The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy-

100 days of despair in a mysterious school, directed by Kazutaka Kodaka (Danganronpa) and Kotaro Uchikoshi (Zero Escape series). The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy- is a visual novel with branching storylines and tactical RPG combat. A surprisingly good mix.

The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy- is the first original IP from developer Too Kyo Games, created by the minds of Kazutaka Kodaka (Danganronpa) and Kotaro Uchikoshi (Zero Escape series). It's a well-crafted blend of visual novel and turn-based RPG combat strategy, with a storyline that leads players to 100 despair-filled endings.

Takumi Sumino is an average teenager living in a really friendly and peaceful Tokyo apartment complex. Everything changes when monsters attack and a strange creature called Sirei appears, offering Takumi the power to protect those he loves. All he has to do is stab himself in the chest. The next thing he knows, Takumi is in the Last Defense Academy, a colossal school in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by a wall of otherworldly flames. He and 14 other students have been drafted into the Special Defence Unit, a team tasked with keeping the school safe for the next 100 days. Initiates transform their mutated blood (hemoanima), which gives them supernatural abilities. And then, how much are they willing to sacrifice to reclaim their normal lives and save the world from the grotesque school invaders?

As Takumi, players will spend their days at the Last Defense Academy meeting his classmates and exploring the school in the narrative visual novel portion of the game, while defending the school from attacking monsters in grid-based tactical RPG battles alongside his fellow classmates. Indeed, both areas of the game work surprisingly well together, interlocking and motivating each other.

In the dialogues, which are unfortunately not fully voiced, the (somewhat exaggerated) classmates stand out - there are no German texts, only English. The writing is excellent, the characterisation is convincing, and there are countless references, especially as the game does not always take itself seriously - and depending on the choices you make, the story branches out so much over the 100 days that there are 100 different endings. Due to the branching structure of the story, the replay value is actually very high. In addition, Takumi can explore the academy facilities (similar to a board game with events), including access to the training room to practice virtual combat and earn Battle Points, upgrade class weapons, interact with classmates to deepen bonds and increase combat stats. There are also days when there is relatively little going on, while some days are quite busy.

Whenever the school is attacked by monsters, Takumi and his allies must defend it. During these tactical turn-based battles, players build up Voltage by attacking and defeating enemies, which the team can use to unleash a powerful special attack. Voltage can also be generated when an ally dies, but thanks to the Academy's technology, all students are resurrected after each battle. This opens up new tactics where wounded allies can make powerful final attacks. Combat is good and rewards clever positioning as well as the combination of skills and class-specific roles of classmates.

The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy- was developed by Too Kyo Games Inc. and Media.Vision Inc. Too Kyo Games was founded in 2017 by former employees of Spike Chunsoft, Danganronpa series creator Kazutaka Kodaka, Zero Escape series creator Kotaro Uchikoshi, composer Masafumi Takada and artist Rui Komatsuzaki. Media.Vision is best known for Wild Arms and Chaos Rings. The game is published by Aniplex Inc., an entertainment company with a wide range of businesses around the world, focusing primarily on Japanese animation, in addition to planning and developing video games. Aniplex has full ownership of its subsidiary animation production companies A-1 Pictures Inc. and CloverWorks Inc., as well as game production company Lasengle Inc., which focuses on the planning, development and operation of game titles such as Fate/Grand Order.

The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy- is available on PC (Steam) in a Standard Edition for $59.99/€59.99 and a Digital Deluxe Edition that includes a copy of the game, digital art book and digital soundtrack for $69.99/€69.99, as well as digitally on the eShop for Nintendo Switch in Europe for €59.99 and €69.99 respectively. The title is also being published physically and digitally for Nintendo Switch in the Americas by Xseed Games.

Conclusion

The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy- mixes tactical combat and visual novels with a widely branching story that is very well done and motivates to play again.

Features

• Unique story concept with 100 endings and strong writing
• Visual novel with multi-layered decisions and exaggerated characters and an unmistakable style
• Tactical battles that fit into the bigger picture