La Corda D’Oro: Starlight Orchestra Impressions – An Orchestra of Gold

Whenever someone sees me playing these games that are clearly designed for the female public, I just shrug it off and stay in touch with many of the games in the genre. Please…don’t judge me…too hard. *ahem* With that out of the way, let’s get started on the latest mobile game released in Japan from Koei Tecmo and Aniplex known as La Corda D’Oro: Starlight Orchestra.

La Corda D’Oro: Starlight Orchestra is an otome game, which typically follows the concept that you’ll have to date guys. However, even though this game does feature a bond system, it doesn’t look like you can date the characters…yet. Each of the units has elements that resemble the three essential things in music: Melody, Rhythm, and Harmony.

However, when it comes to gameplay, don’t expect much to happen in the opening moments since you’ll be dragged through a few tutorials. We’re talking about 20 minutes’ worth of them until the game finally gives you the chance to actually play. (Although…be prepared for MORE tutorials after that. Lordy.)

If you’re considering picking this game, be prepared to clear up some space. Using a Japanese Apple ID or grabbing an APK from apps such as QooApp, you’re looking at a 2.5 GB download after doing a batch download of all the data. This might not be a significant issue, seeing as some games’ storage requirements tower in comparison, but still, it’s something to keep in mind.

Once you begin playing, you’ll see why that space is needed. The amount of 2D models with different facial expressions and detailed backgrounds and sprites is not an easy feat to cram into a reduced storage space.

Our story begins with Asahina, a girl who wants to join her school’s music club to train for the nationals. However, she is swiftly rejected by the club president, Ryuzaki Hayate, who claims that they are only accepting people who are really willing to do it, and not just your average Joe who just knows their do-re-mis.

After that fiasco, a random (and may I emphasize the word random here) guy appears out of nowhere with a minibus that has STARLIGHT ORCHESTRA etched on it. Oh boy, if that is not the definition of sketchy, I dunno what is.

The rest of the story is a convoluted mess but if I were to point fingers, I would totally say the story is very similar to A3!, a game we also previewed. One minute you want to join a music club, and due to the powers of anime, the next, you’re trying your best to manage an orchestral band that can go to the nationals.

The story is a mix of full motion videos, including 2D sprites talking and chibi sprites interacting. Although the narrative does require some knowledge of the Japanese language to truly enjoy these interactions, the menus themselves can be easily navigated with zero knowledge. Most UI buttons have a little English text, with the exception of the Quest Departure screen. But it is pretty easy to figure out overall.

All stories are also fully voiced, so if you can’t read it, I still recommend playing it because at least you get a good helping of otome boy ASMR. (Well, maybe except for the MC’s thoughts. She suffers from your typical “mute MC syndrome”).

So if you know Japanese, I highly recommend trying La Corda D’Oro: Starlight Orchestra. Who knows? Maybe you can make your own Yoko Shimomura type of ensemble, where even the piano is a violin! I look forward to seeing what Aniplex and Koei Tecmo bring in the future for this game. And…knowing Aniplex, if it does well, we’ll see an anime adaptation in the future. But only time will tell.