NANA: Live Staff Mass Recruiting! ❄ Beginners Welcome ❄

NANA: Live Staff Mass Recruiting! ❄ Beginners Welcome ❄ is one of those licensed games that goes in a completely different direction than you might expect. Instead of throwing you into the spotlight as the next big singer it puts you behind the scenes of the music industry, you play as a young woman who moves to Tokyo hoping to figure out what she wants to do with her life, but after meeting the members of BLAST and Trapnest, she gets inspired to chase a dream of her own, with only three in game months to prove she has what it takes to become part of their live concert staff.

Rather than following the manga scene by scene, the story's more like an original side adventure that happens alongside the main events of NANA. That actually works in its favor because it gives you room to create your own journey instead of simply replaying familiar events. Seeing the cast from a different perspective makes the experience feel fresh, especially if you've already read the manga or watched the anime. Familiar faces pop up throughout your adventure and the original anime voice cast returning for many characters adds a nice bit of authenticity.

Gameplay revolves around building a career, you can pursue jobs such as hairstylist, makeup artist, fashion stylist, photographer and other backstage roles that support BLAST and Trapnest during concerts. Every day is about balancing work, earning money, improving your skills, buying clothes, decorating your apartment and slowly getting closer to the people around you. Speaking of which, relationships are another major part of the experience: spending time with characters, talking to them, accepting invitations and growing friendships all play an important role in your progress. The game focuses more on everyday interactions than dramatic plot twists, so a lot of the enjoyment comes from simply hanging out with the cast and watching your place in their world gradually grow.

The Nintendo DS suits the game surprisingly well too, character portraits stay faithful to Ai Yazawa's designs while the chibi sprites are charming without losing the personalities of each character. Menus are clean, navigation is simple and the touch screen makes daily activities easy to manage. It's the kind of game that doesn't need flashy graphics 'cuz the appeal comes from the characters and the cozy slice of life vibe.

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