already exists, and its name is Princess Maker 2 Refine. It first came out in 2004, and in 2016 it made its way to Steam as a port. It includes retouched audio, visuals, and a full voice-over for all dialogue. It’s also the first official English translation of the game; until then the various versions you could find online were using an unreleased English translation that had been scrapped before it could be released. This Steam version will run you about AUD $28.95; not cheap, but within reason for an otherwise inaccessible retro title. With Refine about 20 years old, there was plenty that Regeneration could have done to make this new remaster worth it. Unfortunately, the additions are few and far between. Despite how few features it added, its asking price is AUD $58.95; a frankly baffling figure.
Regeneration takes Refine and adds a few new pieces of artwork, a short animated intro, and has revised the English translation to read a bit more smoothly. Its only other notable change — one that was apparently so notable that it deserved to be highlighted on its Steam description — is that your daughter’s stat block is now always visible from the scheduling screen, rather than hidden away in menus. This change is admittedly great: you have to refer to this stat block constantly, so having it always on the screen is undeniably better. But Princess Maker 2 is full of just these kinds of opportunities for improvement that Regeneration just doesn’t take, making just this one change a pretty laughable thing to advertise.
Princess Maker 2 still slaps
Look, I’m not going to sit here and tell you that Princess Maker 2 isn’t still a great game. Regeneration doesn’t ruin that. Rearing your daughter from ages 10 to 18 is an engaging exercise in resource and schedule management, where you are rewarded with watching your darling girl grow into whatever you want her to be. Depending on what she studies and where she finds work, she can end up as anything from Queen to a common housewife… or even an evil demon. The number of endings you can earn is impressive even compared to modern games, with how well she succeeds later in life, and whether she gets married, determined by the stats she achieved as well as what events she participated in. It’s a genuine challenge to keep her fed, educated, happy, and healthy, and a further challenge to ensure she succeeds in whatever you plan for her future.
The game is heavy on stat-building as your daughter won’t get far in life without the requisite abilities. Each month, you set your daughter’s schedule for study, work, or adventure. Studying increases stats fast at a high cost, while working earns money, but requires certain stats to succeed. If she doesn’t have enough time off or becomes unhappy through other means, she might slack off, become delinquent, or even run away.
Your daughter is beautifully rendered at each age and takes into account her mood and what clothes she’s wearing. The art style is charmingly ’90s, which actually makes the new illustrations stick out like a sore thumb, as nice as they are. Not too much of an attempt was made to match the new art to the original art style, especially where the new opening cinematic is concerned; it looks more like a short fan-animated tribute. It lasts just over a minute. Again, this remaster wants you to pay 58 Aussie dollars for it.
As a piece of historical 90’s media, Princess Maker 2 is absolutely hilarious. The game is rife with cringey pop-culture misogyny and female sexualisation that takes me right back to reading Dragon Ball as a kid. It’s nostalgic, in a way, and while it’s still objectionable, I can’t help but laugh at the brazenness of it. Not only can characters make comments to your daughter when she can be as young as 10, but her looks and body proportions are baked into the gameplay. Her bust size and weight are one of the many stats to keep track of, and if she weighs “too much”, she’ll receive certain penalties to her other stats and she may not be able to wear some of her outfits. Oh, and how could I forget the possible endings where she can marry her own butler, or you, her adoptive father! (These endings are removed in the PlayStation versions of Regeneration). I don’t mind that these dated aspects are still here, as its flaws are in part what makes it a nostalgic artifact.
“It’s a testament to how good Princess Maker 2 is that it rivals its few modern counterparts in quality to this day.”
It’s a testament to how good Princess Maker 2 is that it rivals its few modern counterparts in quality to this day, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t use some improvements. The original was released in the era of physical instruction booklets, where very little of how to play was explained in-game. With no booklet to refer back to in Refine and Regeneration, it’s far too easy to be completely lost in the myriad of monthly choices and stats. What is the difference between the stats Refinement, Eloquence, and Decorum, and what are they for? You’ll never know unless you look up a guide! What is the Sentimentality stat and what does it affect? It’s crucial to manage, but good luck knowing why without the help of GameFAQs! Regeneration slaps your daughter’s stat block to the right of the scheduling menu and calls it a day, seemingly not bothering to make any other improvements.
I realise that too many changes would have required a full remake, not just a remaster, but that’s the only way Regeneration would have justified existing in the same universe at Refine. Perhaps Bliss Media simply didn’t have the resources to do a remake, and that’s completely understandable given that the Princess Maker series is hardly mainstream. But I simply don’t know how this bare-bones remaster passed the cost-analysis test.
5
Average
Positive:
- Princess Maker 2 still slaps
- Stat Block visible at all times is a nice improvement
Negative:
- Improvements aren't enough to justify a new remaster
- Princess Maker 2 Refine offers a comparable experience at half the price
- New illustrations don't match the original artstyle, which is jarring
Princess Maker 2 remains an incredible and addicting game, but Regeneration is a disappointing remaster, offering barely any gameplay changes and an inconsistent art style. It misses obvious quality-of-life improvements that Princess Marker 2 sorely needed, leaving us at a loss as to why they bothered to remaster the game at all. Play Princess Maker 2 as it’s a fantastic piece of gaming history, but there’s no need to pay for this particular version.
About the Author
Edie W-K
she/her
If it isn't video games, Edie doesn't care about it. She's been playing games since the N64 era, and only spent enough time away from her 3DS to earn a Bachelor in Games Design from RMIT.
