Cave's gothic lolita shoot-em-up Deathsmiles got the full Japanese drama CD treatment with this third chapter, subtitled "The Disappeared Spellbook." Three acts of voice drama expand the world beyond what any bullet hell game could tell through gameplay alone.
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The first two acts, covering "The Princess and the Magic Crystal" in two parts, build a narrative arc that the arcade game only hinted at. The third act, "A Day in the Life of the Familiars," is the charming side-story entry that these drama CDs always include, giving the spotlight to the magical companions rather than the main cast of Windia, Casper, Follett, and Rosa.
It's lighter fare that lets the voice cast play around with comedy instead of the gothic drama of the main storyline. Drama CDs are a distinctly Japanese way of extending a game's universe, and for a CAVE shmup to get three chapters of them speaks to how popular the Deathsmiles characters became.
This is deep-cut fan material, almost impossible to appreciate without Japanese language ability, but it represents a fascinating piece of Deathsmiles' cultural footprint beyond the arcade cabinet.