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Review of Little Busters!

SubjectLittle Busters!
ByHelpfulness: 0
Vote: 9.5
behappyeveryday on 2020-11-19
ReviewIDK why I suddenly decided to review a game that I completed about 7 years ago, but here we go.
If you played any game from Key then you know what to expect. This is a game developer that basically created the whole genre of nakige - "crying games", and so, obviously, the purpose of this game is to make readers cry from over the top drama. And Little Busters! does it very very well.

In my opinion, out of the "Holy Trinity" of Key games, Little Busters! has the best true end, by far. In Clannad, it was way too ordinary and down to earth, in Rewrite it still left some loose ends, but it is not the case here. This game's true end is just beautiful.

What about the heroines and their routes? Well, they would be hit or miss for most people. I wouldn't say that heroines are the strongest part of this game, side-routes are enjoyable, but nothing too special. Common route though has really brilliant comedy and thoroughly entertaining.

Interestingly enough, the strongest part of the game is, actually, male characters, not female ones. This is a story that is more about friendship and growing up as a person rather than romancing girls. Of course, those who want to enjoy romance with their chosen waifu wouldn't be disappointed either, but for this purpose, there are many other games that do this aspect better.

Now, let's talk about this game's obvious drawback - the protagonist. He is more feminine than half of the heroines and it isn't even an exaggeration. At times, it feels as if you are playing yuri game. Riki is a type of a guy (or, rather, a boy) who could be bullied by girls and would need another girl to stand up for him. He would be more suited to be a trap heroine or maybe to be reborn in an otome game as a female protagonist. Seriously, this boy is that bad. Fortunately, more often than not, he just exists there and does nothing, acting as a self-insert character for us players. Moreover, he experiences a certain character growth in the true route, so he is still not a total deal-breaker.

Anyway, if you aren't scared of annoying protagonists (you should be used to them if you watched enough anime) and very long common routes, then Little Busters! is a visual novel you should definitely read.
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