Developer: ZyX
Publisher: Otaku Publishing, Ltd.
Platform: PC – Windows 95

It’s pretty easy for English-speaking gamers to access visual novels these days via official translations, original English titles, and fan translations. Back in the 90s, your options were much more limited. European publisher Otaku Publishing, Ltd. released a handful of games before their piracy-based demise at the turn of the new century. They brought out Pro Lesring: Ring Out!! in 1997 for Windows PCs.

The setup is simple enough. Our heroine is Aya, an 18 year old high schooler whose parents desperately need money for an expensive medical operation. They take out a loan from shady guys and – shockingly – decide to give their daughter away when they can’t pay it off. What exactly has Aya just been sold out to? She’s forced to become the latest member of the Pro Lesring circuit. Basically, it’s wrestling with a silly, sexualized twist.

Two (or more) women enter into a ring and wrestle for an audience of masked dignitaries and politicians. Once one lesler is pinned to the mat, the other does their best to get them off. It’s undoubtedly a strange profession – and one that Aya wants nothing to do with at first. By the end, she learns to love her new lifestyle, but not without some scenes depicting serious dubious consent along the way.

Weirdly, there aren’t very many wrestlers in the lesler circuit. The two other characters are surprisingly tame Wildcat Homma and the sadistic Queen Mika. Both characters have their own romantic route. There’s also a third route with the male manager for some reason. There are only three choices in the entire game and two of them actually impact which ending you receive.

To finish one route should take most players one hour. Completing everything isn’t much longer, just around an hour and a half if you save scum. There’s no log, auto text, or fast forward function included. Unlike most modern visual novels, Pro Lesring: Ring Out!! features echoes of old adventure gameplay. You must examine each room, “think”, and talk to characters multiple times to catch all their dialogue and progress to the next scene.

Pro Lesring: Ring Out!! is a product of the time. It’s incredibly short and exists primarily as a vehicle for uncensored lesbian CG scenes – and the art itself isn’t bad! Aya grows over the course of the game, but not without some serious stress (and a few gross scenes) along the way. If you’re looking for retro visual novels then there are certainly better options out there.

1 out of 5 alpacas

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