Video Game Review: Date A Live: Rio Reincarnation

Date A Live: Rio Reincarnation

Idea Factory

Visual Novel

Playstation 4, Xbox One, PC

I like visual novels. Danganronpa and Ace Attorney are both series near and dear to my heart, and I’ve played plenty of others like Long Live the Queen, Hatoful Boyfriend, and Ladykiller in a Bind to name a few. So, while I was fairly unfamiliar with Date A Live prior to Rio Reincarnation’s release, I was excited at the chance to try out a brand new visual novel. Once I found out that Rio Reincarnation was the third game in the series, I realized there was some research I needed to do. Luckily, this game also comes with the original two as well as a “Digest” mode that will bring you up to speed on the previous events of the story. Still, I wanted to review this series as fairly as possible, so I set out to play the original two games before the third. Even this gesture isn’t enough if I want to fully be updated on the lore, as there are light novels that precede the games as well as an anime adaptation of the novels. But at the very least, I can play the games.

Rio Reincarnation picks up directly after the events of Ars Install, seeing protagonist Shido back in the real world, reminiscing on his past experiences. This brief reprieve is interrupted by a sudden shift that places Shido back inside of Eden from Rinne Utopia, as well as bringing Rinne Sonogami and Maria Arusu back to life and into the physical world respectively. On top of this already strange situation, a mysterious child named Rio Sonogami appears.

Rio Reincarnation has a lot going for it in terms of presentation. The game looks great, with its HD character models that move even when idle and basic yet vibrantly illustrated backdrops for each setting. The game is fully voice acted as well, which brings a lot more life to the game and stands it apart from other games that are only partially voiced or not at all. Not only is the game fully voiced, but the voice acting is beautifully done across the board. Even though I’m new to the series, it didn’t take long for me to become endeared to the characters within a short time of playing Rio Reincarnation (before turning it off to start Rinne Utopia…). The soundtrack is also a big positive, with tons of great tunes I find myself humming even when not playing. The music really helps set the atmosphere, and it shines through without overtaking the rest of the situation.

As far as content goes, this is where my negatives start to creep in. While I can appreciate a good dating sim, this game’s plot just wasn’t captivating at all to me. Some people might say “the plot isn’t the point” and, okay, that’s sort of fair. But for me, I need at least the inkling of an interesting story to get me through any experience. Some people might even find this plot interesting or even enjoyable, but to me a lot of the games core ideals are just too off-putting for me to really roll with the story. The sillier, light-hearted moments work well, especially with the ensemble cast of girls. But whenever the plot gets serious or dramatic, it’s really hard for me to commit to the moment (even though I am endeared to some of the characters) because the main character can seal the catastrophic powers of the girls by kissing them.

As far as gameplay is concerned… it’s a light novel. Trying to grade this based off of a platformer would be objectively unfair, so it comes down to this: if you’ve never tried a visual novel, you’ll either love it or hate it. It’s essentially playing a book, with “book” being the operative word. I know that my favorite VNs have more to them than just the novel aspect, but I can’t say that this one did anything wrong. It just didn’t do anything more. However, I will say that it is nice to be able to choose your dating route with whichever girl you want and unlocking unique scenes with each.

The reality of it is if you’re a Date A Live fan, Rio Reincarnation will be right up your alley. It’s another chapter in the Date A Live saga, and I have to say the cast is charming and fun to be around. But for someone outside the fandom, it left a bit to be desired.

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