Play Dengeki Gakuen RPG - Cross of Venus (JP)(Independent) Online

Dengeki Gakuen RPG: Cross of Venus came out for the Nintendo DS in 2009, published by ASCII Media Works. It was part of that wave of quirky, anime-heavy titles that felt right at home on the dual screens, especially if you were into niche Japanese releases that didn't always make it overseas. The game builds on the Dengeki Bunko crossover universe, so you get a school setting packed with familiar faces from various light novels, all mashed together in one chaotic adventure.

You control a custom student navigating the academy, engaging in turn-based battles that use a rock-paper-scissors style system to determine advantage. Your main goal involves progressing through the story by completing quests, building relationships with other characters, and uncovering the mysteries behind the school's strange occurrences. Exploration is screen-by-screen, with plenty of dialogue exchanges and occasional dungeon-like areas to traverse. The pacing is generally relaxed, though some boss fights demand careful strategy with your party's skill sets. It feels like a lighthearted, slightly absurd RPG that doesn't take itself too seriously, and that's where a lot of its appeal lies.