Nakoruru: Ano Hito kara no Okurimono

Nakoruru: Ano Hito kara no Okurimono (ナコルル〜あのひとからのおくりもの〜), abbreviated as "Nakorimo" (ナコりも) or Nakoruru ADV internationally, is an adventure game developed by Inter-lets as a spin-off of the Samurai Shodown series. It released on July 6, 2001 in Japan for the Windows operating systems and later for the Sega Dreamcast. The game was scheduled to be available at the same time as Samurai Shodown: Warriors Rage but experienced several setbacks due to the game's changing sponsors. A limited edition set came with a miniature Nakoruru figurine and a DVD for the game's OVA. The character designs were made by 44 / Yonjyu-yon and Senri Kita.

In order to appeal to a variety of fans, their goal for Nakoruru was to make her look "15~24 years old". The game apparently begins with the first game and ends the same time as Samurai Shodown II though an exact year is never stated.

Story
The story official given by Inter-lets is as follows:

One year ago, during a frosty season, at the northern country...

When was entrusted to a certain house, I waited for a certain person to return.

"Right now, she is fighting. But, she'll come back real soon. I know that I'll be with her from now on."

The seven year old me didn't want to listen to anything else and repeated this line faithfully. And I would do nothing but wait patiently for that person to return.

On a snowy night, that person came back. She was scratched up and her priestess kimono was tattered.

"I'm home!"

And then, this person and I began to live our lives naturally...

Overview
The player is a seven year old girl named Mikato, a villager in Kamui Kotan who looks up to Nakoruru. She watches and idolizes the priestess, trying to help her in anyway that she can. During the time of peace, she spends time acquainting herself with the residents and the beautiful yet sometimes unforgiving environment. Their serene lives are invaded by an evil force, making once tame animals into berserkers and allies into sudden foes.

The basic flow of the game uses traditional elements from the adventure game genre. Players select their answers and proceed along a path that hopefully gets to the good ending of the game. Along the way, they'll also have to complete a variety of mini-games that test typing and reflexive skills. Although there are no penalties for mistakes in the typing games, the other games will only allow three tries before the game ends. Some of these events are replaced with quiz or button-mashing events for the Dreamcast port. Failure to successfully pass these games usually leads to one of the game's bad endings. If the player wants the good ending, they will need to pass the minigames and finish all eight chapters in the game.

A bonus scene with Manari, Rimururu, and Nakoruru will have the three girls talk about costumes that Rimururu found. When they wear them, Nakoruru cosplays as Cham Cham and Rimururu as a pink Charlotte. Rera's ending in the game will also mention her knowledge of Haohmaru, Hanzo, Shizumaru, Amakusa and Zankuro.

Glitch
The PC version of this game has an infamous glitch for saved slots. Players are allowed to save but cannot load from them later. This made succeeding the minigames crucial as failure forced players to restart from the beginning. Complaints were addressed for the Dreamcast conversion although there are still reports of bugs and freezing during the save screen. Although SNK agreed to reissue a fixed copy for users, supplies were limited and the recall time was short, leaving some owners unattended.

Characters

 * Mikato- protagonist; sees things that others in her village can't and possesses some spiritual powers. Has short brown hair and a sliver of hair the sticks up. Although the game has fully voiced dialogue, she rarely speaks and mainly communicates through text.
 * Hokute- Mikato's friend who is a year older than her. Since he learned about the priestess' duties from Yantamu, he believes Nakoruru to be a bad influence for Mikato. Has short spiky hair and angry eyebrows.
 * Yantamu - the chief's son and childhood friend of Nakoruru. He uses his archery and hunting techniques to defend the village and the priestesses from danger. Has feelings for Nakoruru.
 * Manari - songstress and childhood friend to Nakoruru. She creates songs for the village's festivals and is the mentor for Mikato. Has unrequited feelings for Yantamu. She lives with her bossy mother. Later makes an appearance in Capcom vs SNK 2 during Nakoruru's entrances.
 * Outada - village chief and Yantamu's father. Although others were weary of Mikato's sudden training, he allowed her to stay with Nakoruru as he sensed a certain power within her.
 * Hibaba, Ubaba, and Mibaba - three old sages in the village who live to pass on the village's myths and legends. Ubaba is their leader of sorts and carries around a wooden cane. Hibaba and Mibaba are twins who frequently squabble with one another. The three women are always seen together.
 * Nakoruru - main priestess who is loved by all in her village. She takes in Mikato as her assistant.
 * Rimururu - sister of Nakoruru who is a close companion of Mikato. The game implies that they had plans for a prequel surrounding her training journey prior to her return to Kamui Kotan.
 * Rera - mysterious entity named by Mikato. Seems to be disappointed with Nakoruru.
 * Mizuki Rashojin - last boss of the game who wants to destroy Kamui Kotan.