The fine folks at JAST USA have finally released Tomgirls of the Mountains – Josou Sanmyaku. This one comes to us from Nounai Kanojo, with illustrations by artist Aogiri Penta, whose work has been seen in games such as Trap Shrine and Trap Legend. I had read both of those titles and enjoyed the art and overall story, so I was looking forward to digging in to another visual novel in the same vein as those. Did these tomgirls steal my heart? Let’s find out!

The story here follows a man named Ikuto Watarai. He has had a string of heartbreaks due to his terrible luck with women. He decides to go on a journey into the mountains to clear his head, but he soon encounters a terrible storm. Seeking shelter in a cave, he decides to explore further and becomes very lost. He soon tires out and accepts his fate as he fades away, but he doesn’t die. Instead, he wakes up in a strange village with a cute shrine maiden looking over him. He soon learns he is their messenger sent to repopulate the dwindling numbers of their village, and cannot leave until he completes his task. There is one catch however, the three cute girls here are all really tomgirls! Ikuto isn’t very keen on this, but he may just discover that some things are just minor details when it comes to love.

I have to say I really loved the overall story here. I think the localization did a really good job bringing each of the girls’ personalities to life. Fumio was the very dedicated shrine maiden. She would do anything to meet the needs of the village and keep everyone safe. She is mostly easygoing, but if you anger her and the mask comes off, you’d best run. Shizuki is somewhat like Fumio in that she is very in tune with the village’s needs and traditions, but she is much more of a free spirit. She’s not very book smart, but has a lot of common sense and skill. She seems very sweet and innocent, but, when she is seducing Ikuto she is like a totally different person. Last, but not least, was my personal favorite, Yura. She is a super tsundere and gives Ikuto a very hard time when she first meets him. She’s from the city since her father is the head of a big time corporation and only visits the village. She doesn’t really believe all the legends about the village the same way that Fumio and Shizuki do, and she is very independent. After a few events, Ikuto begins to melt the icy heart of this tsundere, and one very cute story unfolds!

All of the artwork in Tomgirls of the Mountains looks great. The girls are very cutely designed and their facial expressions really help give a sense of emotion to each scene. The CG’s here are mostly the fully uncensored H-scenes, which are all very nicely done. The writing is done well, and they are just about the right length as well. Some of these types of visual novels can drag these out a bit long for my taste, but it’s all good here. The backgrounds, while not anything super impressive, look nice as well. They fit the theme of the story nicely and give a good sense of what this hidden village and the surrounding areas look like.

The music here is pretty much all upbeat and fits the tone of the story very well. There are a few more somber tracks, for the most emotional moments, but the story here overall is pretty light. The Japanese voice acting really gives a lot of life to each of the characters which really helps you get into the story a lot more. They can get pretty loud during the H-scenes, so you may want to consider wearing headphones, unless you wanna give the neighbors something to listen to.

Overall, Tomgirls of the Mountains is a quality release from JAST USA. The story is well written, the artwork is top tier and the voice actors really do a great job of giving the cast personality. This is the not very serious, feel good visual novel I’ve needed for a long time. There are three routes here, one for each of the girls, and I have to say, I enjoyed each one of them. Each girl brought a little something different to the table with their story, and I thought they were all very enjoyable to read. Some may think the $29.99 price tag is a bit much for just over 8 hours of content, but I think the quality here makes it well worth it. I hope JAST USA decides to pick up other games in this series. They may not be for everyone, but they are cute, enjoyable and fun for those willing to give them a chance.

Game was provided by the publisher.