Picture: Nintendo Life / Aniplex / XSEED GamesOver the vacation season, we’re republishing a number of the finest articles from Nintendo Life writers and contributors from 2025. This text was initially revealed in Might. Get pleasure from!
Warning: This text delves into spoiler territory for The Hundred Line – Final Protection Academy. For those who’ve but to play the sport and wish to go in blind, we suggest you come again at one other time…
I’m not a fan of tactical RPGs… is what I’d have instructed you earlier than I performed The Hundred Line – Final Protection Academy. Heck, I’m nonetheless unsure I’d name myself a ‘fan’ of the style, essentially; one recreation maybe isn’t sufficient to sway me that a lot. The Hundred Line, although..? Yeah, I’m a fan of The Hundred Line.
In actual fact, it is simply my Sport of the 12 months to this point, and even with the Swap 2 on the horizon, it’s going to take one thing really particular to usurp its throne. Mitch gave it an ‘Wonderful’ 9/10 in our evaluate, however what he didn’t cowl – what he couldn’t cowl with out spoiling something – is simply how ridiculously bold Too Kyo Video games’ visible novel / tactical RPG hybrid actually is.
So, in the event you’re delicate about spoilers and wish to go into this one fully recent, take into account this your final warning. We’re stepping into, of us.
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Earlier than I waltz headfirst into what’s undoubtedly The Massive Twist™, I wish to first have a look at the fantastic solid of characters. Very like Danganronpa earlier than it, your entire premise of The Hundred Line — survive and defend your college towards invaders over the course of 100 days — would have crashed and burned had been it not for the likes of Takumi Sumino, Darumi Amemiya, Shouma Ginzaki, Nozomi Kirifuji, and the remainder of these loveable goofballs.
Character work is really the place administrators Kazutaka Kodaka and Kotaro Uchikoshi shine brightest. They managed to make each member of the ‘Particular Protection Unit’ fully distinctive and particular in their very own manner.
Take Tsubasa Kawana, for example. At any time when she’s positioned in a nerve-racking state of affairs, she instantly feels nauseous, and it makes for some fantastic comedic aid. I misplaced depend of the variety of occasions I giggled every time the story took a darkish flip, and the digital camera converted to Tsubasa loudly dry heaving.
Along with the comedian aid, nevertheless, we additionally study quite a bit about Tsubasa’s background, together with her ardour for equipment fostered by fixing automobiles along with her grandfather as a baby. We get comparable deep dives into each character, to the purpose the place we start to know the potential causes behind their numerous quirks. Even complete prats like Ima Tsukumo, whose obsessive devotion to his ‘Pricey Sister’ Kako proves deeply regarding, will get his personal second of redemption by way of each his backstory and the way in which the plot progresses.
By the point I reached the credit, I actually didn’t need the sport to finish. I’d grown to like these characters, and a few important losses truly introduced a tear to my eye in the course of the remaining levels; one thing that no recreation earlier than it has completed. Couldn’t I simply maintain going? Only for a bit..?
Effectively, right here’s the factor: it didn’t finish.
Once you attain the final couple of days within the fundamental hundred-day timeline, you study that by way of powers gained through absorption of your enemies, protagonist Takumi can truly return in time to day one and re-do the entire thing once more. Solely this time, you’re free to make important adjustments to the story and work your manner towards one in every of a possible hundred totally different endings. Whoa – maintain my beer, Nier Automata!
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I do know what you’re most likely considering, and no, you don’t should play by way of your entire recreation 100 occasions. Successfully, the story can department off into a number of totally different paths, every of which has quite a few potential endings, and the sport even provides you the flexibility to leap again to particular days with a purpose to change your selections and alter the story’s path.
Some endings could also be exceedingly quick, others a bit lengthier… some good, and a few very dangerous. One would possibly see you turn into the villain of the story, whereas one other might conclude with the adorably loyal samurai Kyoshika Magadori being devoured by your zombified buddies. The number of avenues is solely absurd, and discovering each is a pleasure.
These are simply a few the extra, let’s consider, ‘insignificant’ potential endings. I received’t go into these which could truly spoil the overarching plot; even in the event you’re nonetheless with me at this level, I’d such as you to get pleasure from The Hundred Line’s story by yourself phrases. It’s secure to say, nevertheless, that the run by way of these preliminary 100 days might positively be thought of a ‘prologue’, though it comfortably stands as a compelling story in its personal proper with a starting, center, and finish.
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So you possibly can positively cease there and have a grand ol’ time, however in the event you’re searching for one thing a bit extra bold — one thing that throws the rulebook out of the window — I’d encourage you to maintain going and see precisely what The Hundred Line has up its sleeve. It’s merely magnificent.
There are such a lot of the reason why I really like this recreation. I really like determining what to do throughout ‘free time’ classes in which you’ll both chat to your fellow college students, enterprise out into the world in a board-game-inspired minigame of types, or dive straight into just a few battle simulations to probably improve your skills.
The most important shock for me, nevertheless, was how a lot I beloved the battle system itself. As I discussed at the beginning, I’m usually not one for tactical RPGs, however The Hundred Line’s turn-based construction simply works so nicely. I usually get overwhelmed with regards to deciding tips on how to method tactical gameplay: how do these characters operate? Why can’t I transfer greater than two areas? Simply what the heck do I do?
The Hundred Line made it straightforward, although, and it’s as soon as once more due to the remarkably distinctive and numerous solid. Their inventive design makes it straightforward to differentiate one from one other, and it solely took a few battles till I memorised their strengths and weaknesses, together with how their assaults play out on the sphere of battle. It obtained to the purpose the place, after a handful of quiet days stuffed with ‘free time’, the warbling alarm to suggest an incoming battle stuffed me with pleasure.
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A lot of the battles felt doable and I by no means felt fully helpless towards the hordes of invaders, however there have been nonetheless just a few that I managed to botch right away and lose inside just some minutes. In these situations, the sport provides you the choice to redo the battle with important boosts to your manpower, immediately providing you with 300% ‘voltage’ (which basically provides you three makes use of of your extra-powerful particular assaults) and refilling your squad’s well being. Is it dishonest? Positive, I suppose… But it surely additionally makes the sport considerably extra approachable for tactical newcomers like myself.
I am keen on the Danganronpa sequence. I believe they’re fantastic video games that stay simply as compelling now as they had been again after they first launched, and if it weren’t for Danganronpa, I don’t assume The Hundred Line would even exist. I’ve to be trustworthy with myself, although… The Hundred Line is best. It’s a masterpiece.
Co-director Kazutaka Kodaka has not too long ago confirmed that the sport is “promoting nicely”, however I nonetheless really feel like not sufficient persons are speaking about it. I think, nevertheless, that because the years go by and extra folks play it by way of phrase of mouth, it’ll go down as one of many best visible novels of all time. There’s merely nothing else fairly prefer it.
Have you ever performed by way of The Hundred Line – Final Protection Academy but? What do you make of it? Do you may have a favorite character / ending? Tell us with a remark within the traditional place.
Nintendo Life’s resident horror fanatic, when he’s not knee-deep in Resident Evil and Silent Hill lore, Ollie likes to dive into a superb horror e book whereas nursing a beautiful cup of tea. He additionally enjoys lengthy walks and listens to all the pieces from TOOL to Chuck Berry.
