Shuffle!

Plot

Rin Tsuchimi is your average human high school student. He lives in an alternate world where Humans, Gods and Devils coexist peacefully. He lives with his childhood friend Kaede, as his parents and Kaede's mother passed away in a car accident.  Kaede's father, who had been looking after both of them, went away on a long-term business trip, leaving the two alone. One day, the princesses of both the God and Demon realms, Sia and Nerine respectively, arrive in this world with their fathers who have designated him to be their husband. Who's husband, he has to choose. Unable to choose between those two and his childhood friend Kaede, the two princesses move to live nearby (nearby being next door on either side of his house) and attend the same school as him, both trying to win his heart. However, not only does he have the princesses and Kaede, but also Rin's friend Asa. Also, a mysterious demon known only as "Primula" appears who also seems to love Rin.

Gameplay

Shuffle! is a standard visual-novel which means gameplay mostly consists of reading the story as told through the eyes of Tsuchimi Rin. Throughout the game, you will make decisions which affect the story and decide which heroine you (Rin) falls in love with. These heroines are Sia (god), Nerine (demon), Primula (demon), Kaede (human) and Asa (human).  There are 2 H scenes per heroine in Shuffle! (PC version only).  After clearing the game, the player may choose to watch the H scenes again, view artwork for the various characters and listen to the soundtrack of the game.

Shuffle! On the Stage

The PS2 port of the game, Shuffle! On the Stage was released a year later in 2005. Due to Sony's ruling against explicit adult content on its consoles, all sex scenes were removed. To compensate for this, the storylines of the 5 heroines have been extended.  In addition to this, two new paths are available: Kareha and Mayumi.  However, there are some inconsistencies with the dialogue which make reference to the sex scenes, even though they supposedly didn't happen.
 

Shuffle! Essence

The PS2 port's additional story paths and higher resolution images proved popular. On May 8th 2008, Navel announced the development of Shuffle! Essence which will be a PC port of the PS2 version. However, as with the previous PC releases, this game will bring back the adult content for the existing characters, but will also add scenes for Kareha and Mayumi (Mayumi having two sex scenes in the sequel "Really? Really!" and Kareha never having one before). A release data has yet to be confirmed.
 

English Versions

There are two current teams working on translating the PC version of the game into English. The first is a fan translation group called "GamePatch". This group had been working on a translation several years ago. But, after complications, the group disappeared until July 2009 when the main translator (known only as "Heklin") returned to re-form the group to continue work on the project. No release date has been given for their release, though their form has a debate as to whether to release a smaller, more regular patch for sections of the game, or to wait for the final full release. The patch will require a legitimate copy of the original Japanese PC game to work.
 
On 4th July 2009, the visual-novel translation company MangaGamer announced that they obtained the rights to translate and release the original PC version of Shuffle! commercially. On 10th July, MangaGamer announced the release date of August 15th 2009 shortly after the announcement by heklin of GamePatch of the reformation of the group. On 31st July 2009, the price was dropped from €54.95 to €36.95. In a statement, MangaGamer said that the price drop was "for it to be enjoyed by more customers".
 

Soundtrack

 
1) Mirage Lullaby (Half size)     2:22
2) HAPPY RUN     2:39
3) Afternoon Tea Party     2:16
4) On a Rainy Morning     2:33
5) STEP DANCE     2:21
6) Twin Fairy     2:48
7) Oh, My Beloved Daughters     2:51
8) Morning Bell     2:51
9) Sunlight Filters Through the Leaves in Town     3:08
10) Sunlight Summer     2:51
11) HEY YOU!     2:46
12) Enveloped in Madder Red     2:51
13) Here to There, There to Here     3:31
14) Notice!     3:03
15) Don't be afraid     3:30
16) Purple Moon     2:39
17) Shadow Tag     3:49
18) Blurred Mirror Image     3:06
19) With You...     3:04
20) In the Deam     4:09
21) HIMAWARI (Sunflower)     2:51
22) In the Sky (Half size)     3:48
23) SCRAMBLE! (Half size)     3:12