Demonstrating excellent use of free will, Japanese chemical and cosmetics giant Kao Corporation has decided to promote its flagship cleaning products by releasing a freebie idol raising simulator game. Titled Souji Souai LOVE, the game centers on the idol group Shining4, which is made up of anthropomorphized cleaning agents. Well, anthropomorphized may not be the most accurate way to put it, as the characters are basically just four guys with bottles of detergent instead of human heads.
In this short visual novel-style idol simulator, you join an idol agency as a rookie producer, where you get assigned to Shining4. Your job is to make sure the group’s debut live performance is a success. On the way, you’ll get to know the unique personalities of each member, and of course, engage in fun activities like cleaning toilets.
The four idols are Kyukyutto (dish soap), Bath Magiclin (bathtub cleaner), Toilet Magiclin (toilet bowl cleaner) and Quickle Wiper Three-dimensional Wet Sheets (for cleaning floors), all based on real-life products. To the amusement of many Japanese X users, they’re voiced by a pretty star-studded cast, including singer and voice actor Yoshiki Nakajima (known for roles in The Idolmaster: SideM and Ensemble Stars!) and J-pop artist Kent Ito.
Playable on Kao Corporation’s official homepage via both PC and mobile devices, Souji Souai LOVE offers about 20 minutes of gameplay, with partial voice acting. Kao Corporation has also released Shining4’s debut song and music video on YouTube, sung by the voice acting cast.
