"Northward." 〜Diamond Dust〜 is a PS2 travel interaction game released by Hudson, continuing the concept of "White Illumination" about traveling and meeting characters in Hokkaido. Prince Hiroi served as the original creator and executive producer, NOCCHI was responsible for the main character design, and Takeshi Chi was in charge of the music.
| Title of the work | North. 〜Diamond Dust〜 |
|---|---|
| Chinese name | North. 〜Diamond Dust〜 |
| The publication date listed in the materials | 2003-10-30 |
| Platform | PS2 |
| Genre | ADV |
| Also known as | North. Diamond Dust |
| Development | Red Entertainment Co., Ltd |
| Release | Hudson Corporation |
| Key animation | NOCCHI |
| External links to source records | https://erogamescape.org/~ap2/ero/toukei_kaiseki/game.php?game=5740 / https://vndb.org/v1515 |
Travel and encounters
The game uses the Hokkaido journey as the foundation for character interaction. Movement between destinations, stops along the way, and conversations together form the process. Scenery is not just the chapter background but also determines who players might meet and what events they might experience. The series was previously released in 1999 on Dreamcast as "White Illumination."
Markets and families
Atsuko Akaneki works at a fresh fish shop in Hakodate Asaichi. She lost her father at a young age and was raised by her mother and market neighbors; She is warm and never easily gives up. Harada worked for the family, and her father pursued his dream of gold mining. Even though life was tight, she respected his persistence.
Retreat, language, and film
Karin Shiraishi has been undergoing long-term recuperation, publishing fairy tales on her personal website and contacting others via email. Suomi Kitano comes from a Japanese-Finnish family, is fluent in Japanese, but often expresses herself in a unique way. University student Kyoko Asahina is passionate about independent films, and the gap between winning awards and unsuccessful independent screenings makes her start to care whether audiences understand her work.
Insertion in conversation
C.B.S. allows players to actively interrupt others while they are speaking and then choose their own response. Timing and answers together change the content of communication; Interrupting right away may not be the best; waiting for the other person to continue may lead to different developments.
A path along the way
D.B.S. displays icons and landscape photos while moving; responding promptly can direct you to the call point and trigger events. The official description lists over a hundred locations, some of which can only be accessed through this system. The travel route thus combines character interaction with exploration along the way.
Sound and follow-up
The five main characters are voiced by Eriko Ishihara, Akino Watanabe, Yuko Takahashi, Mayu Amase, and Mamiko Noto. The sequel, "Diamond Dust+ Kiss is Beginning.," starts from the state of becoming lovers, depicting the protagonist's seven-day visit to Hokkaido, filling the gap between the conclusion of the previous work and the epilogue.
Source: Structured works maintained by the Bangumi community, filtered and rearranged by this site.
Related entries
- Characters:Atsuko Akagi
- Voice Cast:Eriko Ishihara
- Characters:Akari Harada
- Voice Cast:Akino Watanabe
- Characters:Karin Shiraishi
- Voice Cast:Yuko Takahashi
- Characters:Suomi Kitano
- Voice Cast:Mayu Amase
- Characters:Asahina Kyoko
- Voice Cast:Mamiko Noto
- Original Work/Executive Producer:Prince Hiroi
- Main character design:NOCCHI
- Music:Chi Yi
- Setting and Setting:C.B.S. (Northward Series)
- Setting and Setting:D.B.S. (Northward Diamond Dust)
- Previous entries in the series:North. White Illumination
- Follow-up works:North. ～Diamond Dust+ Kiss is Beginning.～
References
- Bangumi work entry: Northward. 〜Diamond Dust〜
- Bangumi Copyright Notice
- Hudson: Diamond Dust Product Page (Official Archive)
- Hudson: Diamond Dust System Northward (Official Archive)
- Hudson: Atsuko Akaki (Official Archive)
- Hudson: Akari Harada (Official Archive)
- Hudson: Karin Shiraishi (Official Archive)
- Hudson: Suomi Kitano (Official Archive)
- Hudson: Kyoko Asahina (Official Archive)
- Hudson: Diamond Dust+ (Official Archive)
- GAME Watch: Diamond Dust release trailer
Source author: Bangumi article contributor and community maintainer; License: CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/); Adaptation: This site filters and reorganizes structured facts, without copying the article summary.
Data compiled on: 2026-10-07.