Dramatical Murder

When you look online about Dramatical Murder, you notice that it is a game that has polarizing opinions. It appears to be a game that people either love and think is fantastic or they hate it. I have long had a love for visual novel style games so I was very excited to finally get the chance to check this out.

NSFW

Let me start by saying that Dramatical Murder is a boys love game. It does not hold back either and if you are put off by homosexual love scenes or love and sex scenes in general. This may not be the game for you. I will say that there is a version of the game for the PlayStation Vita that has a lower age rating and has the sex scenes removed along with the violence and blood toned down.

All About A Boy

The main character of this visual novel game is Aoba. Aoba is your typical guy who just wants to get by. His world is made more complicated by the fact that the island he calls home has been bought by a corporation who have privatized the island. As a result, the residents like Aoba are forced to live in extremely cramped conditions.

Aoba is pretty easy going, but he gets drawn into this extreme game called Rhyme. People in his town start going missing and when they return they are very strange. Aoba gets pulled into this mystery that lets him not just find out about what is really going on, but also meet interesting people.

Not Just A Normal Boy

The storytelling in Dramatical Murder is fantastic and I found Aoba to be a very interesting character. He starts off as what feels like an average guy, but you learn that he has an “ability” where he can manipulate people just by the sound of his voice. It is not just a case of finding out what the deal is with this game Rhyme and what is happening to people. It is also a case of finding out about Aoba himself.

Who Are You Going To Help? Like all other visual novel games, Dramatical Murder features a compelling cast of characters. These people that Aoba comes across he can either help or destroy! The choices that you make will steer you in a particular direction and will end up with you pairing up with a particular guy. I think that this adds a lot of replay value to the game and it is interesting to see how the story changes depending on what you do. For example, the first time I played the game I went with Noiz and the setting of the game was drastically different from the next time I played through it and chose Mink.

Pick The Right Version

As I mentioned this is certainly a game that is not safe for work and it has a mature rating for a reason. However, while there is the base, Dramatical Murder game out there, you want to get the Dramatical Murder re:connect version. This has all the base content, however, it also has extra story content along with a fantastic back story for Aoba.

The version that is out there for the PlayStation Vita is called, Dramatical Murder re:code gives you all the story, but none of the sex and the blood is greatly toned down.

Pros:

• The characters are very well written
• Lots of twists and turns
• Plenty of replayability
• The Vita version is more “safe for work”
• Really cool setting

Cons:

• It is certainly NSFW
• Some might be put off by the subject matter

Dramatical Murder is a visual novel style game and it is one of those games that people either love and think is clever. Or they hate it and think that it is lame. I do feel that for visual novel fans, Dramatical Murder is well worth taking a closer look at as it is a little different from the norm.

I Love You Man

What makes Dramatical Murder stand out from other romance visual novel games is that you are not a boy trying to score with lots of girls. Nor are you a girl looking to Mr. Right. Instead, this is a game that is about guys hooking up with guys and that is an interesting take for a game like this. Let me say that there are some sex scenes in the game so it is most certainly NSFW. However, they did make a version of this game for the PlayStation Vita which is much more toned down with no sex scenes and the violence changed as well.

Hi, I am Aoba

As is the case with all visual novel style games, the story is the main focus here. The lead character is called Aoba. He lives on a strange island that is owned by a corporation and unless you are one of the elite you have to live on the outside in really lame conditions. While he is a nice guy, Aoba finds himself pulled into a game called Rhyme. This leads him on a journey where he finds that people in this place he lives are going missing. Not only that the ones that do return are “changed” this drags him into this mystery to find out what the heck is going on.

Great Writing

I really do think that the writing in Dramatical Murder is great. I really did find myself liking Aoba and once you find out that he has some kind of power, he becomes even cooler. Aoba has this ability where is able to get people to do things just by the sound of his voice. So while you are trying to find out what is happening to people on the island, investigating this strange game called Rhyme. You are also coming to terms with this power and trying to find your place in all of this.

Do The Right Thing!

Dramatical Murder has some great characters that you will encounter as you progress through the game. You can help these people or you can destroy them. The different decisions that you make as you play the game will make the story go in a certain direction and of course change what guy Aoba ends up with. This does add some replay value to the game as the story can radically change depending on what you do.

Know What You Are Buying

Dramatical Murder is a little confusing when it comes to purchasing the game as there are different versions. There is just the default version, but you are better off getting the Re: Connect version. This has more content which includes a chapter that is about the back story of Aoba. Also, remember if the sex and violence is not something you are comfortable there is a censored version of the PlayStation Vita.

Final Thoughts On Dramatical Murder

I was very impressed with Dramatical Murder, so much so that I have played through it three times and changed my choices so I can experience different aspects of the story. The story is great as it has love, violence, sex and everything else you want in a good story! This is one of the better visual novel games I have played, but just be warned it is very graphic!

8/10

Pros:

• Aoba is a great character
• The characters you encounter are interesting
• A truly engrossing story
• You can play through it many times
• There is a censored version out there too

Cons:

• It is far more graphic than you would think
• This is a boys love story so that may put some people off