Shonen Atsume: “Notice Me Senpai” brings the boys to the…cafe
If you have been on the Internet for the past four months or so, you’ve probably heard of the genre-defining game that’s taken the mobile world by storm. Indeed, Neko Atsume: Kitty Collector, with millions of installs under its belt, has already inspired several “collection” games that follow the idle formula that Hit-Point made so popular with cats, including games that have you play with hamsters, dogs, and who could resist, more cats. But Notice Me Senpai from Skillshot Labs is probably the first collection game of note that has you collect people.
In this case, when I say people I’m referring specifically to the kind of young, boyish men that appeal to Otome game fans everywhere. The same anime tropes that feed Otome games are what make up the bulk of this game’s appeal, with a concept immediately reminiscent (with important differences) of Ouran High School Host Club: you’re in charge of the school cafe and it’s your job to rake in as much revenue as you can by encouraging business and supplying fresh coffee. If the eligible bachelors who frequent the cafe happen to all fall in love with you, well, who’s complaining?
Like any good mobile game, interaction with Notice Me Senpai is quick, sporadic, and yet fulfilling. Most of the time you will find yourself opening the app simply to restock coffee beans, collect revenue (in two tiered currencies, though the game is solely ad-supported at the moment with no IAP), and maybe check on your progress in wooing the boys. To focus your wooing activities on a particular boy, it is important to also spend some of your revenue on furniture and decorations that appeal to him. These associations are always very obvious and archetypal, with “Young Senpai” liking an ice cream machine or “Lazy Senpai” liking, well, nicely cushioned lounge chairs, but this makes it easy for the game to draw on the nostalgic memories of the anime fans it aims squarely at.
When you draw out a senpai you fancy enough, he will come to show his love for you in two stages, the second of which consists of a cheesy confession scene done visual novel-style, unique CG and all. The art used in these confession scenes is quite distinct from the simplistic style used elsewhere throughout the game, but it is satisfying in a way to get a good look at each character for your efforts.
Overall, Notice Me Senpai does the job it sets itself out to do well, and it does it without asking for much investment from the player. If you find yourself in Skillshot Labs’ niche, or even if you find the concept just that little bit ridiculous and you want to see how it feels to collect real people instead of cats for a change of pace, it’s worth a download on iOS or Android to let the senpai come to you for once.