Idolcraft

It seems almost nobody has heard of Idolcraft. In fact, its last update was back in 2011, and the only reviews came from 2009. How could a gem be so well hidden? I find it curious, almost suspicious.

Story
Your uncle leaves town, putting you in charge of his idol studio while he's gone. It seems your uncle is a total perv, and scared off all the previous idols he had working for him. So basically you must build the studio back up again, with help from a few remaining staff members. There's not much to it, but I found it enjoyable. 7/10

Characters
First, there's the character you are; there's not much to him, a somewhat generic character. He's silent, kind, maybe coming across as nonchalant, yet not the annoying kind of generic. But the uncle is a great character in spite of rarely appearing. The female cast is much, much larger. There are at least 10 different idol recruits available in the game, none are overly boring. There are so many girls to talk about, that I can really only do justice by describing what appears to be the main female lead. The first recruit is a silly girl bent on becoming the next big idol, despite zero experience in singing and dancing. Spoiler alert: Other idol personalities include(but not limited to) a goth, a sporty chick, a shy girl, and a pizza delivery girl. While this is not the greatest cast, it has power in numbers. 8/10

Gameplay
Gameplay takes the cake. So, there is obviously a lot to like about it. You walk around town talking to people, some of which are idols. Each potential idol is easily identifiable by the distinction of having a character avatar. Items can be collected or bought, useful in benefiting your idol; a idol low on health can regain it with food, or a special item can increase confidence or charm. There is also the option to fire an idol. As far as I'm aware, a total of just 6 idols can live in your studio, so firing an idol is an actually logical action depending on the situation. Otherwise, you can train your idols in either dancing or vocals, then create a DC/DVD using any idol in your studio. And if your relationship with an idol becomes close enough, this game perceivably turns into a dating sim of sorts. 9/10

Mapping
Not quite perfect, but fitting the vibe of Idolcraft very well. The tilesets gave me a similar feeling. 8/10

Music
I loved the menu theme, it sounded passionate. Everything else was okay. 7/10

Overall
I typically don't rate so many individual aspects of a game when giving a review, unless I am excited. And I am. Playing this game has energized me, as I'm reminded why I lurk this site looking for games to download. It is maddening that Idolcraft hasn't gotten the popularity I think it deserves.