Beyond R: Rule Ripper

Might update with an in depth review after I have some more time to reflect on the story. Solid entry in this super niche genre, but probably only has value after playing the classics and desiring more (999, danganronpa, YTTD) I have a lot more thoughts but they would contain spoilers. Also currently has some bugs and visual glitches but the dev is currently working hard on them, so maybe wait for a month after release if you want a smoother experience. There's a cool and long demo. Go play it and decide yourself.

Peak

Excellent game in the genre of 999 or Danganronpa.

This game reminds me of Beyond Entropy visual novel, Quantum Leap, Raging Loop, this game "" Stalking, Cooking Companions, Dread Weight, that game that just came out with the trilogy about the something some organization looking for Zachary but not quite, and that game with the alchemist girl who has to die ten times with the guy named I_____ you know but it's otome, just any game with looping which you should know because I'm pretty sure it's obvious, anyway it's pretty good I give it a 10/10 it's just perfect art, characters are stereotypical but I like that familiary, perfect music, perfect extra, multiple narrators, little minigames, it's just a high quality high production game that you never totally forget unless you are me who plays a crap ton of games but I'll probably remember this one and this is an old visual novel called something Queen you can find on some archive of erogedownloads which by the way has really good games back when the internet was the wild wild west and you couldn't buy this stuff even if you wanted to which I did...before steam consumed my life which it has....honestly I'm getting lost in nostalgia but this is a 10 there are many endings many secrets many details even if I don't understand most of this it's still a 10 because it's like Danganonpa but with multiple endings and Cafe Zero in setting and all those otome games like Nicole and Raging Loop with a big mystery. Oh yeah expensive but thanks to the Kickstarter backers this kind of game is definitely expensive to make for sure that much I know.

A death game premise exploring morality, what it means to be a hero, the blurry line between naiveté and courage, and ultimately how much a human can remain resilient when faced against impossible odds. BRRR follows a similar structure and formular one can see in games like 999 or Danganronpa. A group of strangers find themselves trapped in an unknown location and are forced to participate in a game by an unknown group or individual, with the rules of the game involving the potential deaths of its players as time goes on. BRRR emphasizes this aspect of the game with its focus on "rules" as the driving mechanic, each player is provided a list of rules but also is given exemption from one of those rules, giving them an edge over the other contestants. If their rule is found out however they can be voted out by the other contestants. Meaning that this advantage is also their weakness and has to be utilized carefully. Where BRRR shines is its writing, the main character Bill, has a basic appearance which may cause one to see him as a neutral or self-insert character mainly used to drive the player's action. And while it is true that we are in charge of his decisions, his backstory and motivation are developed surprisingly intensely to establish him as someone who wishes to pursue a certain role in this death game but finds himself struggling to do so. This internal conflict serves as the foundation of his character and is well-crafted to impress from start to finish. The events of the death game itself too show clear well-thought out planning as there are plenty of dead and bad endings depending on which decisions you make in the control of Bill. To come up with such a flowchart of events, to make it rational, reasonable and also entertaining on top of that is no easy task. I found myself on the edge of my seat at many climatic points, both in the true route and the other endings. Now, while the writing is stellar, the gameplay aspects do have their downsides on the mechanical side of things. The game suffers from an unfortunate amount of bugs that will harm the overall experience. Thankfully the dev has done a solid job since release to fix those, as well as to add numerous QoL improvements. So by the time you're reading this they may be gone completely.

Great characters, amazing soundtrack. I love you, Coffee.

Beyond R: Rule Ripper is an excellent visual novel-style game. Beyond R excels in terms of cast, atmosphere, music, and in its unique Rule Ripper game. Many of the characters are quite interesting, and none are dead weight or detract from the game. Without getting into spoilers, there are certain specific ones that are handled superbly. The game transpiring within the Golden Jack and associated environs assigns 10 rules to various participants, each imposing effects and ramifications. Possession of a given rule affords exemption from that rule’s constraints. The death of a participant erases the related player’s rule, a fact which adds a layer of dynamism to this evolving death game. Additional factors include number links between two players, accusals, and councils. Dilemmas and moral quandaries arising from this situation constitute a core theme in Beyond R: Rule Ripper. Such issues are explored in various branches, permutations, and endings. While a true ending/route does exist, playing through most of the other possible endings/routes is necessary to get the full experience, particularly in terms of elucidating and fleshing out key details about many of the characters.

although beyond r has a slightly slow start, I encourage people to stick with it at least until hour 3:00 (in game, not playtime) -- that isn't to say the game is boring before this point at any means, but the plot does pick up around then so it's a good time to gauge interest. I also recommend this because the narration in the beginning is difficult to get through (which I assume is due to poor translation). it does improve once you get further into the game, promise! the music, artwork, and vibes are great; super visually and audibly appealing. I wish beyond r had more cgs because there are so many awesome moments that I would've loved to see an illustration for. other than that, no complaints. the game's most notable downside is that I ran into quite a few bugs, although nothing hugely impacted my playthrough and these were mostly visual glitches with the exception of some (avoidable) softlocks when fast forwarding during councils. keeping a handful of saves definitely helps, both for avoiding bugs and in general. you WILL run into bad ends and need to rewind. beyond r is a very choice heavy game. I consider reaching bad ends a cool feature, but obviously this type of gameplay isn't for everyone. so keep it in mind! I recommend beyond r, overall. (if not for anything mentioned above, play it for lime... ily lime......)