The year is 2037, and Earth is in the midst of a new cold war -- but things are turning hot in space. When a new situation develops on the Moon, a threat that could destabilize the delicate political balance of power on Earth and in space, it's your job to get to the bottom of things. Peach Princess presents the first science fiction bishoujo adventure ever seen in the English market, written by one of Japan's top SF anime writers!

In the early 21st century, a sudden shortage of food and energy sparked World War III, a massive conflict that saw the deaths of millions and brought the population of Earth to 15% of its prewar level. Years later, an uneasy calm has descended on humanity, although a state of war still technically exists. Four power blocs that share control of the Moon and the earth, each looking for a weakness they can exploit against the others.

You are Captain Leiji Osumi of the Free Alliance Space Force, formerly a fighter pilot in the War. Your past is haunted by a terrible incident that caused you to change careers, transferring to the top secret intelligence division. When a series of technical problems on the Free Alliance Moon Base D-02 hint at sabotage, you are dispatched to get to the bottom of things, under the cover of "Technical Advisor."

The military learned long ago that women are better adapted to lonely assignments in space, and so the base is staffed almost entirely by females. Arriving at the base, you discover that an inexplicable sexual insanity has gripped its normally professional staff, prompting further investigation. Are these strange occurrences connected with the sabotage somehow? You have to untangle the mystery and get things back on track before one of the other power blocs notices that anything is amiss and tries to attack.

You soon meet with Commander Carla Benedict, who is in charge of the base. This mysterious soldier has kept her old history of commando training from being common knowledge, as well as her former marriage and divorce. Ever since her academy days, she has always scored at the top of the curve in any evaluation -- she has brains as well as beauty, but she is at a loss as to what the source of trouble is on her base. Your true identity is unknown to her so that she will not realize that even she is not above suspicion in the mysterious chain of events transpiring under her command.

2nd. Lieutenant Elise Triad is nominally just another engineering support staff member -- however, in actual fact she is codename EL-03, a top secret military prototype android whose true nature is known only to yourself and the base commander. You constantly have to remind yourself that Elise is simply an android, a mechanical doll, not a real human girl. Your horrifying past requires this of you... it's something you can never forget. Elise's abilities would allow her to run the base in place of the central computer, if need be -- she will be an invaluable asset to your investigation.

The story for Critical Point was written by Kenichi Matsuzaki, who was heavily involved with Macross (Robotech), the original Gundam series, Orgus and Bubblegum Crisis. Various bonus materials, including a translated interview with the writer on his works, is included with the game.

A rich erotic space mystery with 24 unique endings and a satisfying science fiction plot, Critical Point is a bold sci-fi mystery adventure with many interesting twists and turns in the story. An excellent and fresh new bishoujo game concept, from Peach Princess!

Explanation of purchase options: This game is available either as a shrinkwrapped CD-ROM or Internet Download Edition. The download version uses the improved Software Defender to activate the game once, after which time there is no requirement for an Internet connection when launching the game, as with the previous Virtual Mate system. The purchase entitles you to install the game on up to five PCs, and computers can be manually de-registered when moving computers. For details on the trouble-free download activation system, see this page.