Hatoful Boyfriend (2011)

Updated! I gave it another chance, and I have to admit that the game surprised me. Yes, it is still a pain having to go through it so many times in order to get the real story behind it (even with the fast button), but I think it is worth it. I recommend playing it on stages, so you clean your palate a little bit before each play through. If not it gets boring and looses it's charm quickly. I take back that the characters are shallow. They're definitely not shallow, you just need patience and put up with the playthroughs. This game is definitely not for everyone, but if you like unusual quirky things, and pigeons, maybe give it a go. Get it when it's on sale.

Old review: Weird game, loved the concept. The problem is that it is very boring to play and shallow if you don't want to get all the endings. I liked the idea behind it, but the characters could have more depth to them, and you should be able to choose more options. In the beginning I was enjoying the freshness of the game and how unique it is, but that went away very soon. I got one of the endings and I just don't have the patience to go through it a couple more times. I have no doubt that there is more to it in this game, but I just really don't have the patience. It is a joke that lost its charm too quickly.

Follows the format of a visual novel dating game but instead of erotica are birds.

If you have ever played the genre before all the tropes are here. The multiple endings and such. The writing is weird but clever and amusing. The finale is so long and so buck wild, it is worth getting to.

If you need strong visuals, animation, voice acting, or more "gameplay" from your games this is not for you. If you enjoy visual novels or birds or amusing stories there is a lot of good stuff here.

Side note: I started playing this in 2015 when it came out but only now got around to finishing it. It was on my HDD and it was not until I needed extra space that I thought to finally get more then 3 endings. Well, I am glad I pushed through!

What a concept for this game - you are, presumably, a human girl attending a school for birds. You get to know select male birds, depending on your actions, and can achieve a number of endings - some of the options have partial and full endings. You can obtain a number of achievements, including options for characters not directly involving you, while also trying to figure out what your character's deal is (why the bird school? why is there a scene of a destroyed city on your runs? what is the real objective?).

This is a visual novel, so you should automatically know if this type of game is for you. Unlike other visual novels, there are not as many images you receive during the stories (so don't be expecting any... weird pictures...), so you will have to use your imagination to the best or worst of its abilities. It is a bit more tedious than other (better) VN games, but because the story is so ridiculous, you find it pretty fun for the first couple rounds. I have to say though, for any of the completionists out there, I am impressed that you would obtain every ending without skipping through the scenes to not read the text (if you did, then what did you even play?).

I have to be honest though, I can not really say if I liked the game or just liked the idea behind it. If you don't take it seriously, you can laugh it off a bit and play like within your collection of gimmicky games. However, there is a fair amount of work put into this game that you have to almost admire the amount of effort - I like birds, so it was interesting to learn about the different types being shown in the game. If you are looking for a more serious romance visual novel, this isn't your game. However, if you're looking to kill time for an hour or two on something goofy, this might be up your alley.