Video Game Review: Raging Loop

Raging Loop

PQube

Genre: Horror, Mystery, Visual Novel

Platform: Nintendo Switch

Seriously, what is it with PQube and visual novels centreing around time loops? Yes, like the games previously reviewed, The 7 Mysteries of Fujisawa and World End Syndrome, this game is also about a protagonist in a new place who gets embroiled in the mysteries of it and must redo events to reach a satisfying conclusion. Raging Loop however is longer, more complex and tonally, much more about philosophy and humanity than the other two games and in this, it is arguably the most powerful of the three.

The game takes place in a remote Japanese village called Yasumizu – a place with few inhabitants and a rather passionate take on religion. Our protagonist, Haruaki Fusaishi, arrives at this village and becomes involved with the people there – initially distrusted as an outsider, he ends up stuck in Yasumizu after a mysterious mist envelops the land and people begin dying. The perpetrators of these deaths are believed to be evil wolf gods who have taken over some of the villagers and aim to kill the others and so a dangerous game of cat and mouse begins to determine who is the real villain. It’s clearly based on Werewolf, the popular tabletop game where players must deduce who is telling the truth and who is lying to find the culprits and it plays off this social interaction well.

Raging Loop is a game that starts off slow – indeed for the first route there is very little agency given to the player as Haruaki is forced to mostly just watch the events unfold, unable to do anything. This changes however later in the game and Haruaki finds himself taking a more pivotal role within the investigation, as he tries to uncover the mysteries behind the village and find a way to save its inhabitants from a bloody end. This involves inevitably, dying a lot, as he tries out various options to succeed – and I’ll stress now that this is a game not for the faint-hearted. Whilst there is very little gore shown on screen, deaths are described in great detail and the content of the plot doesn’t shy away from dark topics. Haruaki himself is not immune to the corruption and taint of the horrific events that take place and certain plot elements are extremely uncomfortable to watch. Whilst first coming across as a player insert character, he gradually shows more sides of his personality, and really surprises the player at times.

More than the other two visual novel games, Raging Loop, has an extremely effective approach to horror and there are some genuinely scary moments throughout caused by the imagery, music, voice acting, and the plot itself. The debates between the village inhabitants as they discuss who the wolves are amongst them is very reminiscent at times of the trials in the Dangan Ronpa games, and the overall vibe is also rather similar to many twists and surprises to the cast. Perhaps it was just the idea around the isolated village and themes of murder and insanity but this game also really reminded me of Higurashi at times, and I mean that in a good way. Both games are surprisingly complex in how they examine the human psyche and the layers of the mystery – Raging Loop is not a light game but a game that really makes you think and work to understand what it’s trying to say.

The time loop mechanic works well, and similar to that of the Zero Escape games, where the protagonist (and you, the player), retains memories throughout the loops and is able to go back to any point in time within the various scenarios through a flow-chart which makes picking up loose ends a lot easier. This is a little confusing however, as after the main routes the game becomes less linear as you search out all answers to the various mysteries needed to reach a true end.

The character designs initially feel a little rough and transitions between scenes can also be a little off at times, but ultimately it felt like the designs fit well with the tone of the story, particularly in the more unsettling scenes. Some of the writing at times was also a little on the cringy side (particularly with Hauraki himself at times), and the game is at times prone to dumping a whole load of exposition on the player at times. Ultimately however this was a satisfying game to play, even if I personally found one of the routes rather uncomfortable to play through.