Ever wondered what George Washington would look like as a pretty anime boy? Wonder no longer!
Otogi Spirit Agents is a mobile game similar to Fire Emblem Heroes. You summon spirits in order to fight battles, there’s a light plot, and while you’re supposed to exchange currency for more units to do battle for you, the game will never give you the ones you need when you need them. It’s what’s called a gachapon game. “Gacha” or “gasha” is the Japanese onomatopoeia for turning a crank on a toy vending machine (you know, the kind that gives you figures in those little plastic balls). Gachapon games give you random rewards for rare currency you can earn—or buy—that determine your skill level in-game.
What makes Otogi Spirit Agents stand out is that the spirits you summon are historical figures, flowers, and everyday objects. In my brief time with the game, I’ve summoned the personified versions of a red lantern, a slingshot and an Amaryllis flower. Those are far from the most ridiculous summons: Socrates and Beethoven are also spirits you can get. Hilariously, you can now also summon the first United States President, George Washington, in an event that ends tomorrow.
George Washington, whose special skill is called “Chopping Trees? Stop Please!” is presented as a waifish bishounen with an eagle perched on his shoulder. He’s kind of… hot?
Funnily enough, you can also earn a different version of George called Forge Washington. Forge seems to be the embodiment of the apocryphal story of George Washington refusing to lie after damaging a cherry tree with a toy hatchet as a child.
Forge’s description says, “He serves a prime example of the way that widespread belief in something can make it real, regardless of whether the original story is true.” Now that’s the America I know.