Break Chance Memento

I tend to get wordy, so in short, buy this game. I promise it will be worth your money. Long version of my recommendation: Just a note-I originally bought this on itch.io so even though it says I have not played much on Steam I have played pretty much all routes previously. Visual novels are a genre of game that I so want to love, but often feel disappointed or even borderline ripped off after playing them. There are some inherent flaws that I find about many of them including the fact that the characters often seem to be generic and personality-less and the "choices" you are given are either so obvious it is boring OR so random it becomes boring in another way. This one does not fall into any of those traps. The main character is one of the most unique I have seen in a VN and, by the end of a scene or two, I really loved him. Halfway through the game and I was willing to play for hours to make him happy and eventually play a romantic end for him (which, the romantic ends are a bit tricky to achieve which I count as a positive. I like a challenge and, hey, its sort of like real life romance, right?). The other characters are also unique and likable. I like their design, their personalities, and they feel believable to me. What this game also does well that many other VNs do not is the process of making choices. You do have to think about some of your choices and your choices affect the routes in a way that is clear, but not so obvious as to be boring. It is a lot of fun to get some bad endings and then retrace where you made a wrong decision along the way that caused it. In a way, it feels realistic where choices have ripple effects and consequences, negative and positive. Which brings me to another reason I love this game. So much playtime. Seriously, I have played through most of the routes by now, but I spent hours doing it, enjoyable hours. Sometimes I blow through a VN semi-bored in one night. Not this one. I feel like I got my money's worth and then some. It is just a gorgeously designed game with characters that the creators obviously cared about and the design of the choice system is one of the best I have experienced in this genre in quite some time. It revitalized my interest in Visual Novels though now I feel bad for the next one I play because I have high expectations!

Zuallererst sei zu sagen, dass ich bereits recht lange auf dieses Spiel gewartet habe, genau genommen warte ich schon, seitdem die erste Demo von Marcel Weyers ins Deutsche übertragen wurde. Seitdem sind rund 4 Jahre vergangen und das Ergebnis lässt sich definitiv sehen (trotz fehlender Lokalisation, die bei Visual Novels aber inzwischen nicht mehr so sehr ins Gewicht fallen sollte). Angefangen bei der musikalischen Untermalung, über die Entwicklung des Dramas (wohlgemerkt im klassischen 5 Akt-Model) bis hin zur zeichnerischen Qualität, ist BCM durchweg auf hohem Niveau. Es stellt zudem das erste kommerzielle Werk von cyanide-tea dar. Mit Abstand am besten hat mir dabei die Umsetzung der Momentos gefallen, wobei dies vor allem dem UI geschuldet ist, dass sehr futuristisch daherkommt und sich bestens in die Erzählstruktur einbindet (im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes). Die Story selbst ist bezaubernd und sehr kontrastreich, auch Ironie und Witz kommen nicht zu kurz, während ein offen bisexueller Hauptcharakter wohl die willkommenste Erfrischung darstellt. =) Etwas Schade finde ich allerdings, dass die Steam-Archievements alle möglichen Endings verraten, was bei Spielen mit "Love Interests" die Suche nach den Selben obsolet macht. Im Gegenzug spornen die CG's dazu an möglichst alle zu sammeln (Gotta catch 'em all). Wer alle haben möchte muss das Spiel dafür auch entsprechend oft durchspielen, glücklicherweise nicht ohne die genretypische Skip-Funktion. Soweit kann ich sagen das BCM jedem ans Herz gelegt sei, der eine spannende Geschichte lesen und erleben möchte. Wer hingegen [mild ausgedrückt] wenig bis Garnichts von LGBT+ hält, dem wird das Spiel nicht viel geben können. Mehr davon! Bitte!!!

It was a rather enjoyable game. I liked the characters, and the art was good. I loved how they used time travel, and how well it fits with the storyline. The thing that made me really happy is to finally have a game where the male character is gay. There are lots of other games with lesbian main characters, or even a main character that can go for both male and female, and the typical heterosexual. Having all this put together in a game was quite a welcome change to me.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I tested BCM during its development. On Steam I think I've only logged a few hours in BCM, but between testing previous patches and playing the itch.io build prior to its Steam release, I've logged 40+ hours of play and I'm still looking forward to more. So! With that said, if you're looking for a thorough, exhaustive review of BCM's strengths and weaknesses as a visual novel, Hanged Hourai's got you covered. For my part, I’ll talk about BCM’s synergy between tight character writing and emotive character sprite design, because the characters really make this game something special. Between the Amamiya brothers and the friends that orbit their complex familial dynamic, BCM presents people that are at once familiar in archetype and refreshingly unique in execution. The script is deceptive in its simplicity because BCM is a VN that doesn't outright demand more energy than you're used to committing to the genre. Character interactions are charmingly relaxing right up until they’re not. And while the game is built on the drama of death and time travel, it's the quieter moments that had me sobbing. Each character receives defining moments that reveal their three-dimensionality. But it wasn't until much later that I realized I'd fallen in love with each one long before their respective interpersonal dramas came to a head. And if you’re into shipping, there’s plenty of that to enjoy here — not just because the game itself facilitates romance, but because the characters are so well-rounded that practically any pairing here can make for pretty cool headcanons. All this is not to say that nothing else is impressive here — the game feels effortlessly complete in no small part because of how the music, backgrounds, and UI complement the script and character design to create a bold, thematically coherent experience. But the character revelations and conversations have stayed with me for months, and for me, that’s what makes this game more than worth its price. Please buy it when you can!

I'm an idiot, it was hard for me to finish the game. I was on the Yukinari route and got the bad ending with the cg. It was enjoyable but for my first playthrough- I just don't see myself returning to the game.

This is such a remarkable game! You have to be rock-hearted to not feel touched by this amazing storyline. Despite the sci-fi plot, you can really relate with one or more characters from the plot.

I've been on a BL visual novel kick since I played another game. Now, let me just start by saying I felt iffy going into this game. I honestly felt like the system for time travel was going to be difficult. However, after playing the demo, I've never bought a game so quickly before. So, I'm just going to give my pros and cons on the game. Cons: Plot- This is honestly a pro and a con, but for now I'm going to just start off with the problems I had with it. First of all, there were quite a few holes in the plot every so often. The game never really explains what's going on. I've played the game multiple times and have done almost everything but see the bad endings and get one of the mememtos. I've spent a lot of hours on this game. Still, I'm confused on the plot. Not much of it made any sense to me. Routes- I don't usually put something as general as routes in the con section of my reviews, but I had to on this one. When I play a game like this I usually try to get a neutral ending first. I don't want to get involved in the other characters too much. Well, I was only able to get the neutral route after 4 playthroughs. It is so hard NOT to get on someone's route. I had to actually focus and make sure I was a d**k to literally every character in order to finally get the neutral ending. System- I'm not talking about the time travel system, but the saving/loading system as a whole. It honestly took me a few mintues to figure out how to save while in game. This is very, very, very minor, but it was something I wanted to mention. I had to right click in-game in order to survive. I'm used to just hitting the save button on the bottom the screen next to the dialogue box. Not in this one. But as I said, this is incredibly minor and doesn't take away from the game at all. Mementos- Ok, so it's not a big deal, but it is for me considering I still can't get one. The mementos are kind of difficult to get if you don't know where to look. This is especially frustrating if you like to 100% every game. While most mementos can be found within certain routes as rewards for getting all the flags, the one I'm missing is actually from failing a flag. It's an award and punishment memento and it's annoying how hard it is to go through the game multiple times to try to get just one memento. Pros: The pros far outweigh the cons, which is why I'm recommending this game in the first place. Plot- Yes, this was in the con section, but it is also a huge pro. The plot, while confusing, is so interesting. The main character, Shuuki, is time traveling to save the ones you love from a mysterious killer, all the while trying to keep up his appearances in order to look like everything is fine and he doesn't have two sets of memories. The game is separated into 5 chapters, where one character is murdered per chapter and you spend that chapter trying to save them. It's a wonderful idea and I really enjoyed it. Characters- The characters in this game were very well done. There is so much character development for each character. You play one route and think you know one character, only to play their route and see they are completely different from what you imagined. I don't want to spoil the game, so I'm keeping this short, but the characters and their interactions with each other kind of made the game for me. Art- The art in this game is beautiful. Shuuki has this gorgeous long hair that I wish my hair could be. The CGI was well done and made it worth all the hard work in order to get them. Neutral Feelings: I'm putting this in as I didn't love these things, but I didn't think they made the game bad or upset me enough to put it in the con section. Love Routes- There are 4 (technically 5) routes that you can complete in the game. Two involve Chiaki, you're childhood friend, and Yukinari, Masaharu's friend. These routes are great, don't get me wrong. Yukinari was probably my favorite route. However, it felt odd that the game actually pushed you to certain routes. It's sad to say the game didn't really put emphasis on Yukinari at the beginning. He was kind of there and if you decided to do his route you'll find this cute, little sadistic jerk that actually gave a crap about Shuuki. The other two routes....involve the brothers. It's more like brotherly love, and I'm no stranger to yaoi incest relationships, but it felt odd to continuously woo one brother or the other and then end favoriting one Shuuki's older brothers. Secret Ending- I wasn't all that into it. I had to get a neutral ending in order to see it. That means no going after anyone. I can not say how many times I accidentally tripped flags. It got to the point where I almost wanted to give up on ever seeing this ending, but I was happy I was finally able to get it. The reason it's in the section and not the Pro section of my review is because it felt almost incomplete. It felt like the creator just decided to through the ending in and that's it, although it was obvious Shuuki could have easily romanced that secret character. All in all, the game was wonderful. If you're still iffy, play the demo. The demo is going to give you a good idea on the game and if you really want to invest your time. Even though it's not free, there's enough content to back up the price. I have 10+ hrs on record and I'm still trying to complete CGIs and mementos.

This was a pretty fun game. I was worried that the art style would be a little off-putting (dem yaoi hands) but all the little bits and pieces worked together to create a really fun and interesting story. It was really cute and heartwarming and I would definitely recommend if you're into visual novels and time travel. Cool Things: It's a really interesting story and it drags you in real deep to figure out the mystery. Lots of choices and nuances to keep you coming back for more and trying out new things. We have a bi main character who admits that they're bi! That's awesome! Lots of character growth - especially for Shuuki our hero. Don't be surprised if you hate him at first, he's a teenager, they do that. All of the characters are distinct - not just a bunch of tropes smashed together - and have interesting things to say and help direct the story and are good indicators of Shuuki's character development. So many animations! Each character blinks, has multiple expressions and body postures to take to keep you interested and convey the nuance of the conversation. Of the possible route endings, three are with Shuuki's brothers - and all of them vague and classy enough to leave it up to the player the definition of their relationship. If you are a hardcore: get all the text, get all the achieves, get all the endings sort of person and are having trouble - there's a built in guide! Much appreciate. The music was all great. I know it's all stock music, but each piece really captured the tone of the moment. Some Meh Things: Yaoi hands. I got used to them, definitely thought they were going to be more of a problem than they were - show up in a few postures and CGs but nice to handle. We have a bi main character who only has men as romantic options in this game. Wish there had been a romance option with a woman. We never see Ryo again. I was convinced he was going to play a major part in the story, feel like a boat was missed on that one. You could use the same momento infinitely to change your decisions in the past - but it was unclear which past you were jumping to and modifying and how it was effecting the future. I mean, if you only do it once, fine, but if you keep going back to the same moment of time aren't you bound to run into your past time travelling self? Yukinari's backstory was strange and sort out of nowhere (spoilers: it's not related to beaches and water at all) There were two main things about all endings (except the bad ones) that I just don't understand and am bothered deeply by, but only really started to bother me when I went back through every route to get all the endings (and it became clear that they were never explained just... sorta there as mysteries).

I recommend this game to anyone who likes visual novels with good story lines. I like the fact it's not easy to get all the achievements. I like having a challenge. Overall i think it's a good game

Even though the backstory/time travel plot is a little convoluted, I've enjoyed this game, mostly owing to the characters and their relationships. The game deals well with its theme of grief and guilt and I found Shuuki to be a very relatable protagonist, and his coming of age/personal growth throughout the game is well done and didn't feel forced at all. I actually was more invested in Shuuki's relationship to his brothers, especially Natsume, than his romance options, which may be a first for me... It's different from all the other (BL) VNs I've played so far, but not in a bad way. And the CGs all range from adorable to beautiful. Also all the kudos for actually having Shuuki refer to himself as bisexual, it's sadly rare for fictionally characters...