Where do I even begin? This game is the definition of "chaos." Chaotic writing, chaotic development, chaotic "gameplay," it's just one giant mess. I would be remiss if I didn't mention early on this game in many different aspects, is bad. This was Yoko Taro's first outing as a director even though he had barely broken into the industry beforehand. Pretty lucky break if I say so myself, but this goes hand in hand as to why this game is just...everywhere.
Despite that though you may be looking at that rating and ask: "Why?" I'll tell you why, it's because this game's story, the script itself, is something akin to a nasty, yet exceedingly sexy one-night stand. It's definitely something not a lot of people would enjoy whatsoever but to those who've noticed the cult following surrounding this game, it's definitely for a reason.
However as I said before, this game kind of stinks in certain ways. The gameplay is insanely repetitive and grindy, you have to play the game 5 times (something I never liked about Taro's games lol) to get all the content. Even though on the subsequent playthroughs you aren't just playing through all the same missions, the gameplay is boring enough that it's definitely more a negative than anything. Funny enough, visually the combat looks way cooler than it actually plays.
The music and ambience this game provides is really brutal and awesome, a lot of people complain about it but honestly within the game's context it fits superbly. Nobuyoshi Sano composed the soundtrack by mish-mashing a bunch of recordings of a symphonic orchestra playing various different classic compositions. I sometimes catch myself listening to it outside of the game which sounds psychotic but hey, I thought it was tight. Sadly no other Taro game has this kind of soundtrack ever again and is unique to this game. Whether that's a good or bad thing I'll leave it up to you to decide.
So the story right? That's what I've been gassing up so I'll get to it. The plot itself is actually relatively simple but what makes it so interesting is the cast, they're all pretty much terrible people excluding a select few. But the thing is this game is actually successful at making you somehow care about these morally gray freaks. Ranging from a bloodthirsty murderer, a cannibal who eats children, an obsessive sociopath, and a pedophile! The list goes on! Do note that not every single one of characters are like a masterclass in writing or anything, they just accentuate the tone of the game's story so damn well and the characters that do stand out are extremely memorable. If you can stomach the gameplay and play through all the way to the last route this game has a very unique, lasting impression that I feel like could never be recreated, especially in today's market with all the taboo themes and topics.
What's interesting is that this game actually is practically uncensored except for one instance which I thought was pretty funny that they consider that more unforgivable than the rest of the game's topics. The game sacrifices a lot of things a game should theoretically have in order to tell its tale, even the story itself that I like so much is definitely not perfect and even has one or two plot holes but it has this unsettling, garish tone that I feel like video games struggle to create to this day. Especially for the game's "canon" ending in Route D which is a beautiful, crushing experience. The first ending is actually surprisingly boring so don't let that get you down but every route does serve to add context and characterization to the cast so there's not really a route that feels "moot" or unnecessary.
Personally I love this game to death simply because after playing the game long enough I realized it's less of a "game" and more of an estranged experience. If you're looking for something straight up evil, something raunchy and bittersweet. This game has all of that in spades, if you're willing to overlook its flaws. It has some of the highest highs in a video game story I've ever experienced while simultaneously having some of the lowest lows in a game as well. I completely acknowledge that this game is objectively bad, but it's a wonderful guilty pleasure. Be warned.
All in all, if you're a weird psychotic freak you'll love this game. Have fun!
Despite that though you may be looking at that rating and ask: "Why?" I'll tell you why, it's because this game's story, the script itself, is something akin to a nasty, yet exceedingly sexy one-night stand. It's definitely something not a lot of people would enjoy whatsoever but to those who've noticed the cult following surrounding this game, it's definitely for a reason.
However as I said before, this game kind of stinks in certain ways. The gameplay is insanely repetitive and grindy, you have to play the game 5 times (something I never liked about Taro's games lol) to get all the content. Even though on the subsequent playthroughs you aren't just playing through all the same missions, the gameplay is boring enough that it's definitely more a negative than anything. Funny enough, visually the combat looks way cooler than it actually plays.
The music and ambience this game provides is really brutal and awesome, a lot of people complain about it but honestly within the game's context it fits superbly. Nobuyoshi Sano composed the soundtrack by mish-mashing a bunch of recordings of a symphonic orchestra playing various different classic compositions. I sometimes catch myself listening to it outside of the game which sounds psychotic but hey, I thought it was tight. Sadly no other Taro game has this kind of soundtrack ever again and is unique to this game. Whether that's a good or bad thing I'll leave it up to you to decide.
So the story right? That's what I've been gassing up so I'll get to it. The plot itself is actually relatively simple but what makes it so interesting is the cast, they're all pretty much terrible people excluding a select few. But the thing is this game is actually successful at making you somehow care about these morally gray freaks. Ranging from a bloodthirsty murderer, a cannibal who eats children, an obsessive sociopath, and a pedophile! The list goes on! Do note that not every single one of characters are like a masterclass in writing or anything, they just accentuate the tone of the game's story so damn well and the characters that do stand out are extremely memorable. If you can stomach the gameplay and play through all the way to the last route this game has a very unique, lasting impression that I feel like could never be recreated, especially in today's market with all the taboo themes and topics.
What's interesting is that this game actually is practically uncensored except for one instance which I thought was pretty funny that they consider that more unforgivable than the rest of the game's topics. The game sacrifices a lot of things a game should theoretically have in order to tell its tale, even the story itself that I like so much is definitely not perfect and even has one or two plot holes but it has this unsettling, garish tone that I feel like video games struggle to create to this day. Especially for the game's "canon" ending in Route D which is a beautiful, crushing experience. The first ending is actually surprisingly boring so don't let that get you down but every route does serve to add context and characterization to the cast so there's not really a route that feels "moot" or unnecessary.
Personally I love this game to death simply because after playing the game long enough I realized it's less of a "game" and more of an estranged experience. If you're looking for something straight up evil, something raunchy and bittersweet. This game has all of that in spades, if you're willing to overlook its flaws. It has some of the highest highs in a video game story I've ever experienced while simultaneously having some of the lowest lows in a game as well. I completely acknowledge that this game is objectively bad, but it's a wonderful guilty pleasure. Be warned.
All in all, if you're a weird psychotic freak you'll love this game. Have fun!