LIP! Lewd Idol Project doesn’t hide its focus – it’s right there in the name. While there is a story, this title from Toffer Team is very much about the lewd adventure. It contains uncensored nudity (even on the Steam version) and sex scenes.
Story
The story follows Kairi. Dreaming of being an idol, adored by fans, and having the world listen to her songs, she has a long way to go. Recently having moved to Akibahara to pursue her dream, she’s been rejected repeatedly. Despite being told over and over that she can’t dance or sing, it doesn’t seem to sink in; Kairi isn’t the brightest person around.
Freshly rejected and with almost no money to her name, she meets Ranko. After Kairi complains about her problems, Ranko invites her to be the first idol in the Lewd Idol Project. Despite a lack of confidence in the idea, some very valid concerns that it sounds like the adult modeling jobs she was told to apply for, and a lack of confidence that she’ll even be paid, she agrees. Kairi is desperate to be an idol.
The story continues on with Ranko leading Kairi about. From an office that looks more like an apartment to practicing singing in a karaoke booth, this isn’t the most professional setup. Ranko pushes on through and waves aside any of Kairi’s concerns. And of course, it turns into multiple instances of sex between Kairi and Ranko throughout.
This is just volume one of LIP! Lewd Idol Project, with far more to come. While focusing only on Kairi and Ranko this time, we do briefly get a glimpse of what is to come next. The further volumes and bonus chapters are not out yet but are due over the 2021 to 2022 period. I’m personally looking forward to seeing Yuki in volume two.
The story isn’t particularly strong here, with Kairi being far too optimistic and believing at times; It went beyond the standard dumb anime character trope. That said, there are no issues with the dialogue or character interactions beyond that. I believe most would be picking this up for the erotic content, rather than a story anyway.
Gameplay
LIP! Lewd Idol Project is a visual novel with multiple choices. While there aren’t routes involved, you do get to make choices such as seeing part of the story from another character’s perspective and affecting a relationship meter.
In addition to the standard visual novel aspects, there are a few minigames included. These tend to be fairly simple timing-based games, such as a UFO catcher where you need to click when the indicator is between the lines. I liked how the UFO catcher referenced the other titles from the developer, such as letting you catch a plushie of Kiara from Kiara and My Ara Ara Adventure.
There’s a photo mode included too – essentially a sprite viewer. You can change the expression, clothes, and background. These can be unlocked through playing the game. Some will need certain choices to be made first.
Graphics and Sound
The sprites and backgrounds in LIP! Lewd Idol Project are high quality, especially for such a low-priced game. With that said, much like Kiara and My Ara Ara Adventure, characters don’t have a variety of sprite poses, despite having several different outfits and expressions. This feels less obvious than it could be due to different poses in CGs and some instances where the sprite is zoomed in.
As mentioned before, you can collect items related to the other games from Toffer Team. A nice bonus is there is a section where any caught items can be viewed along with an image of the character and some information. This is in addition to the standard viewers for CGs and adult scenes, along with the already mentioned photo mode.
The music sets the scene in well. It ranges from an idol song to a mix of background music to fit different moods.
Partial voicing is used in the Japanese language. It does help bring the characters to life, but it is worth noting that it’s just sound bites that are somewhat appropriate for the scene. It particularly brought Kairi’s ditziness to the forefront, with little phrases like “hwawawawa!”.
Verdict
I enjoyed my time with LIP! Lewd Idol Project Vol 1. I did find that Kairi was a bit too unbelievable at times, but it’s supposed to be a lewd adventure. I’m not placing a huge amount of importance on the story or character in this case, as the adult content is the focus here. If that’s what you’re interested in then I recommend it. If you’re looking for something more story-focused though with the lewd content as the spice, this one might not be for you.
LIP! LEWD IDOL PROJECT VOL. 1 IS RECOMMENDED
If you like the sound of this, you should check out the add-on title – LIP! Lewd Idol Project Vol. 1 – Hot Springs And Beach Episodes
If you would like to see more lewd Visual Novels, you may be interested in our review of The Ditzy Demons Are In Love With Me. Or how about checking out some of the other top visual novels for this year on our Top Visual Novels of 2021 list.
Many thanks go to Toffer Team for a PC review code for this title.
A gamer since the days of Amstrad and DOS and someone who has dabbled in a variety of professions. He enjoys a wide variety of genres, but has been focusing on visual novels and virtual reality in recent years. Head Editor of NookGaming. Follow him and the website on @NookSite.
