Original Release: TGL, 1993, PC-98
Other Releases: PC (1995)
The start of an odd fighting game series that began as hentai, but became so generally popular that it went on to have console releases with the sexual elements either greatly toned down or excised entirely
Variable Geo (DOS, Tan Ton Newr Information, 1995)
Where to Buy: eBay
How to Emulate: MS-DOS Emulation Guide
Review by: Master-B
I think this DOS port of Variable Geo is an unauthorized bootleg by some random Taiwanese company, otherwise it’s just a kinda sloppy effort by some third party … you get some bad graphical glitching when loading into a fight, there’s no music or sound, it has the odd control schema of movement with the number pad arrows and inputs with the regular arrow keys, and the PC 98 original looks like it moves a little smoother. On the plus side, they bothered to translate this version to English (albeit Engrishy, though that works amusingly in its favor sometimes).
For a more general overview of Variable Geo, since I dunno when I’ll get to the PC 98 original … it’s either based on an anime, or the anime came later, but the gist is a pervy world where young girls with fighting ability are selected for the “Virgin Girls” tournament. Losers get subjected to embarrassed nude poses in public and on occasion are hooked up to SEXUAL TORTURE DEVICES. There are six girls to choose from and there’s just a simple single player mode where you beat the other five to win, getting their CGs from winning each round against them. Each one also gets a cute and non-nude ending.
This port is playable enough, honestly even with the hackwork elements you didn’t really get better than this from early-mid 90s DOS games, the tech just wasn’t there yet. Fighting games of this period were pretty much stuck in limbo between Street Fighter and Street Fighter 2 in quality as a ceiling until Win 95 basically. And it retains the game’s biggest selling point, very nice art that’s much better in quality than most hentai games of the period.
Videos
Anime episode 1 (in English)