Throughout gameplay, the player is given multiple options to choose from, and text progression pauses at these points until a decision is made. These decisions determine the sequence in which the story's events will occur, and progress the plot toward a specific heroine's ending. There are four main plot lines in the original Windows version that the player will have the chance to experience, one for each of the heroines in the story. This is increased to five plot lines in the Xbox 360 version with the extended scenario for Nue. In order to view all plot lines in their entirety, the player will have to replay the game multiple times and make different decisions to progress the plot in alternate directions.
Plot
Setting and themes
The main part of Tayutama takes place in a town called Ashihara-chō (葦原町), which houses various landmarks such as the Sosei Academy (創聖学院, Sōsei Gakuin), which the main characters attend, and the Yachimata Shrine (八衢神社, Yachimata Jinja), a local Shinto shrine managed by Yuri's family. Sosei Academy consists of two departments: a notorious all-girls department named Flawless (フローレス, Furōresu), which stems its roots from the Sosei Girls' Academy; and a recently added coeducation department named Slightly (スライトリー, Suraitorii). The campus grounds are separated into two parts which houses the two separate departments. Students attending the Flawless department live in a dormitory across from the school building, which is separated from Slightly's school building and schoolyard by a small forest.
Supernatural phenomena are a recurring theme in Tayutama. The fictional, mythological race Tayutai (太転依) is worshiped by the Yachimata Shrine, and its members are able to take shape in various forms, including humans. Various characters also possess supernatural abilities, such as Yuri who excels in Shinto studies and practices, and Mashiro, who is a Tayutai herself. Yumina and Ameri both receive wings as a result of gaining the favor and allying respectively with Houou and Ouryu, two Tayutai. Mifuyu is befriended by Nue, another Tayutai, and is physically powerful enough to engage a Tayutai in battle.
Principal characters
The player assumes the role of Yuri Mito (泉戸 裕理, Mito Yūri, voiced by Satoshi Hino), the protagonist of Tayutama. Yuri comes from a family that presides over the Yachimata Shrine, and holds a vast knowledge in Shinto practices. He takes an interest in automobile maintenance, and also aspires to be an auto mechanic or designer. Mashiro Mito (泉戸 ましろ, Mito Mashiro, voiced by Noriko Rikimaru), the main heroine of Tayutama, is a Tayutai girl with a high understanding of spiritual powers. She is the incarnation of the goddess Kikuramikami no Hime (綺久羅美守毘売, voiced by Haruka Nagami), and wishes for a mutual harmony between humans and Tayutai. She falls in love with Yuri soon after being left in his care, to the extent that she claims to be his wife.
Several characters also become involved in Yuri and Mashiro's attempt to create a world where both humans and Tayutai can coexist together. Ameri Kawai (河合 アメリ, Kawai Ameri, voiced by Asami Shimoda), another heroine, is Yuri's energetic and outgoing childhood friend. She frequently carries around candies, which she often shares with others, and has a crush towards Yuri, but is unable to carry her feelings further. Yumina Takanashi (小鳥遊 ゆみな, Takanashi Yumina, voiced by Kaori Mizuhashi), also a heroine, is Yuri's stepsister who resided with his family until their mother's death. She is often shy and quiet in front of others, and takes an interest in activities such as drawing and cooking. Yumina transfers into Flawless early in the story, and often voluntarily takes care of the household chores for Yuri's family. Mifuyu Kisaragi (如月 美冬, Kisaragi Mifuyu, voiced by Shizuka Itō), the last of Tayutama's heroines, is an honor student from Flawless. She is calm and intelligent, and tends to act as an elder sister figure to other Flawless students. She is skilled in various martial arts, and is in particular proficient in kenjutsu.
Story
The story of Tayutama revolves around the male protagonist Yuri Mito, whose family manages the local Shinto shrine. One day during spring break, Yuri and his friends Ameri Kawai and Sankurou Kaname find in the school's woods a mysterious relic that was used in the past to seal the Tayutai, an ancient, mythological race. Yuri discovers that the school board has determined that the relic is insignificant for preservation, and that it will be demolished to allow the school to expand. After coming to the conclusion that destroying the relic may have adverse consequences, the trio attempts to relocate the relic's spirits. As Yuri performs the ritual, he summons Kikuramikami no Hime, a Tayutai goddess who explains to him the belligerent relationship between humans and Tayutai; Kikuramikami then incarnates as a young girl, Mashiro, in hopes of maintaining a mutual relationship with humans. Shortly afterwards, the relic is destroyed in an accident, releasing the entire race of Tayutai. Among them are Nue, Houou, and Ouryu, three influential Tayutai who hold humans in low regard and are referred to collectively as the "Three Mightiest" (三強, Sankyō). Following the incident, Yuri takes Mashiro to the Yachimata Shrine to live with his family, and later finds Mashiro as a teenager, who proclaims herself to be Yuri's wife.