Developed By: MAGES. Inc. Published By: PQube Categories: Visual Novel Release Date: 02.08.24 Price: $49.99
Two of the things I love most of all are anime and video games, and Konosuba happens to be one of my most favorite anime. So when I found out that one of the Konosuba games for the Switch was getting localized, I knew that I had to get my hands on a copy. I already own one of the other Konosuba games in Japanese and even own a card that’s signed by Kazuma’s Japanese voice actors, so that kind of proves how much I love the series. But I couldn’t actually play the game since I don’t know enough Japanese so when this game came out in the west, I picked up a physical copy as soon as I could.
After playing for an hour, the two aspects that spoke out to me the most were the sound and humor, and I’m pretty sure that most Konosuba fans would agree with me. The main reason that I liked the sound was because of the great voice acting. Each character is brought to life thanks to their original Japanese voice actors returning. There are so many lines that are fully voiced that it really feels like you’re just watching an episode of the anime. On top of that, the game features multiple songs that are great.
As for the humor, it’s what makes Konosuba what it is. The chaos and shenanigans that Kazuma and the gang get into on a daily basis is what makes the anime so special and the style of humor translates into the game perfectly. The character personalities and overall silliness are all present in the game. I loved every bit of it and die hard Konosuba fans will as well.
When it comes to the visuals, there isn’t a lot to talk about because of it’s state as a visual novel. It isn’t anything special but the art style looks like it was ripped straight from the anime and there will be fans that love that. You’re going to spend your time looking at hundreds of images that will alternate between still and dynamic but the character designs and backgrounds all look great so the game does a good job at bringing the world of Konosuba to life.
So what’s the game about? At the beginning, the gang finds a mysterious black slab and while Kazuma has some common sense and believes it could be dangerous, they end up taking it with them and it curses everyone and flips their personalities. So much of the game revolves around creating pieces of clothing either to undo the effects of the curse or as part of other requests. There’s also a little time management mini game where you send everyone out to work in order to get enough resources to craft the clothing.
If I’m being honest, I think the game would have been fine if it was just a visual novel with no direct interaction because it would have been like watching an original episode. The mini games and crafting add a little extra to the overall experience, but not much. Outside of the main story, much of the gameplay revolves around different interactions between the party or other characters such as Chris and Wiz. The characters are where the game really shines but someone who hasn’t seen the anime isn’t really going to understand them.
The game has a decent bit of content too. The main campaign could last you around 10 hours but there’s also a few DLC packs you can add and doing everything can push you past 30 hours. But the game is also a bit expensive and will cost $50. I’ve seen lots of visual novels that cost around the same price and are either more engaging or have way more content. So is the game worth the $50 price tag?
The short answer is, I don’t think so. I don’t think anyone should bother with picking up a digital copy of the game for that price. But people who are fans of Konosuba should pick up a physical copy if they can. It’s a really good adaptation of the anime and it’s original content that’s not seen in the anime so it’s the equivalent of seeing a few extra episodes. This game feels like an actual extension of the anime and would serve as a great collectible for an anime or game fan if you get the physical copy.
4/5
[Review] Backpack Hero – Nintendo Switch
Developed By: Jaspel Published By: Different Tales Category: Role-Playing, Simulation…
