Swordbreaker The Game review for PS Vita, PS4, Xbox One, Switch

Swordbreaker The Game (no colon in the name, even though it?s crying out for one) isn?t like most visual novels. Most of them — at least in my experience — tend to be either love story or slice of life, usually with a bit of sci-fi and/or mystery thrown in.

Swordbreaker has a bit of sci-fi, and a bit of mystery, but that?s where the similarities end. Instead of the genre?s usual tropes, this is a game where you do come across orcs, giant cockroaches, and succubi. Where you have the option of aligning with an evil necromancer named Belchiflatus (which should also give you an idea of the game?s maturity level). Where, in one of the many branching storylines, you have to choose between going to see Fred Crocker, a doctor who looks exactly like Freddy Krueger, or visiting a gynecologist?s office. Where, for no reason whatsoever, you come across an alien spaceship that crashed into the castle.

And, above all else, where the game strongly encourages you to kill literally everything you come across. It doesn?t matter if they?re good or evil, trying to harm you or trying to help you, it inevitably seems like one of your options is killing whatever or whoever you?ve just met.

Naturally, they can kill you too, which means that nearly every choice you make in this Choose Your Own Adventure-style game is…actually not that far off from the original CYOA books, if my memory serves me correctly.

It goes without saying that the whole thing is pretty silly. But that?s not necessarily a bad thing, given how incredibly serious so many visual novels take themselves. I wouldn?t say that Swordbreaker is a beacon of hilarity or anything, but because it?s not trying to say anything deep or pretend to be more than it is, it?s actually kind of fun.

To be sure, you?ll need to be fond of visual novels if you?re going to play it. No matter how many monsters you slay, you?re still only reading it here, not actually doing anything. But if you?re looking for a visual novel that?s like nothing else the genre has to offer, Swordbreaker The Game may be right up your alley.

Sometimes You provided us with a Swordbreaker The Game PS Vita code for review purposes.