im so sad bc a friend recommended me this and it started off so good but alas...
to start with:
pros
+ art style that fits a lot with the theme, its not particularly "pretty" to look at but it does the job
+ character designs both fit the time period (early 2000s) AND the setting (u'll understand when u see it)
+ if you ignore the stuff ill talk in the spoilers section the first 10-15 hours and some additional info you get at the end are just. really good writing
+ worldbuilding that makes sense and makes you go "OHH.. THAT'S WHAT IT WAS" in a good way
+ lots of anti-frustration mechanics such as the game telling you where you fucked up and what you should have done, and which keys are for which choices
+ rly good ost!!!
+ i just like mafia/werewolf
? there's no real gore, everything is drawn with a red silhouette instead.
general thoughts are:
SPOILER TERRITORY!!!
HOOOAHHH!!
complaints about haruaki and rikako:
i think the first loop where you dont participate in the feast and the second loop where you DO participate and play as the snake are flawlessly written, aside from chiemi's behavior in wit (which is explained later) is written in a really cringeworthy way, i think that just fits her personality. characters react differently to familiar people and events depending on their role during the feast which keeps the story fresh during each loop and you learn more about them. my problem with the wolf route which also has characters behaving differently than usual is mostly with haruaki's behavior with haru. chiemi and rikako are his love interests during the first loops which i have no problem with, but haruaki is (self reclaimed) 24 years old and haru is a 15 year old. haruaki is just really creepy about her, saying that she is "becoming his type" and that he has "fallen for her" and "would like a relationship with her had she not been a wolf". although haruaki himself is an unreliable narrator, lying about pretty much everything ever, no one in the game questions the age gap when haruaki says he had fallen for her (although this can be explained with the fact that yasumizu is a hypertraditionalist religious village, and as i am currently living in a country filled with and basically ruled by these villages i can see that being ok with them, however the journalists are educated people from the city, they should never be okay with a 24 yr old saying he has fallen for a 15 yr old.
i also hate that rikako is also a pedophile and a rapist, at least she gets called out, not because shes a rapist or a pedophile but because she is trying to resurrect an ancient evil god and destroy japan. i mean ok priorities. i know japan isnt the best with these topics (rape and pedophilia) so thats all i will say.
i didnt like the ending. i hate the whole "dreamer" thing, i hate that fucking sheep so much just ruining the immersion completely and destroying the setting the game had established, and i hate the game trying to justify EVERYTHING about yasumizu with "facts and logic", such as miguruma and higuchi controlling yasumizu and making them think ookami-sama DOES exist, and while learning about these with nosato was fun and made me go "ohhhhhhh", i just hate that how haruaki had an answer for everything. the corruption? its miguruma destroying the bodies with machines. the marks? they put sleeping gas in their room. the locks opening themselves? miguruma must have put motion activated locks on the doors. just bulldoze the whole village at this point whats the fucking point the cops wont come anyway
anyway it was ok the ost was really good. as for who i think is autistic (because i have to pick an autist from everything i play) i think its both kiyo and mocchi, i think autism just runs in the nosato family. also i love haru / the badger god combo theyre so fucking funny
to start with:
pros
+ art style that fits a lot with the theme, its not particularly "pretty" to look at but it does the job
+ character designs both fit the time period (early 2000s) AND the setting (u'll understand when u see it)
+ if you ignore the stuff ill talk in the spoilers section the first 10-15 hours and some additional info you get at the end are just. really good writing
+ worldbuilding that makes sense and makes you go "OHH.. THAT'S WHAT IT WAS" in a good way
+ lots of anti-frustration mechanics such as the game telling you where you fucked up and what you should have done, and which keys are for which choices
+ rly good ost!!!
+ i just like mafia/werewolf
? there's no real gore, everything is drawn with a red silhouette instead.
general thoughts are:
SPOILER TERRITORY!!!
HOOOAHHH!!
complaints about haruaki and rikako:
i think the first loop where you dont participate in the feast and the second loop where you DO participate and play as the snake are flawlessly written, aside from chiemi's behavior in wit (which is explained later) is written in a really cringeworthy way, i think that just fits her personality. characters react differently to familiar people and events depending on their role during the feast which keeps the story fresh during each loop and you learn more about them. my problem with the wolf route which also has characters behaving differently than usual is mostly with haruaki's behavior with haru. chiemi and rikako are his love interests during the first loops which i have no problem with, but haruaki is (self reclaimed) 24 years old and haru is a 15 year old. haruaki is just really creepy about her, saying that she is "becoming his type" and that he has "fallen for her" and "would like a relationship with her had she not been a wolf". although haruaki himself is an unreliable narrator, lying about pretty much everything ever, no one in the game questions the age gap when haruaki says he had fallen for her (although this can be explained with the fact that yasumizu is a hypertraditionalist religious village, and as i am currently living in a country filled with and basically ruled by these villages i can see that being ok with them, however the journalists are educated people from the city, they should never be okay with a 24 yr old saying he has fallen for a 15 yr old.
i also hate that rikako is also a pedophile and a rapist, at least she gets called out, not because shes a rapist or a pedophile but because she is trying to resurrect an ancient evil god and destroy japan. i mean ok priorities. i know japan isnt the best with these topics (rape and pedophilia) so thats all i will say.
i didnt like the ending. i hate the whole "dreamer" thing, i hate that fucking sheep so much just ruining the immersion completely and destroying the setting the game had established, and i hate the game trying to justify EVERYTHING about yasumizu with "facts and logic", such as miguruma and higuchi controlling yasumizu and making them think ookami-sama DOES exist, and while learning about these with nosato was fun and made me go "ohhhhhhh", i just hate that how haruaki had an answer for everything. the corruption? its miguruma destroying the bodies with machines. the marks? they put sleeping gas in their room. the locks opening themselves? miguruma must have put motion activated locks on the doors. just bulldoze the whole village at this point whats the fucking point the cops wont come anyway
anyway it was ok the ost was really good. as for who i think is autistic (because i have to pick an autist from everything i play) i think its both kiyo and mocchi, i think autism just runs in the nosato family. also i love haru / the badger god combo theyre so fucking funny
Fuck me for playing this one, I guess. The bulk of the game is better than my two star rating would imply, but the combination of a momentum halting, seemingly endless exposition dump at the climax of the story combined with sudden-onset-stupid-Japanese-wordplay made this one a chore to finish. I was just happy by the time it was finally over.
There's various plot twists, all of them dumb, but if taken at face value and contained to just the first three routes, Raging Loop is not the worst game in the world.
Put that on the box, please.
There's various plot twists, all of them dumb, but if taken at face value and contained to just the first three routes, Raging Loop is not the worst game in the world.
Put that on the box, please.
Puta igual y no entendí el final
A game that I deeply enjoyed but can't truly recommend.
It has... problems. It fumbles it's ending so so bad. It's really weird about teenagers and romance. It doesn't make good on the promises of what it's choice and flow chart system should mean.
And yet. And yet.
I still had a blast playing it. I think this game is really carried by it's protagonist - I'd say he's a mix of Sigma Klim and Battler Ushiromiya, with some of his own insanity bundled in. His charisma really carries the game, even in its weakest moments. えっと...
Also, this game goes above and beyond with its new game +. Literally so much fun getting to go back through with revelations mode on and seeing the inner dialogue of other characters.
It has... problems. It fumbles it's ending so so bad. It's really weird about teenagers and romance. It doesn't make good on the promises of what it's choice and flow chart system should mean.
And yet. And yet.
I still had a blast playing it. I think this game is really carried by it's protagonist - I'd say he's a mix of Sigma Klim and Battler Ushiromiya, with some of his own insanity bundled in. His charisma really carries the game, even in its weakest moments. えっと...
Also, this game goes above and beyond with its new game +. Literally so much fun getting to go back through with revelations mode on and seeing the inner dialogue of other characters.
I don't think i have seen a visual novel that goes more downhill in it's ending than this one, but it's also the only one to ever feature Chiemi Serizawa.
Very good until you reach the ending, THAT thing photonically sucks.
I've rarely been this angry at a VN
this game features the most dogshit twist i've ever seen in any VN. it's actually impressive
Excellent journey poor ending.
its a shame this game is unfinished and never had a proper end to it am i right fellas wink
This game was actually a WONDERFUL visual novel till the end got goofy
This review contains spoilers
great experience if you like reading a navel-gazing guy's over-analytic thoughts for 20 hours (i do). interesting developments between the loops - i particularly enjoyed hashimoto as a heroic antagonist later in the game. big fan of the the way the loops damage some characters' empathy until they're shocked out of it, as well as the bit before the end of the game where you can talk to some previously antagonizing characters on neutral ground. there is a lot of lazy characterization here, though, especially for the characters out of focus. the ending is so comically stupid that i honestly ended up enjoying it but i can definitely see why it's ""divisive" after all that
As a fan of Werewolf-style games, this was a story I found myself enraptured by with a constantly evolving cast and story revelation and twists. The game begins slow with allowing the player to get acquainted to the world as an outsider to the actions before getting them involved in it. As well, much of the game subverts the expectation of the player, especially in how players would likely jump to the conclusion that their actions will be the proper solution when that is quickly proven incorrect.
The pacing is an exercise in removing the player from the player insert character. Haruaki Fusaishi is most certainly not a conventional protagonist, with him spending the majority of the story being both selfish, self-centered, and conniving, but never to the point of being the active villain in the story, which was very surprising to see.
Gameplay-wise, issues for players may arise. The game is almost strictly visual novel, with the only player input being from branching path choices, which will largely be pointless as most lead to game over screens. Mileage may vary for each player, but for me, I was not bothered due to the strength of the mystery and character interactions. Additionally, the game is very wordy and does not have a dubbed option, so while I would have preferred to have had the option, I was able to get through it.
All in all, this is a game best liked by people who can handle a strict visual novel, but quite frankly if it doesn't hook you after the first trial, you'll likely never get hooked. I may be rating it too highly for its faults, but even years after playing it, it still revisits my mind, so the impact was apparent.
The pacing is an exercise in removing the player from the player insert character. Haruaki Fusaishi is most certainly not a conventional protagonist, with him spending the majority of the story being both selfish, self-centered, and conniving, but never to the point of being the active villain in the story, which was very surprising to see.
Gameplay-wise, issues for players may arise. The game is almost strictly visual novel, with the only player input being from branching path choices, which will largely be pointless as most lead to game over screens. Mileage may vary for each player, but for me, I was not bothered due to the strength of the mystery and character interactions. Additionally, the game is very wordy and does not have a dubbed option, so while I would have preferred to have had the option, I was able to get through it.
All in all, this is a game best liked by people who can handle a strict visual novel, but quite frankly if it doesn't hook you after the first trial, you'll likely never get hooked. I may be rating it too highly for its faults, but even years after playing it, it still revisits my mind, so the impact was apparent.
Haruaki is extremely funny
haruakichamp
Interesting premise with a strong main character and cast. The narrative starts off a little slow but ramps up quickly revealing a very entertaining story. It doesn't quite stick the landing on the final stretch and some parts feel a little silly but it was still a fun ride overall.
⏰ In a rush? Don't worry, I gotchu'! ⏰
What Works:
✅ Intriguing Plot: Raging Loop offers a compelling narrative centered around a murder mystery with psychological horror elements, reminiscent of Danganronpa and Zero Escape.
✅ Engaging Gameplay Mechanic: The game utilizes an intuitive flowchart for navigating story decisions, allowing players to explore multiple endings and easily backtrack to make better choices. The looping mechanic is integrated into the story, adding depth and justification to the gameplay.
✅ Accessibility: The game is newcomer-friendly, with a charming tutorial explaining the basics and a Hint Corner that helps players when they reach undesired endings.
✅ Characterization: Both main and secondary characters are well-developed and memorable, adding to the story's richness.
✅ New Game Plus: The Revelation Mode offers additional insights into character thoughts, increasing replay value and depth for players who wish to delve deeper into the narrative.
What Doesn't Work:
❌ Slow Start: The plot takes time to kick into gear, which may deter some players initially.
❌ Inconsequential Choices: Many decisions lead to quick deaths that do not progress the story, potentially frustrating players.
❌ Artistic Simplicity: Backgrounds are too simple and repetitive, which detracts from the overall immersive experience.
❌ Audio Issues: Sound effects such as bird songs and running water end abruptly, breaking immersion.
🎭 A Macabre Exploration of Persistence: Raging Loop
One of life’s lessons is that persistence leads to success. However, how well does this advice hold up when the context is death? Raging Loop is a macabre exploration of this question and a high-profile venture from KEMCO, published by PQube. This visual novel, rich with psychological horror elements, centres on a murder mystery theme, reminiscent of titles like Danganronpa or Zero Escape, thanks to its overall strong execution.
🌌 An Intriguing Murder Mystery
The story begins with Haruaki Fusaishi, a 24-year-old Japanese man fleeing Tokyo after a falling out with his girlfriend. He then stumbles upon the village of Yasumizu seemingly by chance. In this seemingly peaceful place, full of curious and distinct villagers, the main character becomes embroiled in a variant of the social deduction game Werewolf (or Mafia). For further context within the Raging Loop universe, the experience always features two groups: a minority of informed individuals (werewolves) and a majority of uninformed individuals (humans). The goal is always to crown the surviving group as the winner. On one hand, the werewolves must achieve numerical advantage. On the other hand, humans rely on guardian spirits to help deduce who among them is different, choosing each night through voting and dialogue, one participant to kill in the hope that they are a werewolf.
🌀 A Looping Narrative with Multiple Endings
Although it takes a while to really kickstart it, the plot is quite fun to unravel, with multiple endings to discover. To reach them, decisions must be made throughout the story, which are easily accessible via an intuitive and simple-to-navigate flowchart. Unfortunately, many outcomes are inconsequential, detailing how Haruaki dies from making a wrong decision that doesn't progress the story. Despite many choices being relevant to the story’s context, their sole purpose is to push the narrative forward, as each time the main character witnesses his death, he returns to square one (hence the Loop in the title) and carries with him fragmented knowledge to make a better decision next time. This is particularly interesting as this feature is backed into the game's narrative, justifying its presence, unlike other visual novels where going back in the story (via flowchart, for example) is merely a player mechanic.
💡 Helpful Hints and Engaging Tutorials
Raging Loop is also very accessible to newcomers to the genre. At the beginning of the adventure, there is an optional, charming tutorial narrated by a chibi version of one of the characters, which provides the player with all the important aspects for an enjoyable experience. It even goes further by advising occasional breaks and discouraging sharing spoilers at a certain point in the story. Additionally, each time Haruaki reaches an undesired ending, a Hint Corner option appears, featuring a rude sheep that explains the obtained ending and offers a suggestion on how to progress.
🎨 Artistic Strengths and Weaknesses
However, Raging Loop has some weaker areas. Artistically speaking, the player is treated to well-characterised main and secondary characters, each sufficiently memorable. However, the background areas are too simple and unimpressive. At a certain point, it’s possible to have seen most of what this department has to offer. Additionally, some sounds, such as birds singing or water running, end abruptly (ironic in a game where half the title is Loop), breaking any existing immersion with the game.
🖥️ Text Legibility and New Game Plus Mode
Nevertheless, the text is always legible and comprehensible, even on a Switch Lite. Another noteworthy point is that there is a New Game Plus mode called Revelation Mode which provides more information and context about each character's thoughts, increasing the title’s longevity for those interested in learning more about its overall story..
🌟 A Solid Choice for Fans and Newcomers Alike
With an interesting and mysterious plot, despite the initial time it takes to become more engaging, and notwithstanding its minor flaws, Raging Loop is a solid choice not only for fans but also for newcomers to the genre.
🌟 M I S C 🌟
◻️ 🌳 Visit my Linktree for more content.
◻️ ⚠️ Review originally written for FNintendo (defunct website) and published on November 16th, 2019.
◻️ 🙋♂️ Explore more reviews written by me.
◻️ 🎮 Discover Nintendo Switch video games I've played.
◻️ 📜 Review Number 008
✨ F I N ✨
What Works:
✅ Intriguing Plot: Raging Loop offers a compelling narrative centered around a murder mystery with psychological horror elements, reminiscent of Danganronpa and Zero Escape.
✅ Engaging Gameplay Mechanic: The game utilizes an intuitive flowchart for navigating story decisions, allowing players to explore multiple endings and easily backtrack to make better choices. The looping mechanic is integrated into the story, adding depth and justification to the gameplay.
✅ Accessibility: The game is newcomer-friendly, with a charming tutorial explaining the basics and a Hint Corner that helps players when they reach undesired endings.
✅ Characterization: Both main and secondary characters are well-developed and memorable, adding to the story's richness.
✅ New Game Plus: The Revelation Mode offers additional insights into character thoughts, increasing replay value and depth for players who wish to delve deeper into the narrative.
What Doesn't Work:
❌ Slow Start: The plot takes time to kick into gear, which may deter some players initially.
❌ Inconsequential Choices: Many decisions lead to quick deaths that do not progress the story, potentially frustrating players.
❌ Artistic Simplicity: Backgrounds are too simple and repetitive, which detracts from the overall immersive experience.
❌ Audio Issues: Sound effects such as bird songs and running water end abruptly, breaking immersion.
🎭 A Macabre Exploration of Persistence: Raging Loop
One of life’s lessons is that persistence leads to success. However, how well does this advice hold up when the context is death? Raging Loop is a macabre exploration of this question and a high-profile venture from KEMCO, published by PQube. This visual novel, rich with psychological horror elements, centres on a murder mystery theme, reminiscent of titles like Danganronpa or Zero Escape, thanks to its overall strong execution.
🌌 An Intriguing Murder Mystery
The story begins with Haruaki Fusaishi, a 24-year-old Japanese man fleeing Tokyo after a falling out with his girlfriend. He then stumbles upon the village of Yasumizu seemingly by chance. In this seemingly peaceful place, full of curious and distinct villagers, the main character becomes embroiled in a variant of the social deduction game Werewolf (or Mafia). For further context within the Raging Loop universe, the experience always features two groups: a minority of informed individuals (werewolves) and a majority of uninformed individuals (humans). The goal is always to crown the surviving group as the winner. On one hand, the werewolves must achieve numerical advantage. On the other hand, humans rely on guardian spirits to help deduce who among them is different, choosing each night through voting and dialogue, one participant to kill in the hope that they are a werewolf.
🌀 A Looping Narrative with Multiple Endings
Although it takes a while to really kickstart it, the plot is quite fun to unravel, with multiple endings to discover. To reach them, decisions must be made throughout the story, which are easily accessible via an intuitive and simple-to-navigate flowchart. Unfortunately, many outcomes are inconsequential, detailing how Haruaki dies from making a wrong decision that doesn't progress the story. Despite many choices being relevant to the story’s context, their sole purpose is to push the narrative forward, as each time the main character witnesses his death, he returns to square one (hence the Loop in the title) and carries with him fragmented knowledge to make a better decision next time. This is particularly interesting as this feature is backed into the game's narrative, justifying its presence, unlike other visual novels where going back in the story (via flowchart, for example) is merely a player mechanic.
💡 Helpful Hints and Engaging Tutorials
Raging Loop is also very accessible to newcomers to the genre. At the beginning of the adventure, there is an optional, charming tutorial narrated by a chibi version of one of the characters, which provides the player with all the important aspects for an enjoyable experience. It even goes further by advising occasional breaks and discouraging sharing spoilers at a certain point in the story. Additionally, each time Haruaki reaches an undesired ending, a Hint Corner option appears, featuring a rude sheep that explains the obtained ending and offers a suggestion on how to progress.
🎨 Artistic Strengths and Weaknesses
However, Raging Loop has some weaker areas. Artistically speaking, the player is treated to well-characterised main and secondary characters, each sufficiently memorable. However, the background areas are too simple and unimpressive. At a certain point, it’s possible to have seen most of what this department has to offer. Additionally, some sounds, such as birds singing or water running, end abruptly (ironic in a game where half the title is Loop), breaking any existing immersion with the game.
🖥️ Text Legibility and New Game Plus Mode
Nevertheless, the text is always legible and comprehensible, even on a Switch Lite. Another noteworthy point is that there is a New Game Plus mode called Revelation Mode which provides more information and context about each character's thoughts, increasing the title’s longevity for those interested in learning more about its overall story..
🌟 A Solid Choice for Fans and Newcomers Alike
With an interesting and mysterious plot, despite the initial time it takes to become more engaging, and notwithstanding its minor flaws, Raging Loop is a solid choice not only for fans but also for newcomers to the genre.
🌟 M I S C 🌟
◻️ 🌳 Visit my Linktree for more content.
◻️ ⚠️ Review originally written for FNintendo (defunct website) and published on November 16th, 2019.
◻️ 🙋♂️ Explore more reviews written by me.
◻️ 🎮 Discover Nintendo Switch video games I've played.
◻️ 📜 Review Number 008
✨ F I N ✨
most of the game is really interesting, the ending is pretty meh
cringing poop
Very fun VN based on mixing battle of wits and Higurashi-style howdunit mystery designed to be "solvable" by the reader before the solution is presented. Almost all events are possible to foresee on some level by following hints, which I really appreciate. The battle of wits was fantastic, piecing the various puzzles and whodunits was satisfying, the MC is fun and doesn't fall for usual problems of his trope. There are some weaknesses (below average voice acting, insistence on adding romance everywhere, + some spoilery issues) but I will still jump on anything sequely or similar from the devs if it comes.
Rabies.
the ending is bad
Nice story some good play through some boring ones the length was too much for me couldn’t stay focus on some play through due to repetitive scenes and repetitive music not a fan of the art style
This VN sounds good on paper- Werewolf the game- but oh good god, after reading this I never want to play Werewolf again. Too much of the script is pointless deliberation over a game that isn't even that deep. My brain gave up halfway through and I just started skipping through the plot as fast as I could. A great concept but the writing and localization was not strong enough to pull it off.
This review contains spoilers
i remember being completely hooked up until the part when the writers decide that it was cute to loredump near the end for some reason??? it ruined the momentum for me so i havent touched it since :/
The protag is sick, but boy he does not leave room for interpretation
A very engaging visual novel with lots of content and text to read, very interesting concepts and very afable characters even in their madness, I liked some parts but others could have used better work, the long time they took in each "werewolf" game was just fastidious so that subtracts some points for the complete enjoyability of it, it leaves some mysteries unsolved like the real identity of the MC but I think funnily enough all the good moments stay on the back of your mind after you play it.
i generally like how the time loop translated to gameplay and the general development of the protagonist's POV, it was pretty smooth and player-friendly. i don't think the time loop is the issue with the plot though i quite like time loop stories. the ending without spoiling however is absolute dogshit and even if you think the ending is fine because you like last minute plot dumps, it's still just generally very uncomfortable and not needed at all.
chiemi though 🙌🙌🙌
chiemi though 🙌🙌🙌
What a wild ride. It sure took it's time for 3 hours of introduction but when the game started it hits you with detailed concepts of folklore and forms a werewolf/mafia game out of that. The humor is pretty straightforward for a VN but manages to entertain. Also I love the protagonist and related to him a lot. Mystery was intriguing too. Builds the tension with the mysteries in the right way, up until the last keys. The game's pace became so slow that my sister and I were about to abandon the game. We mustered up our last remaining patience and beat the game. Ending is satisfying though, can't really complain. If you like time loops and/or mafia/werewolf, you're probably gonna like it.
This review contains spoilers
Marked as spoiler because I'll mention gameplay elements, but I'm still far from having beaten the game.
I might update this review once / if I beat the game.
As other have mentioned, the pace of the game can be a turn-off. It takes a long time to start, then relatively early on, it introduces the mechanic of keys, which you obtain by usually dying and obtaining new info doing so, which will let you make other choices earlier in the story in your next "loop".
Well, in the first part of the game (several hours at least), you won't unlock any more key. You can die a few times, but it's always useless. That first part feels like the "control story", what happens if you're not much more than simply a witness within the mystery. Then, you get your first ending, the credits roll, and you are granted your second key, which will give you a new choice at the very start of the story.
That's more or less where I'm at, and it feels like the most exciting part of the story so far, even though things have been enjoyable up to now !
I might update this review once / if I beat the game.
As other have mentioned, the pace of the game can be a turn-off. It takes a long time to start, then relatively early on, it introduces the mechanic of keys, which you obtain by usually dying and obtaining new info doing so, which will let you make other choices earlier in the story in your next "loop".
Well, in the first part of the game (several hours at least), you won't unlock any more key. You can die a few times, but it's always useless. That first part feels like the "control story", what happens if you're not much more than simply a witness within the mystery. Then, you get your first ending, the credits roll, and you are granted your second key, which will give you a new choice at the very start of the story.
That's more or less where I'm at, and it feels like the most exciting part of the story so far, even though things have been enjoyable up to now !