Because We're Here - Act I

Recommended without hesitation if you have any interest in historical settings or war drama/romance! The writing is excellent, all the characters are compelling in their own way, and there is an incredible amount of nuanced worldbuilding as well. Just remember that Act I, which is already very impressive, is really an extended introductory chapter (you should be able to read through it in 3 to 5 hours). If you like it, you're guaranteed to love Act II even more, and to have your heart thoroughly shattered in the process.

[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 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.

One of my favourite VNs ever. I'm not sure I can even put into words my love for Because We're Here. Seeing such a big cast, one would fear it to lack well fleshed out characters, but it's the opposite. There's not a single character I'm indifferent about, every one of them is extremely unique and show different perspectives of the war, the main character included. The atmosphere is incredible as well, never have I felt I understood so well what could be like living in such a context. I just love how grounded, how realistic everything feels. Geez, give this game a shot! It's absolutely worth it!!

Every route is extremely well done, I've played this in full over ten times and still think it's fantastic. I love the time setting, the MC is relatable and the words are fun to read. Yes there tragic moments and a few graphic scenes but that's kind of par for the course in a wartime VN. This is my favourite visual novel. Give it a go if you're a fan of the genre! :)

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!

Wow it's been a while since I played a romance visual novels or otome games with dark elements like this and how absorbed I was in it. I wanted to pace it but nope ended up playing in one go but definitely don't regret that. I like the story setting to this game. I can see how much the creator is invested in this game. All the characters were pretty nice and solid and the twist at the end....hahaha some shockers. Downside is how short act 1 was and because of that certain characters didn't seem fully developed. But it's definitely worth it. I hope more people play this game!

This was... wow. I love this VN. I hate that I'm loving it. It's great, wonderful, and horrible at the same time. Because We're Here is cruel, yet fascinating, sad, yet incredibly heartwarming. I got attached way to fast, and I regretted it. Not because this VN isn't good - as a matter of fact, it's absolutely stunning. It's well written, the characters really bring the story to life, and you're drawn to (almost) everyone of them the day you meet them. The CG's aren't that professional, but honestly, I play these games because of the story, not because of the artwork. It improves in Act II, but is still lovely drawn in Act I, don't get me wrong. So, the game is wonderful. BUT. It is cruel at the same time, as I wrote earlier. I mean, it is set during war, so there's not much room for a story that focuses only on a romance arc. The romance is more a companion than the main aspect, and honestly, that goes perfectly well with the theme. I mean, I got attached to three guys that I loved to pieces, [spoiler]and all three of them died. Like, literally, one died, I started to pursue the other, and he died as well. And after Horsts death in Act II, I cried. Like, a lot.[/spoiler] Every death in this game is crushing and brings you to tears, especially when you're on a route. If you want to know the reason: [spoiler]Some of the routes you can pursue will end tragically. I already mentionend Horst, because he crushed me the most. But there are some others as well. So picking one Love interests doesn't garantee that he's going to survive.[/spoiler] And now, I finished this VN, and I'm still thinking about it. The music is wonderfully picked, and I would highly recommend playing it with sounds on. I'm still listening to the music to preverse the feeling I got while reading this VN. It's stunning, and it is one of the best VNs I've ever read. Maybe I just like to suffer, but I will read it again some time and I will impatiently wait for Act III.

Wow, what a fantastic start to a game! The writing flows very well, has great moments of levity to balance out the darker moments, and the characters are all compelling and unique. I especially appreciate that the story remains the same regardless of what route you’re on, with the route presenting as side moments within the story. Your being on someone’s route might change their personal arc (I can’t speak beyond part 1), but it doesn’t change what ultimately happens to some characters. The sprite artwork is gorgeous and emotive, and the backgrounds, while a little messy, help set the tone and mood wonderfully. My only critique is that the art style for the CGs is very obviously done by a different artist, and the style unfortunately clashes hard with the style of the sprites we see for the rest of the game. It is by no means a dealbreaker, it’s just rather jarring. Overall, a fantastic little game that I can’t wait to see the rest of.