OVERALL IMPRESSION:
Heaven Burns Red is a fun, heavily story based adventure with personality and heart. It features an interesting cast of characters with a storyline that doesn’t take itself too seriously. There are plenty of engaging and heartfelt moments along the way. For a visual novel lover this game can easily be one of the most quirky and engaging stories in the genre. However, for a regular gamer, interest in this title will heavily depend on how you resonate with the characters and story. The main reason to play this game is for the narrative and the interactions of the characters. What holds it back for being a full experience is the repetitive and simple gameplay along with the restrictive gacha elements. For those that prefer a heavy story focus with very light combat, this game delivers.
GAMEPLAY:
Gameplay consists of simple exploration and limited combat. Most of the gameplay is structured around the characters’ daily schedule attending class, training and going on missions. There are simple maps to explore and the combat is turn based. Everything you expect from a traditional turn based game is here (character classes, enemies with weaknesses and shields, gear etc.). Overall, combat is simple to learn and gets repetitive. In the end, it feels like a visual novel that wants some combat elements but didn’t have the chance to fully consider the long term experience for a live service gacha.
STORY:
The story is fun and filled with characters that aren’t afraid to showcase their personality. There’s plenty of drama, tension, jokes and awkward moments. When the story presents options in dialogue, you have some interesting and ridiculous choices. Those that resonate with the characters and story will really enjoy this adventure. However, some elements of the structure of the game revolving around a daily routine can start to feel repetitive. Also, there are sections of chapters that feel they could be much more concise. Pacing and overall chapter duration can become an issue for those not accustomed to slower story telling. Ultimately, there’s an interesting narrative here with surprising moments of heart for those who are patient.
ART & CHARACTER DESIGN:
The overall art direction and character designs match the feel of the story. However, the sheer volume of characters makes it feel like there’s a lot of similarity between units in terms of visual design. This contrasts sharply with their personalities though. Most characters have unique personalities and competent voice acting. This really brings to life most of the units and the main draw of the game is seeing the characters and different personalities interact in ridiculous and over the top moments. Although lacking unique and distinctive features in visual design, the execution of the art is of a high quality and the characters’ personalities are the heart of this game.
MUSIC:
With the main character being a former well known musician, it’s no surprise that the music in this game is great. Some of the best moments in this game are the musical performances. The songs in this title are up there with some of the best in the mobile gacha space. The music definitely adds to the overall high quality feel of the experience.
GACHA:
The gacha elements are one of the features that really hold this title back. When examining gacha it’s important to consider the ability to gain premium currency, the drop rates and any pity systems that are in place in case of bad luck. The most important element is can you get the units you want? Overall, out of all the gacha games I’ve played this is one of the titles where it can be very challenging to pull and get units you want. From what I’ve experienced in the early chapters and observed in other reviews, you won’t be blocked in progressing the story without certain units. However, most of these types of games are fun because you want the ability to acquire and use specific units.
GAME DETAILS
PLATFORMS: Android, IOS, PC
RELEASE: November 2024 (Global)
DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER: Wright Flyer Studios & Key / Yostar
GENRE/TAGS: Visual novel, story focused, turn based combat, RPG
TARGET AUDIENCE: Visual novel lovers
IMAGE CREDITS:
Heaven Burns Red
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