Some games are clear passion projects. Pure creative outlets, profitability be damned. The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy from Too Kyo Games (a collaborative outfit set up by the writers and directors of both the Danganronpa and Zero Escape franchises) is clearly among them.
Despite the game racking up plenty of positive reviews and seemingly selling well for a visual novel/turn-based tactics hybrid, studio CEO and Danganronpa writer Kazutaka Kodaka has been painting a bleak picture for the studio across several posts on Bluesky.
In response to a post asking for additional translations (the game is currently only available in English, Japanese and Chinese) or potential PlayStation and Xbox ports, Kodaka responds "If I can pay off my debt early and secure enough operating funds for the company, I’d love to get started right away.
But right now, we’re still on the brink of going under," later clarifying that he was talking purely about translations, with "very slim" chances of the game seeing further console releases.
How does a visual novel push a studio to the verge of bankruptcy? In most cases, it's a cheap style of game to produce. But as someone that's over 50 hours into this absurd thing with no end in sight, I can only imagine that this was produced in a Dwarf Fortress-esque fugue state. Mad compulsion is the only explanation I can come up with for the sheer scope of The Hundred Line. Allow me to explain, while dancing around spoilers as much as possible:
The Hundred Line is a visual novel hybrid, similar to Danganronpa, The Somnium Files and the Zero Escape series (the lead writer duo's previous games), but trading most of the minigames and escape rooms for entertainingly oddball turn-based tactical combat. I'd estimate it as 80% words, 20% action.
The first 30 hours of the game is a linear rollercoaster ride of plot twists, revelations and boss battles. It introduces the extensive cast, it puts them through a hundred days of conflict against a mysterious force of invaders and ties up with a mostly definitive ending, Danganronpa style. I would have been satisfied with The Hundred Line at that point.
But that's just the prologue. And this is a Kodaka and Uchikoshi tag-team production. Anyone familiar with the Zero Escape series knows that Uchikoshi doesn't do linear. And so he (metaphorically) leaps into the ring, folding chair in hand.
And so The Hundred Line shatters into a fractal nightmare of plot branches. Where a single player choice can send the plot veering off into other narrative genres, each leading to revelations and conclusions often dozens of hours deep. In 50-plus hours, I have seen three distinct endings now. There are a hundred to be found, and I've got a deep gut feeling telling me that somewhere in there is a True Ending to hunt for.
I'm still dodging spoilers on this one myself, but in Noisy Pixel's video review, they let slip that to reach 100% completion, it took over 130 hours to see it all, even with the game letting you skip familiar battles when hopping through potential plot branches.
And so you can see why this might have drained Too Kyo's war chest a bit, and why localization is a daunting prospect for the studio, even if they stick to the current sparingly-voiced Japanese and English audio. Even before release, the studio was being quite candid about how overboard they'd gone on this production, including being aware that the game's absurd word-count was making translation intimidating.
In a lengthy interview with Automaton, Kodaka admits to knowing the game's lengthy gestation (over five years in production, including a total reboot at one point) was a gamble: "I wanted to bet everything—my skills, money—on a simple “battle.” If the game I make by putting everything on the line turns out good, I win."
While the studio's future is still touch-and-go, from what I've played of The Hundred Line I'd say that Kodaka won that bet against himself. I can only hope that it pays off for Too Kyo Games, too. The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy is out and on Steam for $60/£50.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
