Just off the coast of mainland Japan is the island of Chisakura, home to a city of the same name, where the heralds of darkness are slowly gathering. Host to a prosperous economy, with a nationally renowned academic institution for young women and an equally upstanding medical research facility, the community has unwittingly attracted the attentions of dreaded supernatural creatures with few equals: vampires. Yet even these immortal predators have daring individuals who hunt them, and a secret war between the two powers is quickly racing to an apocalyptic conclusion. At the center of this nightmarish struggle is a man who has the potential to tip the scales in favor of one side or the other. His choice of allies – the hunters, the vampires, or none at all – may very well determine the fate of humanity and the undead.

 
MinDeaD BlooD (マインデッド・ブラッド) is a violent thriller eroge series initially published by Black Cyc in 2004. The title consists of four major releases: [1] the original which started it all; [2] an expansion set restoring story routes and endings omitted from the initial version; [3] a graphically enhanced and full voice DVD remake of the original; [4] a complete edition combining the DVD remake with a graphically enhanced and full voice improvement of the expansion set. This review applies to MinDeaD BlooD Complete Edition, as it canonically supersedes and includes all previous versions.

 

 
For the gothic genre of eroge entertainment, MinDeaD BlooD ranks among the greatest titles to grace the industry. Superficially appearing to be nothing more than a cliché vampire story incorporating meaningless rape, violent beatings, tentacle brutality, demonic necrophilia, and incestuous relationships – all of which can occur in the first hours of playing – this shock offering outlines a series of provocative tales which explore the taint of savagery and corruption that lurks in every person’s soul. As the title that pioneered Black Cyc‘s promotion from an ordinary dark eroge studio, into a first rate juggernaut of quality from 2004 to 2009, MinDeaD BlooD redefined the standards which other brutally violent offerings would be measured. From loligoth twincest to badass undead protagonist to an action based plot that flawlessly intertwines violent sex with memorable battles – saying nothing of the incredible artwork, perfect music, and memorable voice acting – this groundbreaking sexfest heralded disbelievers into accepting vicious ero as more than filthy garbage. After years of continual dissatisfaction and disappointment, a title of par excellence was born: an unassailable platform from which any hallow attempt to discredit it out of ignorance would be smashed aside with multiple examples of exaggerated awesomeness. Supporters were at last vindicated for their faith in a blacklisted fetish.

 

 
The player role of MinDeaD BlooD belongs to Shizuru Nanase: a man who finds himself reborn as a powerful vampire without memories of his past or knowledge in survival as a creature of the undead. Yet even in this state of weakness Shizuru demonstrates an extraordinary level of freewill and destructive capacity: traits commonly exclusive to true blood vampires. His natural proficiency of hand-to-hand combat augmented by supernatural vitality, with an assertive confidence and rebellious attitude to guide it, he positions himself as the alpha nosferatu of Chisakura City in a single night. Caught in the everlasting war between vampires and humanity, Shizuru is forced to quickly determine which side of the confusing battlefield he stands, learning that no decision made in this regard is without dire repercussions. All paths are equally dangerous, each bringing a different yet no less deadly risk. To complicate matters further, even the closest of allies have their own secret agendas. Though many are quick to extend a hand in friendship, immoral self-preservation marred with twisted ideology easily brings about treacherous betrayals at the slightest provocation. An element that makes these scenarios so incredible – while simultaneously so horrific – is the lack of avoidance to disseminate evil in its darkest forms, with each immoral activity underscoring an ultimate thematic purpose. When these individual events are interwoven into a single purpose, a masterpiece of bold storytelling is unveiled. Even aspects that appear obvious and predictable are merely red herrings to conceal deeper secrets. The maid is demure and obedient, but the unanswered question is why she would remain so in such an abusive and degenerative environment? The vampire twins are incestuously devoted to each other beyond rational, but closer inspection of the companionship reveals minute rifts and differences that betray seething dangers. The vampire hunters refuse to admit defeat or accept truce, compelling a natural desire to examine the motivation for such hatred.

 

 
One of the memorable and most enjoyable aspects of MinDeaD BlooD is the scheme of how events are presented with tension and action. The narrative is not a slow moving drama, but a fast pace struggle where Shizuru races against time. Whether the player chooses to challenge or embrace the primal evil that seethes within him, Shizuru must prove his strength to survive against equally powerful opponents who seek his death or enslavement. At the beginning your sole allies are the mysterious Mana and Mayu, and although the twins are truthful and genuine in their friendship, such openness is a double edge sword. Their schemes and enemies immediately become Shizuru’s schemes and enemies, with all the implications that go with it. Factors such as Yuka’s zeal in exterminating vampire threats generates an urgency of uncertainly as the malicious curiosity of Mana and Mayu instigate dangers best left forgotten. Additionally, the multifaceted progression of MinDeaD BlooD bestows a wealth of alternative perspectives for the same decision. Does Yuka truly serve the side of justice? Are Mana and Mayu willfully ignorant of the growing darkness? Yet central as these three women are to multiple scenarios, they are not the only key players involved… and certainly not the most powerful. Especially examined through the fan disc addendums, even minor members of the secondary cast could ignite shattering changes in Shizuru’s rapid destiny.

 

 
Obviously important as they are, characters and plot are not the only areas where MinDeaD BlooD excels. The music is a tour de force of gothic excellence, reminiscent of the techniques utilized in other media such as Castlevania and Devil May Cry. Each background song is a standard in of itself. While they do not entirely use live instruments (only specific intro and outro songs), no melody is boring or poorly composed. The somber selections are haunting, while fast pace themes drive accompanying scenes like an action movie. Each tune perfectly fits the mood at an impossible level, outshining polished feats in competing eroge. On top of this, everyone and everything is voice acted: the player’s character, all males, all females, insignificant nobodies who are never named or shown, and even the computerized Pile Driver on Yuka’s battle ready forearm. Not merely voiced, but acted with precision match and genuine quality. Shizuru speech tone and patterns are so badass you’ll wish you spoke like him, and I found myself repeating “Setup. Ready. Charge.” whenever Yuka’s Pile Driver prepped itself to kill me. Just as impressive are the visual assets. The main map is a beautiful mural of gothic imagery and morbid poetry. Backgrounds illustrations, usually something regulated as second class in importance, are given extra attention to detail. Those taking place outdoors include moving clouds in the sky, and there’s gradual lighting that accentuates the passing of sunrise and sunset. Though a bit stiff in body dynamics, the wide variety of paper dolls enjoy crisp lines and clean colors. The quality of the event illustrations has to be seen to believe: while the lead artist is not flawless with paper dolls, he is an artistic god incarnate with full scene images, of which there are hundreds. Granted many are slight modifications to the original illustration, but most won’t care. Yet this list of eye candy goodness doesn’t end there. There’s a massive selection and liberal use of bling-bling special effects for the dozens of fight scenes. You don’t simply read what happens in the battles: you see the blade slashes, gunshots, and martial art strikes!

 

 
It is noteworthy to mention MinDeaD BlooD Complete Edition, though packaged as a single product, actually consists of a core game DVD and DVD fan disc. Justifiably receiving positive acclaim, the original 2004 release was nonetheless marred by glaring faults. Not all the girls were winnable. Detailed plot elements were left unexplained. Certain character possibilities were ignored. The harem ending sucked. Arguing against the criticism was impossible, for they all spoke the truth: if this eroge was so wonderful, why could it have been better? Several months later, the creators answered this lingering question: the eroge was released incomplete. Drained budget? Missed deadlines? Overambitious expectations? The exact reason were never stated. Yet Black Cyc did more than provide an excuse for the omission; they compiled and released a standalone expansion which contained the removed material. Labeled as Mayu to Mana no Yuketso Hako, the addition was tailored specifically for an audience who thoroughly completed the original MinDeaD BlooD. For anyone who picks up the expansion first, an endless series of plot holes and missing resolutions arise, as the additional stories begin halfway through the original. The player is expected to already know Shizuru Nanase has a mourning lover who became a vampire hunter, understand Yuka Sakaki is the lost stepsister to the Sonohara twins, or be aware Eri Kotofuki is an intellectual and insightful person who knows far more than she lets on. Without first completing these and other critical story elements, everything in the expansion becomes confusing, barely comprehensible, and seemingly half finished.

 

 
Anyone concerned Mayu to Mana no Yuketso Hako was created to be a cash cow throwaway, need not worry in the least. Though playtime is greatly abbreviated, the fan disc immediately contributes ten additional endings to the original thirteen. As aforementioned, nine of the supplement conclusions round out loose threads and missing paths to various degrees, averaging between ten to fifteen minutes apiece. The real meat and potatoes to the expansion is a full length route entitled Vampire Road: a magnificent scenario of Shizuru wholly embracing his bloodsucking destiny. This alone is worth the admission price, as it concludes with one of the best sequenced ends in eroge history. Combining 31 ero scenes in Mayu to Mana no Yuketso Hako with the 60 from MinDeaD BlooD results in a staggering 91 events. You read that right, over ninety of them, covering nearly every imaginable fetish from bondage, bukkake, dick-girl, gang bang, girl on girl, guro, incest, necrophilia, rape, tentacle, twincest, and dozens more. Unlike most of releases of the time, when sex was restricted to a Rule of Three (one image at the start, one image at the middle, and one image at the end), your typical offering clocks at 7 to 14 frames. The longest runs a grand total of 59 orgy-tastic illustrations for a twenty minute duration. Of course that particular moment is one of the most disturbing in the entire collection, but this is true old school dark eroge: you left your baby shoes at the door.

 

 
While I could inevitably go on and on about my attachment to MinDeaD BlooD Complete Edition, the overall assessment is best summarized by saying, “get this game.” However I would be lying if I claimed the product lacked major flaws (even after so many renditions). The first is that everything is too reliant on the disturbing and violent sex. When I say you must have an open mind, it must also include a willingness to see and hear others suffer for almost no reason at all, save for being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Occasionally someone even dies from the incredible abuse. The second and more pressing matter is how the original two CD version of MinDeaD BlooD was incomplete. Though this problem was obviously fixed by Black Cyc, it requires separate commitment to the standalone expansion. While one would expect the “complete edition” to fully integrate everything as a single installation, the product reeks of corporate indolence and overt greed to resell the game content over and over again. Hardcore followers of the saga have purchased at least four revisions, not counting two gift box releases, which poses a legitimate issue for previous purchasers who are not hardcore: is this worth forking over hard earned cash to buy again? Ignoring the game installation discs; MinDeaD BlooD Complete Edition includes a modest booklet containing artwork from the franchise developmental stage, accompanied by insightful creator comments. Also packaged is the full soundtrack covering every background music, vocal song, and official arrangement ever associated with the series. Within the actual games, new CG illustrations were produced to replace several instances when artwork was lazily recycled from previous events, and of course as advertising so well announced, everyone is voice acted from start to finish. However outside of these offerings, at the very core MinDeaD BlooD Complete Edition is still the same game from 2004. Prettier and vastly more polished, but nevertheless no different if text dumped.

 

 
Though my leaning is heavily biased – this series firmly rests in my Top Three of All Time list – I strongly believe MinDeaD BlooD Complete Edition was worth repurchase. I already owned the soundtrack. I already possessed a digital copy of the artbook. Four copies of the game box were collecting dust on my bookshelf. Yet being able to experience the entire saga exactly as it was meant to be – 100% sound content and without repeat event illustrations – made the experience a wonderful stroll through memory lane. I accept not everyone would agree. There is no denying MinDeaD BlooD is the textbook perfect example of cash cowing – especially with Black Cyc languishing as a pathetic shadow of former self. Yet the eroge is what drew me into the loving embrace of twincest; committed me to the darkness of fictional violent erotica. Here is the series that herald the studio’s half decade reign as a premiere software developer: we all know Yami no Koe and Mushitsukai were merely stepping stones. Nostalgia dictated my choice and justification. For anyone who has yet to experience MinDeaD BlooD, you are in for royal treatment of the highest caliber. For those who have treaded this path before, I will not begrudge for avoiding it, but never forget the masterpiece of classical storytelling, artwork, and sound: such perfection is already so hard to find.

 

 
— Central Characters —

 

	Shizuru Nanase   Height: 185 cm Blood Type: O Birthdate: August 15   Reborn into undeath as an incredible vampire with phenomenal fighting prowess, Shizuru suffers from amnesia due to the trauma of his unnatural rebirth. Fortunately he finds himself in the company of vampiric twin sisters who immediately take a liking to his personality and physical stamina, promising to provide shelter and friendship in return for protection and sexual gratification.
	Yuka Sakaki   Height: 164 cm Blood Type: A Birthdate: April 4 Measurements: 80 – 58 – 83   Yuka is a highly skilled vampire hunter, training from the day she learned her parents were murdered by the supernatural creatures. Ordinarily a calm and composed individual, Yuka becomes a furious engine of destruction when facing creatures of the night. Few vampires would dare challenge her; none have so far survived.
	Saki Katagiri   Height: 166 cm Blood Type: O Birthdate: August 21 Measurements: 86 – 60 – 87   Among the most promising next generation vampire hunters, Saki holds on to the memory of a man who was stolen from her by one of the legendary vampire kings. Lacking supernatural powers or athletic talent, she wages a personal war through pure conviction. Saki simply never gives up hope that one day she will have karmic justice.
	Mayu Sonohara   Height: 145 cm Blood Type: B Birthdate: July 8 Measurements: 78 – 60 – 80   Elder half of the Sonohara twins, Mayu is best described as a sadistic, spoiled, murdering bitch. There are few individuals Mayu truly cares for, but among those rarities she treasures, her twin sister is valued above all. Mayu also takes a strong liking to Shizuru, finding his presence and physical qualities genuinely excite her.
	Mana Sonohara   Height: 147 cm Blood Type: B Birthdate: July 8 Measurements: 85 – 58 – 82   Younger half of the Sonohara twins, Mana is a difficult individual to read, possessing an eerie trait of expressing little emotion. She obediently follows her identical sister without fail, never refusing or challenging what Mayu seeks to do, though some often wonder what thoughts wander through Mana’s head.
	Arisa Saeki   Height: 158 cm Blood Type: A Birthdate: April 21 Measurements: 80 – 59 – 82   Arisa is the rightful owner of the mansion that Mayu and Mana have taken as their own, reduced to little more than a mistreated servant and helpless sex toy by the twins. Why she hasn’t ran away or already murdered is almost as much a mystery as how much she truly knows about the dark events that are rampaging across the island.
	Hitomi Orihara   Height: 154 cm Blood Type: A Birthdate: October 4 Measurements: 79 – 62 – 81   The only daughter of middle class parents who spend a significant sum of their income to support her tuition, Hitomi is a recent transfer to student to Chisakura Girls Academy. While devoted to academic excellence, Hitomi harbors unrequited feelings for her math teacher and selfishly hopes that exceptional performance might capture his attention.
	Kyoko Kasai   Height: 157 cm Blood Type: O Birthdate: June 4 Measurements: 79 – 59 – 80   Kyoko is a student of the Chisakura Girls Academy, oftentimes perceived as arrogant and antisocial by fellow classmates due to her strong independence. While she excels at sporting events and her performance has earned a great deal of athletic achievements, she has little enjoyment of the attention and media spotlight.
	Marika Ichinose   Height: 152 cm Blood Type: B Birthdate: November 24 Measurements: 77 – 60 – 78   Self-appointed moral booster of her graduating class, Marika is a student of the Chisakura Girls Academy who annoys the living hell out of anyone she believes lacks school spirit. Marika is an obsessive fan of strange anime series and has a wide number of unusual otaku habits others find unsettling.
	Natsumi Saito   Height: 167 cm Blood Type: A Birthdate: May 4 Measurements: 86 – 62 – 88   Natsumi is a newlywed wife without a husband, his recent promotion causing long distance separation and hardships. Despite her longing urges and growing loneliness, Natsumi is ever devoted to her spouse, hoping that each night which passes is the night he finally returns home to her.
	Annabella Keaton   Height: 170 cm Blood Type: AB Birthdate: July 30 Measurements: 87 – 63 – 84   Annabella is Research Director of Chisakura Metropolitan Hospital. Her rude and gruff nature have earned more enemies than friends, but the results of Annabella’s work are unquestionably efficient and effective. As of late she has devoted long hours into the nights and weekends on a quarantined medical patient restricted from public exposure.
	Yoshie Shinohara   Height: 168 cm Blood Type: O Birthdate: January 1 Measurements: 93 – 62 – 82   Yoshie is an energetic head nurse of Chisakura Metropolitan Hospital. She is dearly loved by patients and the medical staff, as Yoshie’s sincerity and cheerfulness are a medicine no one can prescribe. In addition to her normal duties, she serves as a personal assistant to the hospital’s research director.
	Eri Kotofuki   Height: 160 cm Blood Type: AB Birthdate: September 17 Measurements: 86 – 61 – 83   Eri is lead singer of the band Cerberus Guard 69, a popular group that exclusively performs at the PAIN & KILL nightclub while in Chisakura. The private establishment is a cesspit of questionable activities, and rumors of missing persons, rapes, and murders surround the nightspot. Regardless of these tales, Eri’s popularity and talent draws massive crowds to the location.

 

 
— Scored Summary —

 
Scenario: 27 out of 30. Twenty-three possible endings; including the unwanted bad ends. I cannot over stress how enrapturing and well coordinated the plots are. Replaying the game over and over to get another ending becomes more and more entertaining with each restart because you learn something more about the characters’ past. The true negative of each scenario is the lack of attention secondary characters receive or their sudden removal from significance (usually through death). I should also add that some girls have no “good ending” in the core DVD, though this problem is alleviated to an extent in the expansion, but it’s rather disappointing that everything is not under the same hood like it should be.

 
Visual: 18 out of 20. Extraordinarily detailed backgrounds, hundreds of masterpiece event illustrations, judicious use of dark colors, and the perfect interface menu decorations (that upside down bleeding cross is hands down perfection) makes an overwhelming feast for the eyes. The only serious faults are nitpicky but noticeable: first the paper dolls tend to be a bit “stiff” (lack of dynamic motion as an art teacher might say), secondly most of the characters never change clothes. Vampires don’t sweat I suppose, but what about all those bodily fluids?

 
Audio: 20 out of 20. Catchy intro/outro theme songs? Check. Total complete voice acting? Double check. Done well? Triple check. Masterwork soundtrack? Quadruple check. Well damn… they go it all covered, don’t they?

 
Erotica: 30 out of 30. Play it right and you’ll get sex at least once every 15 minutes or so. With ninety plus possible chances, the title is the embodiment of a sexfest; only it really isn’t a sexfest because the character development and plot are so detailed. Sure everything is dark and violent, but you want it dark and violent.

 
Mechanics: 0 point neutrality. Along with the traditional “choose your response” menu system that most eroge share, the title uses a “choose where you’ll spend the day” system. You select where Shizuru and the twins will hangout (not together if you wish it) on a map of the island, which causes them to meet and interact with people who they can fight, help, rape, etc. Depending on how often you’ve interacted with these individuals, more events become possible and advance the story further. On top of this there’s a time limit of sorts, since Yuka is looking for undead creatures to kill: namely you. Phases of the moon, as well as how much blood you’ve sucked, can alter the outcome of these battles. If you’re well prepared, then everything is fine. If not, prepare to taste a hydraulic powered titanium stake. The concept works beyond great and keeps you on the edge of your seat… if you have a walk-thru guide. Truth of the matter is, there’s little within the game that actually tells you where to go next or in what order. Most of the time you’re merely guessing and forced to restart over and over again. So is it challenging? Hell yes. Is that really a negative? Depends on your level of patience or ability to use Japanese GOOGLE.

 
Final Score: 95 out of 100. If you haven’t noticed by now, I consider MinDeaD BlooD Complete Edition to be one of the best games ever made: eroge or not. Everyone should have it in their personal collection and experience a pinnacle achievement of darkness and violence. Strongly recommended for purchase.