As promised in my tweet last month, I'm reviewing yet another visual novel. It seems like that and shmups are all I'm doing lately. Sometimes, it does feel like that's all that I'm playing, too.
While I say it a lot, the setting and idea for Raging Loop are great. It's a visual novel that combines the Werewolf game with the idea of Groundhog Day (the movie). Werewolf, aka Mafia, takes a group of people, a few of which are killers, and the rest innocent. During the night phase, the killers agree on a victim, and that person is then out of the game. During the day phase, everyone debates who one of the killers/wolves are, and vote to kill that person with a majority rule. This cycle continues until all killers are, well, killed, or they outnumber the innocents. Another wrinkle in the setup is when some innocents/villagers have special powers, which will be discussed later.
While I say it a lot, the setting and idea for Raging Loop are great. It's a visual novel that combines the Werewolf game with the idea of Groundhog Day (the movie). Werewolf, aka Mafia, takes a group of people, a few of which are killers, and the rest innocent. During the night phase, the killers agree on a victim, and that person is then out of the game. During the day phase, everyone debates who one of the killers/wolves are, and vote to kill that person with a majority rule. This cycle continues until all killers are, well, killed, or they outnumber the innocents. Another wrinkle in the setup is when some innocents/villagers have special powers, which will be discussed later.
The game starts with Haruaki getting lost, and finding his way into a secluded village in the middle of the mountains. He even starts to befriend a local named Chiemi. However, things quickly go askew when the wolf game starts, and people begin dying in gruesome ways. As an outsider, can Haruaki infiltrate and end this nightmare? One wrong move can end his life...or does it? Interestingly, all the "bad ends" actually happen. You see, if he fails, Haruaki starts back at the beginning of the story, sometimes with knowledge of what transpired. Until he can solve the mystery, he is doomed to repeat the werewolf game again and again. That's where the Groundhog Day inspiration comes in.
This looping is also woven into the main plot. Several choices are locked until you find the appropriate keys. While not while unique, as the concept of cleared flags is constant in near every game made, it's done well. Locks show which key(s) are necessary. To find them, you just need to keep playing and try different choices, even obviously wrong ones. Thankfully, the game includes a handy flowchart. This makes it very easy to hop around, making choices, and getting keys, all while enjoying the story.
Raging Loop's story might not sound linear, but it surprisingly is. There are basically three main routes that must be gone through in order. It strangely didn't bother me. I attribute that to how interesting I was finding the story, and how each built upon the previous. Trying to figure out who were the wolves, who were the innocents, and who had the powers of the guardians was fun and surprising. The guardians are the special powers mentioned earlier. The village has four extra guardian deities that will choose a non-wolf person to give an extra ability to. The snake can check one person per night, and be will be told if they are a human or wolf. The spider can protect one person per night. The crow will tell the bearer if the person hung the day before was a human or wolf. There are also two monkey guardians, and each knows who the other is.
Honestly, while this works for a visual novel, it also sounds really awesome for another video game. The idea and psychology behind how and when to use your powers, if and when to out yourself as a guardian...it sounds like a lot of fun. My kids told me there is a similar sounding game in Roblox, and I might just have to check that out. I don't know if I'd want to play with other people, but an open ended game using these powers, trying to find the killers, or even be one yourself. It sounds fun.
Anyway, back to Raging Loop. Several solutions rely on Japanese word/alphabet play. Thankfully, the game takes the extra steps to lay it all out, so you won't get confused. The one aspect holding the game back from being amazing is the ending. It's not bad, but it wasn't that satisfying to me. I'm not going to spoil specifics, but it tries too hard to make things mystical, and not, at the same time. It's just not pulled off well at all. It asks us to believe in magic, show us how the trick is done, but also include actual witchcraft, all after a massive info dump right near the end. Still, the game is worth completing. Besides some nice epilogue scenes, there's a commentary mode that injects character's thoughts during several scenes in the game. The ones I read were okay, but not really worth going through the game again immediately to see. Maybe some day in the future.
I know you've heard it before, but Raging Loop is a definite recommendation. While it loses steam right at the end, it's not enough to stop the huge heap of enjoyment I got reading the rest of the game. It's got a solid idea, and is pulled off very well. I'm anxious to see if any other visual novels come from this same world in the future.
The Good:
Great premise and a captivating story
The Bad:
The story goes astray in the 11th hour.
The SaHD:
If you get this, definitely do not look at the artbook until you have completed all of the routes! Massive spoilers!
(Raging Loop was purchased by the reviewer)
The Good:
Great premise and a captivating story
The Bad:
The story goes astray in the 11th hour.
The SaHD:
If you get this, definitely do not look at the artbook until you have completed all of the routes! Massive spoilers!
(Raging Loop was purchased by the reviewer)
