Punch Line
Release Date: August 31, 2018
Adventure, fantasy, puzzle elements, manga and anime, visual novel, singleplayer
OpenCritic
Steam
A visual novel, in which the player embodies the spirit of a high school student. The hero of Punch Line must find a way to return to his body while being careful not to look at the underwear of his female friends and high school teens. Otherwise, he will bring an apocalypse to Earth.
Punch Line is an adventure game with visual novel elements. The game was developed by Studio 5pb and is based on anime series under the same title. The production process was supervised by Kotaro Uchikoshi, whose portfolio includes the popular Zero Escape trilogy.
Plot
The plot of Punch Line is.... original. The main character is Yuuta Iridatsu, a high school student obsessed with women's underwear. His life takes an unexpected turn when he is transformed into a spirit as a result of an accident. Although this form can be used without any consequences to watch the world, he quickly discovers that the more excited he gets about seeing women's panties, the closer an asteroid gets to Earth; a collision would undoubtedly lead to the extinction of the entire population. The matter is further complicated by the fact that Yuuta is stuck in a house inhabited by his female friends, which means that he has to be constantly be on guard.
Mechanics
In Punch Line your task is to conduct an investigation, as a result of which Yuuta could not only return to his body, but also discover the reasons why his tastes can bring an apocalypse into the world. You have to solve environmental riddles and develop the skills of main protagonist who is a kind of poltergeist. Although initially the hero can only move or drop objects, over time he acquires the ability to take control of other people and even turn back time in order to prevent tragic events. An important role is also played by other talking NPC's and heroes, such as a male cat which helps your cause.
Technical aspects
The Punch Line graphical design has been maintained in manga style. The whole combines two-dimensional elements (like sprites of characters we talk to), with a three-dimensional environment in which puzzles are embedded.
Videos and Screens
Push Square: 7 / 10 by Jenny Jones
Punch Line has a completely bonkers but utterly engrossing storyline. Its quirky cast of characters are incredibly captivating and it's easy to fall in love with all of them. The puzzles are a bit too easy but that just makes it quicker to get back to the thrilling story.
TheSixthAxis: 5 / 10 by Miguel Moran
I often feel like video game adaptations of anime are great entry points for people unfamiliar with the source material. Punch Line, however, is hard for me to recommend to anyone but the most hardcore fans of the original anime. While this game has interesting ideas that approach the same genre as cult-classic Ghost Trick, the sloppy presentation and pacing make it more of a chore than a pleasure to play through. A lot of the appeal of the original anime has also been lost in the switch of mediums. Fans of the anime will likely get enjoyment out of the new stories and beautiful character models. Anyone else is better off starting with the original television series or simply avoiding Punch Line altogether.
PlayStation Universe: 8.5 / 10 by Garri Bagdasarov
Punch Line tells a fantastic story amidst all the chaos that takes place. It may seem pervy from its advertisements but there is a charming experience here that you will surely remember.
Punch Line Summary
Platforms:
PC Windows May 23, 2019
PlayStation Vita August 31, 2018
PlayStation 4 August 31, 2018
Punch Line System Requirements
PC / Windows
Minimum: Intel Core i5-4670 3.4 GHz / AMD FX-8350 4.0 GHz, 4 GB RAM, graphic card 4 GB GeForce GTX 970 / Radeon RX 570 or better, 11 GB HDD, Windows 7/8.1/10
Recommended: Intel Core i5-4670 3.4 GHz / AMD FX-8350 4.0 GHz, 8 GB RAM, graphic card 8 GB GeForce GTX 1080 / Radeon RX 480 or better, 11 GB HDD, Windows 7/8.1/10 64-bit