Because We're Here - Act I

[i]Note: I was sent a copy of this game by the developer for my curator, [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32080131/]Games for Hopeless Romantics[/url].[/i] I'm very glad to have gotten the chance to have played this game. It's been on my radar since before it was released, but I tend to be wary of episodic/split-release games--it's nothing personal, I've just been burned before. [i]Because We're Here ~Mohnblume und Blauerose~[/i] is a visual novel that takes place in a setting heavily based on World War I. The protagonist, Elfriede Rauss, is a young woman who works as a mail carrier; one day, she discovers that Wessling, the country she's from, is now at war. The game introduces a great number of pursuable characters--10 in total for this first part. (I say "pursuable characters" rather than "love interests" because one of the routes is explicitly stated to be non-romantic--he and Elfriede hate each other's guts from the start.) This is something that can easily go wrong, with quality being sacrificed for quality; it's too early to say whether the developer has bitten off more than they can chew in this case, but at least so far, all of the characters are unique enough that all their stories seem like they'll be interesting, which is more than I can say for certain other games I've played. The story does an excellent job at contrasting the homefront's perception of the war--a proud, noble pursuit that turns boys into men--with the actual reality of war--sitting in a glorified ditch for hours on end for a pointless cause that nobody either in the war or on the homefront will benefit from in any significant way. Elfriede is one of the few characters who questions the benefits of war from the start, but it still takes her experiencing the horrors of the trenches herself to really comprehend just how awful it is. Of course, since this is the first of four parts, it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. And it's a doozy: [spoiler]the love interest Elfriede has the most history and chemistry with is killed immediately after they confess their feelings for each other, another love interest is permanently blinded, and a third experiences shell shock to the point of becoming effectively mute[/spoiler], all in the span of about five minutes. War is hell. Gameplay is fairly standard for a visual novel; you read, you click, sometimes you make choices (which raise affection levels with the LIs). There are also "battles of wit", in which Elfriede (you) must correctly answer questions to gain Wit Points against her opponent; depending on the "battle", losing may lead to a game over or to simply losing the debate. Though not strictly much of a departure from traditional VN "gameplay", it's enough to keep it interesting, at least you're the type of person who gets bored with just reading. The art is nice; some people might complain about using an anime-ish art style with a game set in Alternate World War I, but it's not over-the-top to the point of being distracting, and I like it well enough. Overall, this is a well-done introduction to the story; as of me writing this, the second part has already been released, with part 3 likely to release in 2020. I can only hope that development goes well and the story can be completed, because this is a project I'd hate to see abandoned.

I didn't expected that... I know that not everybody get happy ending in war both fiction and IRL. I know...but but.... *sob* who the heck expect happy ending in war? are you crazy? as Angst lover .. I approved of this game.

I had a literal list while playing this game of every glaring issue I had with it, but by the end I didn't care anymore after spending way too much time slogging through it. Mostly I'm trying to figure out if there's any way I can get my money refunded, because I certainly have no way of getting those precious hours of my life back.

Note: I played through Act 1 and dove straight on into the Act 2 DLC, so this is kind of a review for all of it so far. I almost missed out on this game because realistic historical games don't typically appeal to me. But I was looking for something intense and immersive and heartbreaking and a friend recommended I give it a go. Because We're Here is less sweeping historical romance and more character-driven war story with romantic interludes. The best part of the story has to be Elfriede. She's your main character and is compassionate, witty, driven-- I adore her. The rest of the characters are incredibly well-fleshed out with various motivations that sometimes clash. most notably, this game breaks from traditional otome in a really interesting way. [spoiler] In most otome, when you're on a love interest's route, they're safe until you reach either a good end or a definitively bad one. This one doesn't provide you with that safety net. Meaning it can be pretty tough at times. It's incredibly effective. [/spoiler] It also has some intriguing in-game mechanics where you engage in"battles of wits" with other characters (or sometimes it's an internal struggle between Elfriede and herself!) to decide the outcome of key moments. Some of those moments are big with lives on the line and others are small and only really change how you interact with specific characters. The background music is excellent and the soft art is lovely and, at times, jarring when depicting sometimes graphic moments of violence. If this sounds the least bit appealing, I highly recommend giving it a try. At this cost, it's a steal.

An amazingly well written visual novel that I couldn't stop playing. I was immediately drawn into the story and became invested in the storyline (I already absolutely love Elfriede) Played through act 1 in around 2.5 hours and have immediately purchased act 2.

i'm cryi ng thank u must protecc wolf at all costs

A well-written and engaging visual novel, with a short run time but a lot of interesting creative choices packed into that. The art style is soft, the background music is lovely, the care for the (fictionalised) historical setting is clear. Mechanically, the game has "battle of wits" segments that highlight emotional breaking points of the protagonist and reward paying attention, as well as points where you select which love interest's story to follow further - with one character being clearly signposted as non-romantic. The writing is engaging, full of jokes and witticisms, with characters' personalities quickly established and given the benefit of the doubt by Elfriede, the kind and optimistic narrator. [spoiler]A willingness to take narrative swings such as killing the main initial love interest is striking and further strengthens the core themes of the futility and waste of war.[/spoiler] I really enjoyed it, and will be playing Act II when I get chance!

I haven't quite finished the game yet but I LOVED what I've played so far. It is fantastically written and all the characters have such well thought out personalities and backgrounds. They're not carbon copies of each other and complement Elfriede in different ways. Cant wait to play Act 2!

This is a war romance story that doesn't pull punches! The narration is very well done with a lot of character. The characters themself are realistic and are not perfect from our modern perspective. So it's very fun, but also sad to read. Everything felt very realistic to me, from the setting to the plot developments to the character's actions. I see no reason to not recommend this visual novel!