Death end re;Quest Review (PS4/PC)

Written by Anthony L. Cuaycong

Title: Death end re;Quest (PS4/Steam)

Developer: Idea Factory, Compile Heart

Publisher: Idea Factory International

Genre: Action, Adventure, RPG

Price: $59.99

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Death end re;Quest offers a tantalizing hook that even jaded gamers will find hard to resist. Its narrative finds the consciousness of developer Shina Ninomiya somehow stuck inside World’s Odyssey, an unfinished role-playing videogame she helped start but was then shuttered for some reason. Enter lead programmer Arata Mizunashi, who, after learning of her plight from the outside, strives to help her escape from the milieu in which she is required to literally fix bugs. Making things more complex for them in their objective of both crafting and completing the game in its best form is its artificial intelligence, inexplicably at an advanced state and determined to keep the status quo.

Largely told in gripping visual-novel style, the story of Death end re;Quest provides the savory flavor for, and adds uniqueness to, the meat that is its gameplay. Progression requires menu-driven investigation for Arata looking in and interaction with other characters also in insect form for Shina. And even as it compels gamers to explore dungeons and face enemies in traditional Japanese role-playing fashion, its combat system carries its clever capacity to blur the lines between reality and fiction. Battles are turn-based, first set up by the identification of three specific actions to be done (possibly, with the “Tri-Act” effect, all at once), and then enhanced by distinctly original options.

In this regard, Death end re;Quest benefits from its conceit. When up against enemies, characters can trigger field bugs that raise their contamination level and, at a given threshold, enable them to go into “Glitch Mode” and temporarily become more powerful versions of themselves. Meanwhile, Arata does his part in eradicating the field bugs via the “Battle Jack” menu interface, which allows for: actual participation in combat via “Summon; changes to battle conditions through “Code Jack,” effectively cheats; and modifications of the rules of battle — say, to those of a third-person shooter — with “Install Genre.”

Death end re;Quest’s immersive experience is enhanced by its aesthetics; character and background art strikingly support the premise and underscore the prevalence of “glitches.” Parenthetically, it offers an outstanding mix of eclectic music and English voice tracks that underscore the game-within-a-game vibe. It’s an audio-visual standout on the Sony PlayStation 4, and especially on the personal computer with the latest build update installed. And with controls intuitive and easy to navigate on either platform, it’s a definite recommend that figures to give some 50-odd hours’ worth of enjoyment.

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THE GOOD

• Gripping story told in visual-novel style
• Immersive experience
• Enhanced aesthetics and soundtrack

THE BAD

• Overemphasized JRPG elements
• Exposition requires patience
• Combat can alternate from extremely easy to decidedly difficult

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RATING: 9/10

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