I’m so glad to hear that Natsume is localizing Princess Debut rather than Ubisoft. I know Natsume will do a great job with it. Princess Debut, also known as Ohimesama Debut, is a dancing game in which players step in for a princess to enter a dance competition with one of six elligible princes. The bottom screen offers patterns to follow to make the princess substitute dance.

The game is also a bit of a simulation. You have to practice and learn dances to succeed. You also have to meet princes and build a relationship in order to find a suitable dancing partner. There’s only one month before the ball and dance competition, so players have to work fast to become fabulous ballroom dancers once the game is released in Fall 2008.

Title: Ohimesama DebutPrice: $48.90 (Wait a while, it it’s coming to North America)System(s): DSRelease Date: May 29, 2008Publisher (Developer): Cave (Cave)ESRB Rating: N/A; Cero A (All Ages)Pros: Touchscreen dancing is fun, the story is charming and there’s a nice simulation/dating sim aspect following the six princes.Cons: Most of the girl’s costumes aren’t cute. The 3D versions of the characters are hideous. Dances are only challenging initially, until you learn the patterns.Overall Score: 7.5/10As many are aware, I am fortunate enough to have some friends who also import video games from Japan. This means I get to sample games I normally wouldn’t play, and, in the case of Ohimesama Debut, be pleasantly surprised.

Yes, an Ouendan-loving friend of mine bought Ohimesama Debut. Since it has multiple save slots, she was gracious enough to let me claim one. Of course when Natsume releases it in the US, I totally intend on buying a copy.

Ohimesama Debut is a surprisingly fun game, though I don’t think we’ll see many boys or men running to stores to pick it up. Even though there are some less than pleasant visuals, the gameplay and entertaining concept make up for it. If Natsume hadn’t localized it as Princess Debut, I’d have bet money that Ubisoft would have brought it over as Imagine: Ballroom Dancer.