Beyond R: Rule Ripper

A Zero-Escape style death game VN with great writing, characters who aren't silly anime tropes (yeah, I know you all love that nonsense, but I'm the exception, sorry), and genuine heart. Probably the best attempt I've seen at "hey, what would happen if we put normal people who don't spout off philosophy/science at the drop of a hat in a wacky death game". I wish I was eloquent enough to go into more detail about why I liked it, but sadly it's beyond me. As much as the "rules" (which are a fun idea and for the most part well-executed) are the USP here, the characters and writing are really what make this a winner. Props to everyone involved this one, please send them your money (and maybe even play the game too)

First off, I have to overall rate this game positively - I think this is my first ever review, so it really is a special game and clearly a crime of passion by the developer, who is a super cool person that seems to be very committed to improving the game in any way they can. However, I can't help but feel that there are some growing pains that this game has, and to me personally it failed to deliver on some of the promises that it had made (implicitly), which makes it hard for me to 100% recommend to everyone, however, if it looks cool to you, I think you should play the demo for sure. Ignore my playtime, I AFK'ed a bit while playing, "true ending" should take around 30ish hours to complete (this is how far I've gotten), with some extra story bits taking a few more hours to see. I got kinda burned out, so I did not see all endings. Absolute positives: + The soundtrack is amazing and fits the vibe of the game perfectly + The dialogue is well-written, next to no grammar mistakes or typos + The characters are all very intriguing and interesting, especially the POV character + Kinda rudimentary but cool gameplay segments Up to taste: * This game is more of a very in-depth character study(/studies?) than a mystery story. I don't want to spoil anything in the game, however, lots of questions are presented and some answers are alluded to, but in the end this game is about the players as people interacting with each other within the confines of the game. There aren't many twists and turns, I was expecting something akin to the Zero Escape series, but got something pretty different. Still very cool and interesting, but different. Not a major spoiler IMO, but beware: [spoiler] really cool that we will be getting more of our questions answered in potential sequels, however, that does make this game feel a bit incomplete in my opinion. [/spoiler] * I felt like the trial and error style gameplay didn't really fit the story, keeping track of what you've seen can become tedious, and even though there does exist a mechanic to alleviate this I still didn't see what purpose it serves that for a given segment you can collect 4 out of 5 tidbits out of which you need 2 to progress five hours later down the line. Again, nothing major, just about the nature of choices in the game: [spoiler] I kinda would have preferred a more linear narrative, or one where your choices always have immediate visible effect. I guess I've just been spoiled by flowcharts. [/spoiler] Maybe this style is just not my cup of tea, I have not played a ton of VNs aside from the big popular ones (Danganronpa, Ace Attorney, Zero Escape). I ended up completing the game with a guide, but I felt like it didn't detract at all from my experience. The negative: – The game is buggy, no two ways about it, however, the dev is super passionate about fixing everything that they can, so it's getting better every day Play the demo, and if you are hooked, buy the game, you won't be disappointed - but be open to a different kind of experience!

So I played this game with 2 other people watching and guessing the story and plot line alongside me. Were there a lot of twists and turns in this story? Oh hell yeah there was, and ones 3 minds put together hadn't even thought up (I say this when we spent HOURS coming up with theories and still got parts completely wrong.) Did it keep us entertained? Yes. Did we come back for more? Of course we did. And then we got to the ending... Now there were a few bugs in places, such as being unable to save for some reason, the characters would glitch over one another, but that was completely fine for myself and the others watching. We were there for the story, we were INVESTED in the characters, what their rules could be, how was this going to end? I loved the nods to games like danganronpa and zero escape [spoiler] (maybe it was just me, but I saw a nod with a certain ace card in someone's drink, perhaps?) [/spoiler] and I loved the way this was a new spin on the traditional death game. That said, what those games excel in is the ease of information and getting around when you mess up or miss something. The dialogue in danganronpa can be skipped for example, zero escape has a branching system where you can see certain decisions made and easily get back to them without having to faff around; this game had things that could be so easily missed, it was a nightmare to figure out what was right and what was wrong. It was hard to go back (we didn't even realise there was a rewind that could be used until nearly the end of the game and yes, that is with 3 of us!) and know exactly what the right choice was and what we could have potentially missed. I think a clearer way of seeing paths, decisions, and a means to skip through dialogue MUCH faster during councils would vastly improve getting to the key parts needed for multiple playthroughs, but again, it didn't stop us from loving the game. The BIG gripe, was definitely the ending, and while I understand why it was done, it did feel like a punch to the face as the player in regards to things not feeling resolved. As I said, I understand why, but it didn't feel good going through hours of the game to then get [spoiler] the surviving characters knowing the answers, but ha ha, you woooon't! [/spoiler] Most definitely will look out for the next games in the series, and I hope with feedback the series will develop and grow in a much more unique and interesting way!

I really like to encourage smaller devs, and after getting the true ending of the game, I figured I'd give my thoughts on the game. Firstly, let me say I did definitely enjoy this game, and if you are on the fence, I encourage you to get it, just to support indie devs. It's absolutely worth the money in my opinion. I think the strength of the game is absolutely the characters and in-world game. The characters are generally all very well written and believable, and I find myself sympathizing with everyone involved to an extent. There's a wide range of very believable reactions to the situation they find themselves in, and I found myself very immersed in their interactions. The protagonist's emotional journey is absolutely worthwhile and intriguing. On a similar note, the game the characters are playing is designed very well. The short premise is each character is secretly assigned a game rule, and their death removes that rule from the game. The interactions between rules and evolving gameplay as certain rules are removed from the game is really intriguing and it's easy to imagine different ways the game could've gone were certain rules removed in different orders, or if characters were assigned different rules. For length it took me under 25 hours (including demo playtime) to get the true ending, though I read fast. There's definitely a bunch of smaller/post credits scenes I still need to get to. This is pretty well in line with what I expect for an indie game, and I'm glad it ended up not being too short, as I find it harder to get engaged with those types of stories. In terms of the mystery/detective aspect of the game, that part felt like much less of a focus. It feels far more of an exploration of how these characters react to the situation they find themselves in, rather than a full mystery game, but there are still some mysteries going on that are intriguing. Still, at the end there are unanswered questions, which might be a deal breaker for some. The dev is clearly aware of this, so we'll probably get these answers eventually, but if having lingering questions is going to bother you, I can't recommend it until those answers are available. As any indie development, the game isn't without it's flaws. There are certain points you can get yourself "stuck" without required solutions and required to go back in the story to find the keys that do feel a little annoying, but the game offers a bunch of tools to mitigate this, so it's not the worst. Still found it a little tedious to have to do it to continue the story though. There also are a few bugs. I didn't find anything significantly gamebreaking, but a few times things would show up on the wrong part of the screen or something similar. Nothing that bothered me, I don't expect AAA polish on an indie game. Overall I really enjoyed my experience, and would recommend it to anyone who appreciates a good story about well written characters being thrown into rough situations, and again if you are on the edge I encourage you to support indie devs. It's a big part of how we get more original and unique games.

DEATH GAAAME! I'm still on the game but I have to admit, am loving this. I like the overall flow. Am invested on this :D Also Its nice that starting part has creative way to introduce them, and make us remember the characters with the drink icons, to ease on introducing the many fun individuals.

Death game with a strong focus on the human drama of it all, rather than getting too bogged down by the technicalities of the game or a grander overarching narrative. And the characters are compelling, the stakes high, the tension and suspense thick, so it just... works. Go figure. It is a tad unfortunate that it isn't really a "finished" story given that there's two planned sequels, but also, oh hey, two more games following a similar premise/structure? Sounds sick. I'm not that bothered that we don't have all the answers yet, though the true ending felt... maybe slightly underwhelming, as a result? I also appreciate that success isn't just "pick the right choice at the right time and that creates a branch", it's a bit more complex and more difficult than your average VN would tend to be as a result. I do feel some of the councils need more time-outs, especially later ones, since redoing everything, even with fast-forward, can take minutes and that. Doesn't feel great, but otherwise no real issues with the structure, even if it makes hunting down bad endings harder. The theming is strong and consistent, too, even the color choices of the main area feel. Intentional, to the story and twists within, in a way I will not elaborate on. All-around quite good, even if it shows its rough edges in spots, and I'm definitely curious to see the follow-ups!

Very cool game, its best aspects are story and music. However, not everyone might like it, it's quite an unconventional death game visual novel. STORY It has many endings in a branching structure like 999 (but with 26 endings and more extras). The story follows the main character Bill, who starts off as an idealistic young man searching for the perfect ending, but has to face the cruel reality of the game. He's not your typical hero protagonist, and his psychology and backstory are explored very well in the course of the entire game. I said that not everyone might like the story because it doesn't [spoiler] answer all the mysteries... Almost none of the big ones, in fact. However, there are other good twists and character backstories before the true ending, and the story is more about the journey than the destination. Bill is no hero, but I think that is established pretty early on that you shouldn't expect Junpei or Phoenix Wright moments from him [/spoiler] GAMEPLAY The game has little gameplay, mainly dialogue options. A big gameplay thing is intervening during the councils,but no Ace Attorney-like trials. MUSIC The ost is jazzy, fitting the bar the game is set in, and it's great. From tense tracks to relaxing ones, character themes, council themes... Truly fantastic music. The OST will be released on youtube and other platforms. TECHNICAL ISSUES AND DEV I playtested the game about a month before release. It had (and still has) quite a few bugs, mainly visual, with some other bugs that impeded progress or crashes a few times. However, the dev is really fast to respond and fix things after you point them out in the Discord, W dev. I think the game is still worth it despite some technical issues, and the dev has also recently added many QoL features that make it easier to navigate through all the paths and endings compared to when I played it. Steam clound syncing doesn't work but hopefully it will in the future FUTURE UPDATES The game will be updated in the future with more story stuff, I won't say more, see for yourself after you get the true end, it's explained there The game has an extras section with a registry of all the endings and [spoiler]Beyond[/spoiler], and concept art, CGs and backgrounds, which are unlocked from getting the endings EDIT: Steam Cloud syncing now works, and the ost has been published

[b]Beyond R: Rule Ripper[/b] is a mystery visual novel about being stuck in a bar with a bunch of strangers being forced to play a game where the players themselves are its rules. Clear inspirations were taken from series such as Zero Escape, Danganronpa, and Ace Attorney. While not perfect, any fans of the death game genre don't need to hesitate in picking this game up. [h2]Story[/h2] [hr][/hr] I won't be going into details about the story or characters, as that's best experienced first hand, but I will say that the overall premise, the game's rules, and in particular the characters participating in it are all fascinating. The cast has varied personalities and are entertaining, for the most part. Dialogue between each character feels natural and has some wit to it. Presentation is strong here, very well put together thematically, with special mention to the Council debates. It does a great job selling the chaotic nature of group discussions, enhances tension when present, and expresses its characters' emotions in very tangible ways. [h2]Gameplay[/h2] [hr][/hr] In terms of gameplay, it leans heavily on the visual novel tag. You interact with the game by making choices at certain points, or more active decisions during the Council segments. Your input does matter here, but it isn't quite like Danganronpa's debates or Ace Attorney's cross examinations where you're carefully reading and looking for contradictions. Moments of deduction do exist, but not to the same degree as one familiar with those games might expect. To properly set expectations, I feel the need to talk about the game's structure. Firstly, in terms of routes, this game has only one 'true path' and about two dozen bad endings that can happen depending on certain circumstances or choices. It's unlikely you'll know which you're on until something bad happens, which is a positive. When you reach a bad ending, you will get a hint on how to avoid it, which is helpful. One frustration you might run into, however, particularly playing blind, is that the hints aren't always specific enough. Beyond that, getting back on the path to story progress often involves going back to previous chapters, to make different choices or find different clues. The game does have a chapter jump to assist this, but it still involves lots of text skipping, and the trial and error involved can stiffle the story's momentum. To me, the challenge this type of game presents should be more about deducing what the correct clue or evidence for a specific puzzle is, not finding out it can't be solved because you didn't find the necessary evidence in the right room 3 hours ago. Not a game breaker, but it can be a detriment. [h2]Other[/h2] [hr][/hr] The game can be minorly buggy at times. For example parts of character sprites, usually hands, appearing on the profile screen. It's uncommon and doesn't impact progress. I experienced one game crash during my playthrough. The developer seems to fix these when found. [h2]Final Thoughts[/h2] [hr][/hr] I liked this game. I'm interested in what comes next from the developer. It's clear this was no easy undertaking, and the flashes of brilliance in Rule Ripper can't be denied. I patiently await the inevitable sequel.