Game: Bustafellows
Genre: Adventure, Role-Playing, Other, Visual Novel
System: Nintendo Switch (Also on Steam)
Developer|Publisher: NIPPON CULTURAL BROADCASTING EXTEND | PQube
Age Rating: US Mature | EU 16+
Price: UK £34.99 | US $39.99 | EU € 39,99
Release Date: July 30, 2021
Review code used with many thanks to PQube PR
The time has come to dig into another visual novel. This time it’s Bustafellows. A short note before I begin: At the publisher’s request, this review is only of chapter 1 in order not to spoil the story for players. In order to keep this review to that chapter only, I haven’t played any further. That is highly unusual for me in reviewing visual novels, so I just wanted to lay out the reasons upfront. Now without further delay, let’s dig in!
Story
Teuta is a journalist trying to make her way in New Sieg: a fictional city somewhere in America. When she witnesses the murder of Limbo, a crooked lawyer, she utilizes her unusual ability to take a short hop back in time to warn him of his impending death and try to change his future. This catches the attention of a group of Limbo’s associates who call themselves the Fixers.
“Leaping from life to life. Striving to put right what once went wrong…”
If you’re older (or a big fan of American sci-fi TV) you may remember that line from the opening of Quantum Leap. Quantum Leap was an inventive, semi-anthology series from the late 80’s/early ’90s that featured Scott Bakula as Dr. Sam Beckett, a scientist who leapt into the bodies of different people across time, trying to fix things that went wrong the first time around.
Tuetra’s powers of time travel work in a similar way. She leaps short distances into the past and into the body of someone random. The only power she appears to have is the ability to instigate the jump. This is a very interesting twist that I will be following through the storyline. In short, Tuetra and Dr Beckett would have a lot to talk about!
Gameplay
One chapter is tough to judge gameplay on, but I’ll do my best. It appears to be a pretty typical visual novel in that mostly you just select from various options. One thing it uses that I don’t see as often is that it quizzed me on something that I’d seen earlier in the game. So, pay attention and remember the details! It will help you out later.
The transitions were a bit long and made things feel a little choppy. There was a time or two I thought the game had shut down because it was on a black screen for so long. Not a big deal, but worth noting. The game has various unlockables and collectables. Not much to say about this after only one chapter, but the unlockable archives are handy for getting further information on various story points.
Animation and Voice Acting
I liked all the characters in this game, which is very unusual for me. The eyes and mouths are animated, which always looks a little odd at first in a visual novel, but I got used to it quickly.
The cityscapes are beautiful. Not as dark as I expected for a semi-noir game style, but very impressive, nonetheless. This game has made the somewhat unusual choice of voicing the main character, which is often left unvoiced in Otome games. I suppose to aid in the self-insert aspect of these games. Frankly, I am really enjoying having the character voiced. If I were to guess, I would say that they may have done this to make it more obvious when Teuta is time travelling, but I enjoy having the extra layer between me and the character. I find it makes awkward interactions feel less so.
Conclusion
In as much as one can have final thoughts after a single chapter, I like this game. Do note the rating: It is earned. One might question why I keep playing Otome games when I get so annoyed by the “horndog” (to quote one of the characters) behaviour contained in most of them. I guess I’m a glutton for punishment served up with a good story and great art. My look into the first chapter of Bustafellows makes me believe that this is another solid addition to the visual novel library of Switch and Steam.
Final Verdict: I Like It
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