I don’t know if a sport has ever been fairly as designed for me as The Hundred Line – Final Protection Academy. It takes two creators of cult traditional visible novels and brings them collectively, with the legendary Kazutaka Kodaka of Danganronpa fame and Kotaro Uchikoshi from the Zero Escape collection each engaged on this one title. Then it took that writing group and added on a techniques RPG, one in all my favourite genres. I feel due to this, I used to be a bit nervous – would this sport reside as much as being what is actually a dream sport for me? Fortunately, it did reside as much as that after which some, making a compelling narrative blended with a number of the most enjoyable techniques gameplay I’ve seen shortly.
The Hundred Line – Final Protection Academy takes place in an alternate world the place the protagonists reside in a peaceable place referred to as the Tokyo Residential Advanced, a completely coated metropolis with shelters. The protagonist, Takumi, lives a standard life till the Tokyo Residential Advanced is attacked by surreal, inhuman creatures. Takumi then positive aspects powers and joins different college students on the Final Protection Academy, who’ve to guard the college for 100 days as a part of preventing off these foes. After all, contemplating this was directed and written by Kodaka and Uchikoshi, there are loads extra twists and turns that complicate issues.
The Hundred Line is far more outwardly a Danganronpa-inspired sport than a Zero Escape one. The characters have been created by Kodaka, and the character designs have been carried out by Rui Komatsuzaki, who did the enduring designs for Danganronpa. Nonetheless, the additional you get into the sport, the extra you begin to see Uchikoshi’s affect. One of many issues I loved most about this was attending to take pleasure in a big group of Kodaka’s characters over the course of the sport. An enormous a part of the attraction of Danganronpa is its massive ensemble forged, however, as a result of plot being a demise sport, these characters get weeded out fairly shortly. The Hundred Line, in the meantime, doesn’t have that demise sport plot looming over the conditions, so I felt like I acquired to take pleasure in seeing these characters longer. There’s loads of different hazard and threats at hand however the construction of this sport gave me much more time to spend with this huge, eccentric forged. A few of my favorites are Kurara, a wealthy elitist woman who wears a tomato masks always; Nozomi, a candy woman who occurs to look precisely like Takumi’s childhood buddy; and Takemaru, a thug who additionally occurs to have the kindest coronary heart on the group. In the event you don’t vibe with Kodaka’s model of writing these extremely exaggerated characters, I’m undecided The Hundred Line will change your thoughts. Nonetheless, when you have loved the massive casts of a Danganronpa sport, then know that The Hundred Line has probably my favourite group of characters, which is saying loads. On the floor lots of them is likely to be excessive, however beneath they’re a well-written and developed forged that it’s a pleasure to spend time with.
The most effective methods this forged is used is within the fight, the place every character is a singular unit in its techniques, primarily based on the character’s traits and persona. Fight is grid and turn-based, normally on sides surrounding the college, with a sure variety of actions per flip. Nonetheless, defeating sure stronger enemies can provide you extra turns, resulting in enjoyable challenges of linking collectively assaults to get as a lot carried out in a single flip as attainable. Attacking additionally builds up a voltage meter, which can be utilized for a particular, stronger assault. Moreover, this assault may be carried out any time a personality has low sufficient well being, although that results in the character being incapacitated by means of to the following wave. All of this comes collectively to make for a really addicting gameplay expertise that takes inspiration from different techniques video games however nonetheless seems like a recent tackle the style.
The remainder of the gameplay is extra alongside the strains of a visible novel, very harking back to Danganronpa. On days the place there isn’t a battle or different plot developments, you are able to do a wide range of free time actions, together with mock battles, which earn you a forex you should use to improve characters, talking to characters or making/giving them presents, or exploring exterior the college. All of those contribute to at least one one other: speaking to characters improves your stats, which influences how one can improve these characters whereas additionally bettering exploration expertise, and exploring can get you extra supplies to make use of for presents. It makes on daily basis really feel impactful, even when you spend it simply hanging out. I preferred studying about and spending time with these characters regardless, however the way in which these techniques affect one another offers them their very own weight.
I additionally discovered the overarching story and pacing to be compelling as properly. It was uncommon for me to have a time the place there wasn’t a thriller or two that I used to be interested by, and that result in an actual “simply 20 extra minutes” factor the place I stayed up manner too late a couple of nights as a result of I simply needed to know what would occur, one thing I don’t do as a lot now as I did after I was a child. Enjoying the sport earlier than launch was nearly irritating as a result of I simply needed to speak to folks about reveals and plot factors that I received’t spoil however have been extremely satisfying. Not all characters or plot factors appealed to me in the very same manner, however the total package deal has been a pleasure to find.
It’s all the time a delight to find what’s going to find yourself being one in all my favourite video video games in actual time, however The Hundred Line did it. With the storytelling prowess of two cult icons blended with some recent and thrilling tactical gameplay, The Hundred Line manages to carry again issues I like from each of its creators whereas feeling like a recent new sport. In the event you take pleasure in a superb visible novel or when you take pleasure in techniques RPGs you owe it to your self to play The Hundred Line – Final Protection Academy. It is probably not for everybody, nevertheless it struck a serious chord for me and shortly grew to become one in all my favourite video games on Swap.
