Pantsu Hunter: Back to the 90s

About

"Pantsu Hunter: Back to the 90s" is a point-and-click adventure game with a nostalgic 80s and 90s anime style. The protagonist, Kenji Kojima, is a college student in search of true love, using the color and pattern of panties to help identify a girl's personality. Kenji will meet four girls and must navigate different occupations and challenges to win their hearts. The game features mini-games and multiple endings based on the player's choices.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Pantsu Hunter: Back to the 90s screenshot

77%

Audience ScoreBased on 148 reviews

graphics34 positive mentions

gameplay4 negative mentions

The art style and visuals are fantastic, capturing the nostalgic 80s and 90s anime aesthetic beautifully.
The game features a fun and quirky premise with humorous dialogue that can be entertaining, especially for fans of retro anime.
The soundtrack and voice acting add to the overall charm of the game, enhancing the nostalgic experience.

The gameplay can become repetitive and tedious, requiring players to replay scenes multiple times to unlock different endings.
The writing and translation are often poorly executed, with numerous grammatical errors and awkward dialogue that can break immersion.
Some players have reported bugs that hinder progress, particularly in later chapters, leading to frustration.

graphics
64 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
42%
5%
The graphics of "Pantsu Hunter: Back to the 90s" are widely praised for their authentic 90s anime art style, which resonates with fans of retro aesthetics. While the visuals and accompanying music create a nostalgic atmosphere, many players feel that the game's overall experience falls short, relying heavily on its artwork to carry the gameplay. Despite the disappointment in other aspects, the art style remains a standout feature that appeals to those who appreciate the genre.
- “The art style, the music, the voice acting... it's a retro dream come true.”
- “If you're an avid fan of 80s/90s anime, you'll love the authenticity Pantsu Hunter has to offer with its visuals and soundtrack.”
- “The art, music, and overall aesthetic are great, and do a great job of capturing and imparting the atmosphere and feel of early-to-mid-'90s anime.”
- “Tempted by the visuals, I got Pantsu Hunter: Back to the 90s, only to be more disappointed the more I played it.”
- “Only play this if you like 90s anime aesthetics, creepy protagonist, awkward translation, zany antics, repetitive point and click, and holding down the Z button.”
- “I begin by saying that if this game hadn't had the graphic style of a 90s anime, I would never have bought it.”
story
60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
60%
7%
The story is a blend of fun, wholesome, and slightly sad elements centered around a quest for love, featuring a protagonist navigating quirky situations and interactions with four distinct girls. While some players appreciate the nostalgic charm and humor, others criticize the writing quality and coherence, suggesting that the narrative lacks depth and investment. Overall, it offers a light-hearted experience, though opinions vary on its effectiveness as a compelling story.
- “The sweetly endearing plot that had me swooning for more.”
- “It’s joyful, hilarious, and dreamy, yet it holds a feeling of expectation and pain as the story finally wraps up perfectly in the hot spring chapter and epilogue.”
- “Very much loved the art styling of this game, highly recommend this visual novel if you are looking for a game with a great story.”
- “Much of this bad writing is on a very small scale with respect to the 'slice of life' of each chapter/scene, but some (pretty much everything along the 'news' path in chapter 2) renders the broader story of a chapter nearly incomprehensible and felt like it had just been slapped together in 3 minutes by a hack writer for whom English is a 3rd or 4th language.”
- “Now that I've finished every ending, it's kind of bad writing that story threads are vaguely hinted at in the extra scenes and endings.”
- “It just doesn't get me invested when the writing of the story is unbelievable.”
gameplay
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
65%
20%
The gameplay is generally criticized for being repetitive and lacking depth, often described as a standard point-and-click experience with a vague dating sim element. While some players find it atmospheric and enjoyable, many express frustration with its design and execution, noting that the difficulty can be mitigated by developer-provided walkthroughs. Overall, the gameplay is seen as a mixed bag, with potential for improvement in future iterations.
- “The gameplay itself is nothing to write home about, standard point-and-click type fare with a vague dating sim vibe, but is enjoyable in its own atmospheric way.”
- “You can also experiment by adding new stuff to make the gameplay more interesting in the sequel.”
- “The gameplay can be a little difficult, but since the dev posted walkthroughs, it greatly enhances the gameplay experience.”
- “The gameplay is very irritating.”
- “Boring repetitious click-fest gameplay without a satisfying payoff for the time spent.”
- “Very badly written and the gameplay, if there is any, is not fun.”
music
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
72%
17%
The music in the game is praised for its nostalgic quality, featuring an original soundtrack created with an old synthesizer that complements the 90's anime art style. While there are only a handful of unique tracks, they effectively capture the atmosphere of early-to-mid-'90s anime and evoke a sense of nostalgia, enhancing the overall experience. The combination of ambient music and retro visuals creates a cohesive and immersive aesthetic that resonates with fans of the era.
- “The art style, the music, the voice acting... it's a retro dream come true.”
- “The art style along with the ambient music radiates nostalgia and carries the whole game to the end.”
- “The art, music (even though there are only about 6 or 7 unique tracks, and they start to blur together), and overall aesthetic are great, and - while not necessarily strictly 'period authentic,' like most nostalgia bait - do a great job of capturing and imparting the atmosphere and 'feel' of early-to-mid-'90s anime and the related 'vaporwave' phenomenon.”
- “The artstyle along with the ambient music radiates nostalgia and carries the whole game to the end.”
- “The sepia tone, the music of old, the clothes and technology - everything is as it was back then in the 90's as far as I can remember.”
humor
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely praised for its sharp and charming dialogue, leading to frequent laughter from players. Many found the comedic elements, especially in bad endings and extra scenes, to be a highlight, although some noted that recurring typos became tiresome. Overall, the quirky premise and funny situations contribute to a joyful and entertaining experience.
- “The writing was so on point, I couldn't stop laughing at the hilariously charming dialogue.”
- “Kenji's adventure will leave you chuckling, oh brother!”
- “This game has a very odd premise but is full of dialogue that left us both laughing so hard till our sides hurt and seriously questioning our life choices.”
atmosphere
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its nostalgic qualities, effectively evoking the feel of early-to-mid-'90s anime and the vaporwave aesthetic. While the music is limited and can become repetitive, the art and overall aesthetic contribute significantly to the immersive experience, making the gameplay enjoyable despite its standard mechanics. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature of the game.
- “The gameplay itself is nothing to write home about, standard point-and-click type fare with a vague dating sim vibe, but is enjoyable in its own atmospheric way.”
- “The atmosphere and vibes were so nostalgic that I was transported back to my childhood days of watching anime on Saturday mornings.”
- “The art, music (even though there are only about 6 or 7 unique tracks, and they start to blur together), and overall aesthetic are great, and - while not necessarily strictly 'period authentic,' like most nostalgia bait - do a great job of capturing and imparting the atmosphere and 'feel' of early-to-mid-'90s anime and the related 'vaporwave' phenomenon.”
- “Atmosphere is definitely a big plus.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is described as a mix of fun and wholesome moments, tinged with a hint of sadness related to love, though expectations for a deeper narrative may be misguided given the game's adult theme. Many players express disappointment, suggesting that while the artwork is beautiful, the emotional depth often falls short, leading to a lack of engagement with the story. Overall, the emotional experience is seen as underwhelming for those seeking a more profound connection.
- “Fun, wholesome, and a little sad story around love.”
- “I don't even know why I expected to see a touching story from a game that literally has 'hunter' in its title.”
- “My experience with the only adult game I've played has been disappointing, and it's safe to say that I won't ever be touching another game from this genre ever again.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly due to the requirement of achieving the "true ending" to progress to the next chapter. Additionally, the effort needed to unlock numerous bad endings for completionist achievements is seen as monotonous, even when players are aware of the necessary steps.
- “It's tedious because you need to get the 'true ending' to unlock the next chapter.”
- “More damning, much of the extra work in attaining all the multitudes of bad endings for achievements/completion is incredibly tedious, even when you know precisely what you have to do.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
Overall, the game's replayability is considered limited, particularly after achieving all objectives, though players may find value in exploring different endings. Some missions, like the bathhouse hotel, could benefit from redesign to enhance replay potential, suggesting that while the experience is enjoyable, it may not encourage repeated playthroughs.
- “Once you've attained all of the achievements, replay value sinks significantly, but it's to be expected (unless you've gotten all of the different endings).”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development is highlighted as a crucial element in the game, emphasizing its importance in enhancing the overall narrative and player engagement.
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Overall, users report that the game's performance is smooth and solid, although there are notable long loading times at startup.
- “The performance is smooth and solid despite the long loading at game startup (at least for me).”