Caution: This text delves into spoiler territory for The Hundred Line – Closing Protection Academy. In case you’ve but to play the sport and wish to move in blind, we propose you come at once more…
I’m no longer partial to tactical RPGs… is what I might have instructed you earlier than I performed The Hundred Line – Closing Protection Academy. Heck, I’m nonetheless no longer certain I might name myself a ‘fan’ of the style, essentially; one recreation possibly isn’t sufficient to sway me that a lot. The Hundred Line, although..? Yeah, I’m partial to The Hundred Line.
If truth be told, it is simply my Recreation of the Yr up to now, or even with the Transfer 2 at the horizon, it’s going to take one thing in point of fact particular to usurp its throne. Mitch gave it an ‘Superb’ 9/10 in our evaluation, however what he didn’t quilt – what he couldn’t quilt with out spoiling the rest – is simply how ridiculously formidable Too Kyo Video games’ visible novel / tactical RPG hybrid actually is.
So, should you’re delicate about spoilers and wish to move into this one utterly contemporary, believe this your ultimate caution. We’re getting in, other people.
Sooner than I waltz headfirst into what’s surely The Giant Twist™, I wish to first have a look at the glorious solid of characters. Just like Danganronpa earlier than it, all the premise of The Hundred Line — live to tell the tale and offer protection to your faculty in opposition to invaders over the process 100 days — would have crashed and burned had been it no longer for the likes of Takumi Sumino, Darumi Amemiya, Shouma Ginzaki, Nozomi Kirifuji, and the remainder of the ones loveable goofballs.
Persona paintings is in point of fact the place administrators Kazutaka Kodaka and Kotaro Uchikoshi shine brightest. They controlled to make each and every member of the ‘Particular Protection Unit’ utterly distinctive and particular in their very own means.
Take Tsubasa Kawana, for example. On every occasion she’s positioned in a aggravating state of affairs, she in an instant feels nauseous, and it makes for some superb comedic aid. I misplaced depend of the choice of instances I giggled each time the tale took a gloomy flip, and the digicam converted to Tsubasa loudly dry heaving.
Along with the comedian aid, on the other hand, we additionally be informed so much about Tsubasa’s background, together with her pastime for equipment fostered through solving vehicles together with her grandfather as a kid. We get an identical deep dives into each and every persona, to the purpose the place we start to perceive the prospective reasons in the back of their quite a lot of quirks. Even overall prats like Ima Tsukumo, whose obsessive devotion to his ‘Pricey Sister’ Kako proves deeply regarding, will get his personal second of redemption thru each his backstory and the best way the plot progresses.
By the point I reached the credit, I actually didn’t need the sport to finish. I’d grown to like those characters, and a few important losses in fact introduced a tear to my eye all the way through the overall levels; one thing that no recreation earlier than it has achieved. Couldn’t I simply stay going? Only for a little bit..?
Neatly, right here’s the object: it didn’t finish.
Whilst you succeed in the ultimate couple of days within the elementary hundred-day timeline, you be informed that thru powers won by the use of absorption of your enemies, protagonist Takumi can in fact return in time to day one and re-do the entire thing once more. Most effective this time, you’re unfastened to make important adjustments to the tale and paintings your means towards considered one of a possible hundred other endings. Whoa – hang my beer, Nier Automata!
I do know what you’re most likely pondering, and no, you don’t must play throughout the complete recreation 100 instances. Successfully, the tale can department off into a number of other paths, every of which has plenty of doable endings, and the sport even provides you with the power to leap again to express days with a view to exchange your selections and change the tale’s trail.
Some endings could also be exceedingly quick, others a little bit lengthier… some just right, and a few very unhealthy. One may see you change into the villain of the tale, whilst every other would possibly conclude with the adorably dependable samurai Kyoshika Magadori being wolfed through your zombified buddies. The number of avenues is solely absurd, and finding every one is a pleasure.
Those are simply a few the extra, let’s say, ‘insignificant’ conceivable endings. I received’t move into the ones which may in fact destroy the overarching plot; although you’re nonetheless with me at this level, I’d such as you to experience The Hundred Line’s tale by yourself phrases. It’s protected to mention, on the other hand, that the run thru the ones preliminary 100 days may just undoubtedly be regarded as a ‘prologue’, even supposing it with ease stands as a compelling tale in its personal proper with a starting, center, and finish.
So you’ll be able to undoubtedly prevent there and feature a grand ol’ time, however should you’re searching for one thing a little bit extra formidable — one thing that throws the rulebook out of the window — I’d inspire you to stay going and notice precisely what The Hundred Line has up its sleeve. It’s merely magnificent.
There are such a lot of the reason why I like this recreation. I like understanding what to do all the way through ‘unfastened time’ periods by which you’ll be able to both chat on your fellow scholars, project out into the arena in a board-game-inspired minigame of types, or dive immediately into a couple of fight simulations to doubtlessly improve your skills.
The largest wonder for me, on the other hand, used to be how a lot I liked the fight machine itself. As I discussed firstly, I’m generally no longer one for tactical RPGs, however The Hundred Line’s turn-based construction simply works so neatly. I regularly get crushed on the subject of deciding find out how to method tactical gameplay: how do those characters serve as? Why can’t I transfer greater than two areas? Simply what the heck do I do?
The Hundred Line made it simple, although, and it’s as soon as once more due to the remarkably distinctive and various solid. Their inventive design makes it simple to tell apart one from every other, and it most effective took a few battles till I memorised their strengths and weaknesses, in conjunction with how their assaults play out at the box of fight. It were given to the purpose the place, after a handful of quiet days filled with ‘unfastened time’, the warbling alarm to suggest an incoming fight crammed me with pleasure.
Lots of the battles felt potential and I by no means felt utterly helpless in opposition to the hordes of invaders, however there have been nonetheless a couple of that I controlled to botch immediately and lose inside only some mins. In the ones circumstances, the sport provides you with the solution to redo the fight with important boosts on your manpower, immediately supplying you with 300% ‘voltage’ (which necessarily provides you with 3 makes use of of your extra-powerful particular assaults) and refilling your squad’s well being. Is it dishonest? Positive, I wager… Nevertheless it additionally makes the sport considerably extra approachable for tactical beginners like myself.
I like the Danganronpa collection. I feel they’re superb video games that stay simply as compelling now as they had been again after they first introduced, and if it weren’t for Danganronpa, I don’t suppose The Hundred Line would even exist. I should be fair with myself, although… The Hundred Line is best. It’s a masterpiece.
Co-director Kazutaka Kodaka has just lately showed that the sport is “promoting neatly”, however I nonetheless really feel like no longer sufficient individuals are speaking about it. I believe, on the other hand, that because the years move through and extra other people play it thru phrase of mouth, it’ll move down as one of the crucial biggest visible novels of all time. There’s merely not anything else rather find it irresistible.
Have you ever performed thru The Hundred Line – Closing Protection Academy but? What do you’re making of it? Do you’ve a favorite persona / finishing? Tell us with a remark in the standard position.
