Little Busters!

Little Busters! is a Japanese visual novel adventure game. The game was developed by one of the most popular developers of this genre - Key - which worked on such classics as Kanon, Air or Clannad.

Plot

We play as Riki Naoe, a teenage Japanese high school student living in a boarding house. Riki is rather short, but he has more in his head than most of his friends. Together with four other students, he forms a group of friends called Little Busters. The game tells the story of everyday school life and youthful romances. As the game progresses, the player will discover that there is something off about the in-game world. The game also covers a number of other serious topics. Riki is an orphan who was saved from total despair by his friends. The other characters also have their own traumas, which they have to face in the course of the story.

Mechanics

Little Busters! is a visual novel adventure game. This means that the fun comes down mainly to passive tracking of the plot. The scenario is very extensive and its size equals that of the longest novels. From time to time, the player has to choose one out of the several available actions. Some of the decisions have a short-term effect, but many of them can direct the plot in different directions. In total, the game contains six main plot paths. After passing them, the seventh one is unlocked, which contains the real ending.

The gameplay in Little Busters is enriched with several mini-games. During the adventure, we have the opportunity to play in battle mode and improve our baseball skills. Both of these activities are related to the mission system, which allows the characters to acquire experience points and collect helpful accessories. However, all this is only a nice addition and does not affect the course of the main story. Traditionalists can even turn off all mini-games in the options.

Technical aspects

Graphically, Little Busters! doesn't deviate from the standards of the genre. The graphics are two-dimensional and full of details but at the same time, they are mostly static without any advanced animations. A great soundtrack composed by Jun Maeda adds to the attractiveness of the game.

Last updated on 07 January 2013