BUSTAFELLOWS

This may be a controversial opinion to some but many believe that the judicial system as a whole, regardless of region, is flawed. The police force is corrupt, racist, and drunk on power. Leading to civilians losing trust in the force and feeling unsafe just going about their daily life. This is a reality for some of us and in some cases, individuals fight back and enforce their own personal vigilante justice as a means of fighting back. In BUSTAFELLOWS, a brand new visual novel, this game explores these themes, combined with a supernatural twist to give players a way of fighting the power.

This game plays like several visual novels out there with a more dark and brooding set of themes such as Cabin Fever, School Days and Lux Pain. This game aims to offer an edgy storyline that is both relatable but with touches of fantasy to keep things interesting. However, is this game able to deliver on its promises or is it just another forgettable visual novel? We find out in our review of BUSTAFELLOWS.

Vigilante Time Travel Brilliance

Firstly, let us begin with the story for thus title which is absolutely fantastic. This game takes place in a reimagined, much more gritty New York called New Sieg where the protagonist Tetua gets tangled up with the Fixers. A group of vigilante mobsters who look out for the interests of the common man. It’s a play on the typical Persona storyline with the same focus on gritty, real world issues and it works excellently, holding the attention of the player from beginning to end. Then with regards to the artwork and visuals on show here, they truly are right up there with the best games in the genre.

The game opts for very realistic environments much like you would see in Studio Ghibli movies. Then as for the character models, these lean much closer towards typical manga novels. It’s a common approach but the game manages to do it with aplomb. The world is captured in great detail, the characters are all instantly recognisable and overall, it’s breathtakingly well delivered.

The only issue that we had with the game was the control layout. The game is rather obtuse when it comes to explaining how it works. The PC controls for example are the numbers directly above the directional keys for no apparent reason. Plus, in terms of UI and actual gameplay, the former is pretty standard with no thrills or spills, while the latter is pretty much absent aside from scrolling through text and witnessing a story unfold. This will come as no surprise to visual novel fans and is far from condemning this title as a failure. However, it’s worth pointing out if you happen to be a casual gamer wanting to dip your toe into the visual novel world.

The Verdict

Overall, we have to praise the depth, the incredible writing, the attention to detail, the insane plot twists, the gritty and relatable subject matter and the incredible visuals on offer within this visual novel. The entire project oozes class and is a game that showcases why visual novels are an essential genre within the gaming industry.

Pros:

• Incredible dark and gritty story
• Wonderful artwork
• Deep and imaginative game world

Cons:

• Confusing controls
• Lacking in much actual gameplay