White Album 2

I was surprised to learn that the White Album 2 is regarded by many as one of the best visual novel games ever made. I have never actually played the first game, but from what I understand that is not a big deal as this game does not follow on from that in terms of its story.

High School Drama

The story of the game is rather interesting and for me, it is really what is going to make White Album 2 a hit or a miss for you. The main character of the game is called Haruki Kitahara and I found him to be a very compelling kind of character. He is a typical high school student; he is a pretty happy dude and he loves music.

I was really impressed with how “normal” Kitahara is. Many visual novel games will have their protagonist have some dark secret or some kind of traumatic even have happened to them earlier in their life. That is not the case here, he is a normal guy and while I know that may sound a bit boring, it does make him far more interesting and more relatable in the long run.

So, What Do You Do?

I will be brutally honest here; White Album 2 has next to no gameplay. There are no choices that you need to make here and it really is the kind of visual novel game that is just all about the story. To be honest with you I am more than cool with that as the story of high school life with Kitahara and his high school friends is very interesting.

You will read about how he kind of loses his spark thanks to his band breaking up. Only for a new band to form in a very interesting and intriguing way. It is the kind of game where the less you know about the story the better of you are as it really will get its hooks into you.

Smooth Criminal

I was very impressed with the artwork in the game. It has a very clean and anime look to it and the character designs and environments are done in a more realistic way which I like. It is very easy to look at the game and say it is nothing special as far as the presentation goes, but I think the visuals and especially the music fits the game very well. As the game’s main protagonist is a musician it is very fitting that is has a nice soundtrack that will stick in your head for days after you have finished playing.

While it is true there is next to no gameplay in the White Album 2 the story that it tells makes up for it. I feel that this is the kind of game that is clearly not for everyone and that is fine. However, fans of visual novel-style games should not pass this one up as it is a very memorable experience. Just remember, you do not need to have played the first one to play this.

8/10

Pros:

• A very well written story
• Plenty of interesting characters
• I loved how “real” and normal most of the characters felt
• Different chapters have their own twists and turns
• It does not take ages to get through

Cons:

• There is no gameplay here at all
• I have a feeling you will either love or hate this game