I am currently playing the PS4 version of the game but it is also available on Steam. I bought the deluxe bundle.

The game was released on 2/19/19 and is a single-play JRPG with a Mature rating. Developed by Idea Factory & Compile Heart.

The mature rating is well-deserved. So far, I’ve made it into chapter 5 of the game, almost halfway through I believe. The beginning of the game displays a gruesome display of violence and death. The description of the death is poetic, but the sounds a flesh being rendered from bone, screams from the victim and her male friend who was helping her is forced to watch her die powerless to do anything. This is in the first 10 -15 minutes.

Why on earth would I want to play a game like this? It drew me in trying to figure out where this game is going. It turns out, the female protagonist who was murdered is trapped in a video game (similar to other games I know, but bear with me) and she has amnesia. The male protagonist is not in the game, he is in the real world and is trying to find a way to get her out of the game using his programming skills and information found after investigating.

There are multiple female playable characters but no harem. The designs are somewhat scantily clad but not too terrible as far as JRPGs go. There are multiple endings in the game and you are encouraged to make all choices, even bad ones to unlock all endings. That said, saving is key in this game! I tried to tolerate the English VAs on this game, but I couldn’t do it. Thankfully, the option to switch to Japanese is there. Leveling in the game is pretty easy on Normal mode, I haven’t tried the other modes yet. Learning new skills is difficult because it’s based on percentages and luck. As you progress through the game and grow your characters, you learn more about which combinations of skills may lead to new skills being learned.

I enjoy the play between the video game world and the real world. It feels like a true mystery and thriller.

Overall: Enjoyable for JRPG fans that are okay with violence, gore and cutscenes where you will need to pay attention to them and save to make sure you can obtain all possible outcomes. Battle is fun and does require strategy but can turn repetitive depending on how long you play.

It is worth a try once back on sale in the PSN store, if you find a good deal at a retailer or if you use Steam.

Enjoy playing!