Criminal Girls: Invite Only was originally a PSP title that released back in 2010 for Japan only. A Vita version of the game that makes use of the system’s touch functions eventually released and that game is now available stateside. Although it had to go through a minor bit of censorship along the way. As it is though, Criminal Girls is a JRPG dungeon crawler that features some interesting mechanics.

First, to set things up. The story of the game takes place in the bottom floors of Hell. You assume control of a newly hired prison warden that is tasked to watch over seven female prisoners. You only start with four though, as three have escaped. The prisoners you are watching are souls who have died young, but they were potential criminals that have passed on before they could commit their crime. So you are tasked with guiding them through to the top in hopes of turning them into decent individuals, so that they can be reborn into the real world.

The Good: I found the story interesting enough to keep me engaged with the game. The nice assortment of characters helps as well. Even if most are your typical Anime types, I didn’t find it too bothersome. Even if it’s not the best thing I’ve come across, I think story does the job well. There are also multiple endings tied to each of the main characters, which I always enjoy.

Apart from being your typical dungeon crawler RPG, Criminal Girls does have a couple of interesting systems. One of which is the battle system. It is turned based combat and you control a four-person team. However, you’re only picking one action for your whole team’s turn, and not an action for each individual character. When you choose your team’s action, each member of the team will have an option. These options differ between each character and is dependent on the skills they have learned. So you may be offered a mix of an attack option or a useful skill.

I thought the battle system was interesting and did offer a nice bit of strategy. It also kept things simple since your not managing four different characters, just the team as one. You still get the management stuff with leveling each of the characters, but during battles you’re always presented four options to act upon. You can also use items, which graciously doesn’t use up your turn.

The next system is also a unique mechanic, but is probably it’s most controversial. You level up characters normally, they gain experience and their stats go up. They won’t gain skills though, and that’s where the secondary part of leveling comes in. Winning battles give your experience, but also a currency called CM. You’ll spend this CM in order to trigger the “Motivation” mini-games that you have to do well on in order to progress your characters into learning new abilities.

The mini-games are simple and make use of the Vita’s front and rear touch. One has you touching certain points on the screen for a small bit of time and these will show up as FRONT or REAR in order to show which touch it wants you to use. Another has you sliding switches that appear all over the screen by tapping and dragging, also appearing as either FRONT or REAR. More mini-game types will get introduced as you progress further into the game. You can also opt-in to perform these games with the sticks instead, which is what you’ll be doing if you’re playing this on the Playstation TV.

I thought it was an interesting take on leveling. While it does add in an extra layer, I liked the idea of doing well in a mini-game to help your characters develop. It can feel repetitive though since you have to do these simple mini-games multiple times across each character. Although, it’s probably the presentation of these mini-games that will bring in the most attention.

The Bad: If you’ve looked up anything on this game, you probably have some sort of idea on what’s giving this game some extra attention. While the term “Motivate” is used to describe these games in the English version, the original Japanese text called them Punishments. Indeed, these mini-games are the main parts of the game that had some censorship done. While I am one who would prefer a game be as true to the original as possible when coming over, I can understand the censorships.

Not only are the mini-games a portrayal of punishment on female characters, but they are also being presented in some suggestive positions while it’s happening. Clouds cover most of the screen so you don’t get a clear view, but in certain cases that kind of makes things a bit more suggestive. In the original version the characters would also moan during the mini-game, but that has been taken out in this localization. I find the censorship pretty minor though, since it’s not like I would enjoy these mini-games more had they remained unchanged. I also don’t have too big of an issue with the presentation of these. However, my main complaint though is that it felt unneeded to be presented this way. Felt more like something they wanted to do for the attention, which it certainly got. Nothing out of the ordinary though, as I’ve seen my share of games that do that stuff all the time (trying to get attention, not punishment mini-games).

Overall Thoughts: Criminal Girls: Invite Only is an interesting game. The unique takes on battling and character progression helped in making the game feel a bit fresh for an older PSP title. Although the “motivation” mini-games may draw in weird looks. Certainly not for everyone, and I wouldn’t exactly call this a must-play. Still, I found myself enjoying the time I spent with it. So if you’re looking for a JRPG to play on your Vita (or Playstation TV), I say it’s interesting enough to at least look up. If you don’t mind what you see, then give the game a shot.