Sunday, November 6, 2022
Genre – Superpowers, Action, Multiple Route Mystery. Play Time – 50 hours. Developer - Akatsuki WORKS. Steam VNDB
It Started With Fire
The
quest for revenge is a time worn tale which has assumed many forms
and is notoriously difficult to get right. It can be a struggle to
get the audience to empathise with a character who is seeking
revenge, especially when they start destroying the lives of others
and potentially killing people. Hello Lady throws its hat into this
complicated ring and presents its answer to this problem through a
merger of mystery, romance and action. The version we have translated
into English is the Complete Edition which includes the base game,
the New Division fandisc and an extra final route. This package leads
to some strange overall narrative quirks, but are its strengths
enough to overcome them and craft a compelling tale of revenge? Let’s
step into the shoes of Narita Shinri and find out.
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| The idea of what it means to be noble is a common motif. |
A Game of Three Parts - Narratives and Themes
Despite
being a merger of three separate sections (Original Game, New
Division and the Final Route) written at different times there is a
surprising level of cohesion between their overall narratives, but
also some strange choices which lead to moments which don’t quite
add up. Each part brings something unique to the table and explores
the world or characters in order to create a complete experience for
the player.
- The Original game -
This
is the first section of the game which the player has access to and it is
here they will spend the majority of their time. It follows a structure of sequentially unlocking routes in order
to control the information given to the player and provide a sense of
progression through the overarching mystery. However, this
results in there being little sense of agency on the part of the
player with the only freedom being given in the very beginning and
even then only in the choice of two routes. As such it falls on the characters
and plot to hold up the narrative and they succeed wonderfully.
Narita Shinri’s pursuit of revenge and how it interacts with each
of the heroines differently makes for a gripping tension as each
brings a unique angle to his quest and calls it into question his
motives. These dynamics are extended to the supporting cast with
Narita having to dance around them in order to conceal his intent
from them and enact his plans. This atmosphere between the characters
is further enhanced by the mystery of the plot as the secrets of the
school and of the world are slowly revealed and play on the sense
that Narita is not in control of the situation.
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| There is a good balance of light and dark moment |
While
the overall story of this section is strong there is an unevenness to
its quality. For example the two initially available routes can feel
like they repeat each other due to them being only able to assume the player
has played the common route before hand. Coupled with this is the sparsity of new plot points for the overall narrative and these
two routes come across as one route’s worth of content split into
two, which is not a great first impression. There are strange quirks
like this all the way through Hello Lady and to top it all off the final route
has an eleventh hour villain who pops up out of nowhere and is
defeated just as quickly. All of these little issues do not detract
from the enjoyment of the game as a whole, but if this was the only
part of the game then it would have scored lower since it can feel as
if it lacks focus.
- New Division -
New
Division consists of two routes which are accessed entirely separately from the original game and as such have no build up to
them as the player is suddenly thrust into the heart of the
narrative. As you might expect this can be a bit disorienting, but it is mitigated by the routes making it clear when they take place in the timeline
of Hello Lady.
The
two routes added are for Kabutoyama Mitori and Hishia Mori who were
previously minor characters and now step into the limelight.
Mitori’s route is the stronger of the two with a heart wrenching
story which not only expands the characters involved but also the
explains some unanswered questions and grows the world building
in interesting ways. It is one of the best routes in the game and
only held back by how it can only build on certain plot points and not
conclude them. On the other hand Hashia’s route is more
uneven. The opening parts of the route repeats information we already
know or could infer as well as containting numerous information dumps about
Hashia’s past with Narita. This leads to it feeling very front
loaded with content and kills any forward momentum the route might have be
able to develop. However, this is balanced out by an extremely
impactful finale where all the build up is turned into payoff with
Narita and Hashia having a joint fight which is not only a spectacle
but also ties their character arcs together. An overall slow route
filled with filler content is ultimately saved by Hello Lady’s
distinctive ability to make every conflict engaging and tense.
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| Everyone has something to hide |
- Final Route -
It
is difficult to say much about this route without spoilers since it acts as a
culmination of all the previous sections. What can be said is that it
is a worthy finale for the whole game and wraps up everything from
character arcs to stray plot points. It also understands that in
order to be a send off for the game it needs to crank things up to
eleven and it does so in a brilliant explosion of action with new
enhanced powers for the entire cast. On top of this it gives much
needed depth to the eleventh hour villain from the original game and
turns them from a cardboard cut-out designed only to be beaten by the
heroes into one of the most interesting characters who wonderfully
ties Narita’s story together. Without this route Hello Lady would
have been a much weaker experience and its presence more than makes
up for the short comings of what came before.
Web Of Liars – Characters
The
cast of Hello Lady covers a variety of roles effectively with
characters switching positions between ally and enemy depending on
the route and events. Their banter and tension does a great deal to
sell the narrative and make each section of the game distinctive.
However, they are not without flaws and there is a particularly
glaring failure to be found.
It
is rare for a visual novel to have a main cast this evenly strong and intriguing to watch dance around their scars and
hopes. Narita is our protagonist and point of view character and
epitomises the game’s standard of characters. He is a complicated
and conflicted person who at once driven by his quest for revenge and
his empathy for those around him. This conflict between his aims and
the new companions he has found forms the strong backbone of each
route's narrative and themes. It is also nice to have a protagonist
who will get things done rather than waiting for the plot to move
them forwards as can be found in many other visual novels.
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| Few things can stop Narita once he gets going |
Of
course the heroines are similarly well written with every one of them
testing a different part of Narita’s motivation. Tamao has a fiery
temperament and is always up to challenge Nartia but similarly to him
genuinely cares about those around her. Sorako indirectly forces
Narita to face his past as well as how his future will be shaped
while she herself finds the inner will to guide her forward. These
are just a couple of examples and from them it is clear the lengths
the developers went to make sure each heroine has not only a function
within Nartia’s overall story but also be compelling in their own
right.
Now
lets address the elephant in the room, Saku. For the majority of the
game she is a strong character and acts as a foil to Narita with her
moral righteousness contrasting with his crookedness. They work well
as a duo to highlight the flaws in each others approaches to life and
their aims which adds to the already dynamic cast interactions.
However, this all goes out of the window once the player enters
Saku’s route. The game becomes obsessed with painting Saku as pure
and true to the point at which they blast way anything previously
interesting about her character and make her flawless. At one point
it looked as if the game was going to have Saku be involved a moral
complicated situation but it back peddles on this plot point and
absolves her of any possible wrong doing. This is all before we reach the
issue of how her power is a deus machina which could solve so many
threats in the narrative if she decided to use it, but of course she
does not so the plot can happen. Overall, this leaves a sour taste in
the mouth and, while the final route does a lot to mitigate this
damage to Saku’s character, it feels like there is a favouritism
towards Saku over everyone else.
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| Saku's perfection detracts from the rest of the cast |
Superpowered Spectacle – Visuals, Audio and Technical
When
it comes to the polish of the moment to moment gameplay, Hello Lady
delivers some noticeable highs within a competently put together
package. The game is not without flaws but it is clear the developers
have an understanding of how to get the most out of their chosen
medium.
Juggling
the different tones and selling them through the visuals is a delicate
affair and one which Hello Lady manages to thread nicely. By
utilising a wide array of colours to complement the type of scene
they are accompanying and makes it clear to the player what emotions
they are trying to invoke. Bright colours and strong still poses show
that you are in a slice of life or romance section, while darker
colours and dynamic stances turn up the heat for an action or
dramatic section. The art style itself is nothing you have not seen
before and utilises a very standard anime aesthetic, but the
developers are comfortable with it and know how to get the most out
of it.
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| While the art style is not original it is used well |
The
audio is a similar story to the visuals. Sound effects are suitably
crunchy but are otherwise unremarkable. However, the music fairs
better with a selection of standout tracks which are excellent to
listen to in their own right and are spaced out throughout the
experience so there is always something new to listen to over the
course of what is a long game. This does not mean the entire
soundtrack is excellent with a lot of the more relaxed tracks being
extremely forgettable and, while not of terrible quality, they do
lessen the quality on offer elsewhere.
On
the technical front, there are some nice touches which elevate the
game and one very questionable choice. For the good features, there
are changing title screens which switch every time you complete a
major section of the game and give a sense of progress for the
player. In addition, Hello Lady is a game which uses both NVL and ADV to
their full effect alongside each other and this merger elevates
scenes and the tone of the game. As for the big misstep, it takes the
from of the choice system and how it add unnecessary confusion. The
choices come in two forms, ones which directly increase a heroines
affection and ones which increase or decrease Narita’s stance
towards the school. Heroine affection choices are the most standard,
pick the option your chosen heroine likes to gain points. This is
made easier by the game including a little picture each heroine on the
options they want picked.
The issues begin to appear when you factor
in the choices which effect Narita’s feelings towards the school.
Some heroine routes require a certain stance towards the school by
Narita while others do not care about it and there is no way to know
outside of trial and error which ones want what stance. This leads to a lot of confusion for the player with
them repeatedly having to go through the common route and test various combinations of choices to see what gets them on a route. As you
can imagine this is a frustrating experience and not conducive to
keeping the player engaged. To top it all off the routes do not in
any way recognise the stance of Narita based on these choices and
just focus on the heroine leading you to question why they even exist.
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| The choice system is needlessly confusing |
Verdict – 9/10 -
While there is an unevenness to Hello Lady's quality, it is ultimately an extremely compelling package which keeps you engaged with revenge and mystery and plays on your feelings for its characters.
Pros and Cons -
Pros -
+
A compelling overarching mystery and an emotive tale of revenge form
an exceptionally strong narrative core.
+
Having proactive and morally questionable protagonist with a drive to
get what he wants is a breath of fresh air.
+
The various and competing desires of the cast make for some tense and
heart-warming moments.
+
Careful use of visuals and audio alongside an understanding of how to
get the most out of the medium allow each scene to shine.
Cons -
-
The quality of the narrative is uneven with some sections being
stronger than others, which is not helped by the game being a messy
merger of three different games.
-
One of the most nonsensical choice systems in any visual novel.
-
Saku is favoured too much by the writers to the point at which she
barely has any flaws and is far too virtuous.
-
Certain plot points are not developed properly or given space to
breath, most noticeably the original game’s eleventh hour villain.
