Because We're Here - Act I

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.

Oh god! No really. I... really haven't read a vn so far that can get bleak? Like wow. I do miss reading good stories that are capable of doing that (except for a few that I, for sure erased out of my mind;;;). Anyways. The witt battles, that was pretty interesting! But a pain for reruns with skipping since if you pick a response, you can't change it unless you saved before. But I can forgive that cos that's just cheatin' yo. It's an interesting move that you can switch "routes" or see just a scene with a character at that time. [spoiler] I usually don't deviate from one guy unless I have to. Ha. ...... it still hurts. Is it worse when you know what happens when you play other routes? Hm. Actually. Yes it is. [/spoiler] Also bonus points for the music room, I rarely see those! The art, I definitely like the sprites more than the cg's, esp at times. Oops. But that's okay! I love the work put into the writing, the visuals and the interface as well! I'll be waiting for future instalments and await for my next emotional beating. Thanks. I'll be looking around for a tragedy sometime, I don't know. But uh, after I recovered, I just want to have *more* of that now, y'know?

I recently played an otome by the name of "Steam Prison" and was looking for another game that possibly had similar-ish vibes. I stumbled upon Because We're Here while looking through my recommendations on Steam. My temptations got the better of me, and so I bought the game. (I'm leaving a review for Act I and Act II, because I had trouble obtaining it on Steam, so I improvised with the itch.io version.) This review is written after my first play through, and I have to say, without any spoilers, that this is hands down one of the best otome visual novels I've played yet (and I've played quite a ton) It was a lot lengthier than I had imagined, which was good, because it kept me at the edge of my seat at all times. I loved all the characters, especially the MC herself, Elfreide. Her personality was a breath of fresh air compared to some other commercial games I've played. As for the other characters, I did get emotionally attached to most of them. My personal favorites were Marius, Horst, and Wolf. Walter was annoying at some times, but I never really hated him. The only thing that I could find -sort of- negative would be some of the routes. I'm not gonna spoil anything and be specific, but some characters only had tragic endings and I wish they had at least one more option for redemption somehow. It was also an angst fest (which I personally enjoyed, lol) I truly enjoyed playing this game and I hope we will get Act III in the near future :)

Very solid visual novel with a heart-wrenching storyline and filled to the brim with engaging and likeable characters (and some not so likeable ones...) Because We're Here suckers the player in with its colourful art style and witty dialogue, but it's not afraid to explore the darkest aspects of warfare and throws some genuinely unexpected gut-punches along the way. Games like this live or die on the strength of their writing, and Because We're Here successfully pulls off wartime melodrama and wry humour with equal aplomb. Strong recommend. Also: towards the end of the first act, [spoiler] the player can make a series of terrible decisions and suffer a nasty death by machine-gun fire. The omnipotent narrator will give you the opportunity to undo your mistakes. Do yourself a favour and select "no". The game's reaction really made me chuckle. [/spoiler]

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! :)

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

Great game. Story and setting very unique.