Beyond R: Rule Ripper

Death game with a strong focus on the human drama of it all, rather than getting too bogged down by the technicalities of the game or a grander overarching narrative. And the characters are compelling, the stakes high, the tension and suspense thick, so it just... works. Go figure. It is a tad unfortunate that it isn't really a "finished" story given that there's two planned sequels, but also, oh hey, two more games following a similar premise/structure? Sounds sick. I'm not that bothered that we don't have all the answers yet, though the true ending felt... maybe slightly underwhelming, as a result? I also appreciate that success isn't just "pick the right choice at the right time and that creates a branch", it's a bit more complex and more difficult than your average VN would tend to be as a result. I do feel some of the councils need more time-outs, especially later ones, since redoing everything, even with fast-forward, can take minutes and that. Doesn't feel great, but otherwise no real issues with the structure, even if it makes hunting down bad endings harder. The theming is strong and consistent, too, even the color choices of the main area feel. Intentional, to th…

[b]Beyond R: Rule Ripper[/b] is a mystery visual novel about being stuck in a bar with a bunch of strangers being forced to play a game where the players themselves are its rules. Clear inspirations were taken from series such as Zero Escape, Danganronpa, and Ace Attorney. While not perfect, any fans of the death game genre don't need to hesitate in picking this game up. [h2]Story[/h2] [hr][/hr] I won't be going into details about the story or characters, as that's best experienced first hand, but I will say that the overall premise, the game's rules, and in particular the characters participating in it are all fascinating. The cast has varied personalities and are entertaining, for the most part. Dialogue between each character feels natural and has some wit to it. Presentation is strong here, very well put together thematically, with special mention to the Council debates. It does a great job selling the chaotic nature of group discussions, enhances tension when present, and expresses its characters' emotions in very tangible ways. [h2]Gameplay[/h2] [hr][/hr] In terms of gameplay, it leans heavily on the visual novel tag. You interact with the game by making choices at certain…

Would reccomend for anyone whos played Raging loop, 999 games, danganronpa etc etc. With a lack of good deathgame themed games around its always nice finding a new one and looking forward to more from the devs

Peak

I really wanted to like this game, the premise is very interesting. The trouble is it wants to be all fancy with its time-rewind mechanics, but is too buggy to actually handle them. I got one bad end, tried to navigate to a place where I could actually continue the story, and it kept crashing on me. Even regular saving and reloading creates graphical bugs and occasional crashes. I might come back if there's a major update, but for now it's best avoided.

I want to like this, and the premise is engaging. The art, music, and animations are enjoyable. The jazz is inoffensive, even to those of us who don't dig it, and the palette and pacing are good for the 1.5 hours I've sunk so far. I think the writing needs a lot of work. The clichés and the use of metaphor makes the narrative vague and somewhat repetitive. The passive voice is critically overused. If there was a good balance between the concrete and detailed or vibrant and the pages of sweeping empty phrases attempting to set the emotional valence, I would like this much better. This needed an editor who understands how game language is written and how you create tension, nuance, and above all the investment in a character's life. At least for the prologue, no one is acting like people who would awaken to find themselves in this situation. No one behaves normally, everyone behaves with varying degrees of sociopathy and calculation. Which is fine! But in contrast to other death game....games, this is a selection of people who are absolutely ready to give up their parents, kids, lovers to play a highly complicated game with mortal stakes. There should be SOMEONE losing the plot, t…