is a Japanese adult visual novel, developed by August, released as a limited edition version on January 25, 2008 playable on Windows PCs as a DVD. Fortune Arterial is August's fifth game, preceded by other titles such as Tsuki wa Higashi ni Hi wa Nishi ni: Operation Sanctuary, and Yoake Mae yori Ruriiro na. A manga based on the story, drawn by Akane Sasaki, was serialized between the September 2007 and April 2008 issues of ASCII Media Works' Dengeki G's Magazine; the manga transferred to ASCII Media Works' Dengeki G's Festival! Comic in April 2008. A second manga started serialization in the November 2007 issue of Kadokawa Shoten's gaming magazine Comptiq, illustrated by Miki Kodama. A 12-episode anime adaptation produced by Zexcs and Feel aired in Japan between October and December 2010.
Gameplay
The gameplay requires little interaction from the player as a majority of the game is spent simply reading text that appears on the screen. This text represents either dialogue between the various characters or the inner thoughts of the protagonist. Every so often, the player will come to a "decision point" where they must choose from options that are displayed on the screen, typically two to three at a time. During these times, gameplay pauses until a choice is made that furthers the plot in a specific direction, depending on which choice the player makes. There are five main plot lines that the player will have the chance to experience, one for each of the heroines in the story. In order to view the five plot lines to their entirety, the player will have to replay the game multiple times and choose different choices during the decision points in order to further the plot in an alternate direction.
Plot
Fortune Arterial'''s story revolves around the male protagonist Kohei Hasekura, who transfers into a prestigious public school in the style of a Western six-year school encompassing junior-high and high school students. The school, named , is on an island named off-shore from mainland Japan, and the only way to get there is by boat. Soon after transferring, he discovers that one of the students in the class next door to his, Erika Sendo, is in fact a type of vampire.
Characters
Main characters
(Drama CD) / Daisuke Ono (anime), Natsumi Takamori (childhood in anime) Kohei is the protagonist of the story and is a fifth-year student. He has lived on the island previously and was friends with the Yuki sisters. Since he moved away he has cultivated a habit of not making friends due to constant school transfers (since he would have to move away as soon as he made new friends, he decided not to bother making friends in the first place). Now that he has returned to the island on his own and entered Shuchikan Academy, he plans to stay for a while.
(credited as Sakiko Mimura in the PC version) Erika is a fifth-year student as well as the student council vice-president. She is a vampire. She excels in literature classes and martial arts, and is very attractive, making her popular in her school. She has an inquisitive personality and likes to do things directly. Once she has her mind set on something, she becomes very pushy and will take her time making plans to make sure she gets her way. Her older brother Iori is the student council president.
(credited as Airi Himekawa in the PC version) Shiro is a delicate fourth-year student who is very shy. She was introduced to the student council by her brother who was already on the council, and it was decided that Shiro would become the treasurer. However, she is often missing from student council meetings after school and is only known for serving tea to the student council. Shiro joins an organization named "Laurel Ring" in order to support a chapel and she cherishes a white pet rabbit named at the chapel.
(PC) / Erika Narumi (anime) Kiriha is one of Kohei's classmates. She is most often seen alone and does not talk much, even when spoken to directly. She does not have many interests, and is in no clubs. She has been exceptional in math ever since she was young. She is a vampire servant, which makes her immortal and has given her superhuman powers, though she does not need blood and has lost her sense of taste.
(PC) / Hitomi Nabatame (anime) Kanade is Kohei's childhood friend and Haruna's older sister. She is constantly in high spirits, and likes to do things at her own pace. She loves her younger sister so much that she says that if she had been born a man from another family, she would have definitely married Haruna eventually. She often calls her sister "Hina". She is the resident adviser in the Academy dormitory.