There’s so much I wish to say about The Hundred Line: The Final Protection Academy, I simply don’t know how one can say it. That is partially as a result of providing any type of story element would spoil the surprises that hit very early. It’s additionally as a result of the premise and gameplay are so off the rails that it’s exhausting to wrap your head round every part.
However good Lord, what enjoyable it’s to strive!
Revealed by Marvelous (XSEED), the sport involves us from Kazutaka Kodaka and Kotaro Uchikoshi—names chances are you’ll know from the Danganropa and Zero Escape sequence, respectively. In that case, that ought to offer you some inkling of what to anticipate, however I liken The Hundred Line’s circulation extra to video games reminiscent of 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim and Yurukill: The Calumniation Video games. Seize the demo, and also you’ll shortly see what I imply.
The story facilities round Takumi Sumino, a teenaged boy who’s change into uninterested in life within the Tokyo Residential Complicated—a domed metropolis plagued with two unlucky realities. First, the lighting is horrible; think about dwelling underneath a sky lit up like a highschool cafeteria. That’s my grievance, although, not Takumi’s. His is that sirens sometimes announce a mysterious hazard degree, throughout which the residents should retreat to underground shelters. This contains Karua Kashimiya, a childhood pal Takumi swore to guard after she misplaced her father throughout such a raid.
When the 2 ultimately discover themselves above floor throughout an assault, Takumi finds his oath put to the check by a wierd, ghost-like creature who tells him he can save Karua if he’ll simply, you recognize, stab himself within the chest with a wierd dagger referred to as the Infuser. It’s not a spoiler to say he does this (we do should get the sport transferring), after which he’s transported to The Final Protection Academy with a number of different excessive schoolers who additionally do not know what’s occurring.
Right here, I’ve to start out speaking in regards to the story. Half the enjoyable of The Hundred Line is studying what’s occurring, and that’s teased and twisted all through the sport. Very often, once you suppose you’re about to determine one thing out, the sport both goes in a unique route or finds a method to go away you dangling just a bit bit longer.
The evaluation information offered by Marvelous (XSEED) included 5 slides price of plot factors we aren’t allowed to disclose; that needs to be a document of some sort.
So, what can I speak about? Properly, the Final Protection Academy is an precise college defending…one thing. Takumi and his fellow classmates aren’t advised precisely what it’s, simply that it’s crucial to humanity’s survival and that they’ll should defend it for 100 days.
They’re additionally advised they’re trapped on college grounds by “timeless flames” that may’t be extinguished besides in small sections with a particular extinguisher. The excellent news, although, is that Takumi and the others might be introduced again to life offered they die on college grounds (extra on that in a bit).
So, they combat, proper? Improper. Confused and frightened, they do extra arguing than anything, with just a few of the combatants keen to step up…albeit not all the time for noble causes. These college students aren’t simply eclectic, they’re bonkers right away. The varied personalities should not anime tropes, they’re purposeful caricatures of anime tropes, and so they’re all a lot enjoyable. their character flaws are ultimately going to obtain a second of exposition, however the writers are intelligent about this and use them in sudden methods.
The solid members additionally get their very own talents to make use of on the battlefield. The enemies assault in waves, typically requiring you to defend the academy on a Hearth Emblem-like grid. Some characters transfer additional than others, some have higher protection, some provide essential buffs, some are very powerful in opposition to single targets, whereas others are more practical in opposition to teams of enemies. The nuances are quite a few and sophisticated, and being strategic with them is, in fact, the important thing to victory.
It could possibly really be fairly overwhelming early on, however two improvement selections enable you out.
First, you possibly can restart battles from any wave, so unhealthy selections don’t pressure you again to the beginning. Second, you’re given the choice to restart together with your voltage meter jacked as much as most. This meter permits characters to make use of particular assaults that not solely do important injury but in addition give you extra motion factors (AP) so you may get extra strikes in in your flip.
The good function of fight, nevertheless, is that it’s typically helpful to kill off your personal teammates. I discussed that they arrive again to life, proper? So, if a personality is about to die, you possibly can sacrifice her or him to trigger intensive injury to the enemy whereas growing the talents of the remaining characters. The sacrificed character returns within the subsequent wave or on the finish of battle. Watch out who you kill off, although; chances are you’ll want a particular specialty for the remaining enemies.
Fortunately, 100 days on the academy doesn’t imply 100 battles. More often than not, you’re working via the sport’s visible novel element and deciding how one can degree up your characters. There are maybe too some ways to do that. You possibly can create items for characters, hang around with them, examine in a library, enhance your weapons, and extra. You possibly can even interact in a random-chance board recreation the place you possibly can harvest supplies to your numerous power-ups. It’s so much to think about, and I want the sport did extra to elucidate the influence of all of the choices.
I additionally want the builders had accomplished a greater job of fleshing out the occasional persuasion mini-game. Right here, you’ll want to say the best factor with a purpose to get somebody to, for instance, comply with combat. However the best solutions are achieved by guesswork, and the sport doesn’t inform you what number of choices there will likely be or once they expire. Maybe to compensate, in the event you get a solution flawed, the occasion simply begins over till you get it proper. It’s a bizarre element that doesn’t have to exist.
Visually…nicely, the Aniplex emblem seems when booting up the sport, so you understand how this recreation goes to look. It has a ton of favor, with the graphics rising to match the sport’s angle and humorousness. Talking of which, The Hundred Line is aware of precisely what it’s and mocks itself all through. A few of the jokes could also be a bit too meta, certain, however they’re nonetheless very humorous, and that helps to maneuver issues alongside in the course of the moments when the visible novel points keep on a bit too lengthy.
Nonetheless, there wasn’t a second once I didn’t have a blast enjoying The Hundred Line: The Final Protection Academy. And when it’s accomplished, it’s not accomplished. Your first playthrough is fairly linear, however subsequent classes will let you discover completely different story branches. Once more, we’re p rohibited from detailing these branches, however I can say you’ll positively wish to work via them.
All this thought-about, The Hundred Line: The Final Protection Academy is my favourite recreation of 2025 up to now. Its anime-like violence and off-color humorousness is probably not for everybody, however the turn-based technique and visible novel components mix successfully for an over-the-top romp that may hold you on edge for all 100 days.
