the Death of the Video Star

I apparently have the privilege to be the first to review this game on here, which is a bit wild to me. One would think that a very stylish-looking visual novel about killing a she-God would have found its public already. I bought this game pretty much on the strength of its trailer alone and after having finished my main playthrough and explored choices to get as many endings and dialogue variants as possible, I can definitely say that [i]the Death of the Video Star[/i] is a game that merits your attention, if you do not mind the fact that it's A/quite short and B/a bit hard to get into at first. To me, this game is basically the lovechild of [i]Heaven Will Be Mine[/i] and [i]Paradise Killer[/i]: its story is all woven with metaphors and strange names and god-like entities, but at the core of it is the exploration of very human emotions. The main character here is named Worthy Undone, and, well, the whole plot is hinted at in that pun, really. The game engages with pretty broad philosophical questions about self-love, and the nature of love in general, and whether it can be conflated with adoration. The Video Star, a vain murdered God/pop idol who only cared about herself, is an interesting counterpoint to our self-depreciating heroine, and I really appreciated that tension. If the concept and the writing itself are really solid, I do think the game benefits a lot from its very distinct aesthetics. The backgrounds are pretty but the character design is simply excellent, with sharp angles, round edges and popping colours, making it unlike any other VN I've played. The cast consists almost entirely of women (or nonbinary characters), and it was a lot of fun to see how distinct they all looked: short gals, tall gals, gals who will not hesitate to kill you and gals who will give you a warm hug. There is something from everyone here (this is not a dating sim, however the overall gayness is through the roof, so worry not). I do have some minor nickpicking to do, which concerns mostly the absence of a way to track the endings we get. The game description says there are 8, however I found 4 main ones and a couple variants, which still do not equal to 8, and I think that an endings menu (and achievements, optionally) giving hints to the players, with something like a title or a fragment of illustration for example, would be very welcome. And speaking of illustrations, I would very much like to see a gallery be added: the CGs are just too good to not be shown off. All of this to say: [i]the Death of the Video Star[/i] is a very good little VN, and I enjoyed it greatly. If it won't necessarily revolutionize the medium, it's very competently done and also bold and personal, and I for one would very much enjoy another game by this developer, whether it's set in the same world or not.

Man, it's a shame this game has so few reviews. Don't sleep on it y'all—the writing in this game is sharp and beautiful, an incisive meditation on love and relationships that gently touches on the nature of personhood and the attachments people form to celebrity and deity. The eponymous Video Star was a real hit for me in particular among the characters. She had some amazing stage presence for a ghost of a dead god. Great stuff all around!

I dont like to review normally but given this game is unlikely to get any attention i wanted to add a little bit. It's good! Very much what someone would want and expect out of a visual novel, a funny and quasi-expressionistic exploration into all the bad kinds of devotion and one-sided relationships, plus a couple healthy ones too. Anyone who wishes more games shared a creative vision with Paradise Killer would have a real kick out of this one.

I'll say all this as someone who's super picky about visual novel games. Pretty much every scene in the Death of the Video Star was a delight -- to read, to interact with, to look at. The hand-drawn art is bold and bright and I love the maximalist aesthetics of the whole world. The characters are wonderfully written and designed. The cast is very much For the Gays with nonbinary and women characters with interesting queer relationships to explore. Make no mistake, the central plot point may be about Worthy Undone killing her pop star God, but this game will have you investigating questions of identity, self-worth (haha), and above all (at least to me), love. The writing was funny, sad, and sincere in its engagement of those themes in a way that feels rare in video games and really resonated with me. Absolutely worth the purchase. I really hope you give this VN a try.

A wonderfully written story that highlights each characters unique quirks. Forth wall breaks aplenty. Don't forget to save! The assistance is my favorite character, though not the one I would say i relate most with. I love the art throughout, tons of fun texturing. Everyone's hair feels so unique in that regard. Every character feels very unique in general. Watching the interplay of their personalities is what kept me wanting to progress the story. Great little visual novel!

Fun game with pretty art. The story takes a while to grab you, but when it does, it doesn't let go. There are some portions that can be improved upon, I would've liked to have more in-depth interactivity during the point and click segments. Something to break up the visual novel segments. Story spoilers below [spoiler]I loved how the character introductions were handled. The interview format was smart. I personally hate when exposition doesn't fit into the narrative of a story, and the format of this exposition felt right at home. [/spoiler] [spoiler]I liked how the Video star doesn't have a face. It makes you feel like how most idols try to present themselves. As a canvas you can find your perfect person in. You're not meant to know how they really are/how they really feel, you're meant to believe that they feel how you want them to feel. [/spoiler] Overall, an excellent first game. I look forward to seeing more from this artist.

Something about the way the game talks about being/feeling worthy of love and care really spoke to me. I also like that it's very queer but not in a twee way, where all of the characters still feel like real people with their own problems and hangups and blind spots. There's a lot in this game that I appreciated, and it sure as heck deserves more attention than it's gotten.

An absolute romp! Love this universe

a truly touching game. the art is extremely well done and the music coordinates beautifully with the characters. since English is not my first language i didn't finish the game first time i opened it. I'm so so glad i pick it up again. the amount of philosophic information the game trying to convey helps my current struggle perfectly and id like to say thank you. more people need to give this hidden gem a try.

Truly a hidden gem, I highly recommend it. This game is so, so beautiful. The artstyle, the writing, even the music and sound design, which I usually mute in visual novels. The characters and concept seem a little abstract at first, but you soon find a lot of depth in them that feels very real and personal. I loved the queer feel of the entire game, which feels both extravagant and subtle at the same time. It all just effortlessly becomes part of all the very human emotions in this strange adventure. A creative, vulnerable and profound exploration of (self-)love, complex relationships, and the media.