Opinion: Not Enough People Are Talking About This Early GOTY Contender

Alert: This piece explores spoiler-laden content for The Hundred Line – Last Defense Academy. If you haven’t experienced the game yet and prefer to keep it unspoiled, we suggest returning at a later date…

Prior to playing The Hundred Line – Last Defense Academy, I would have claimed I’m not particularly keen on tactical RPGs. In fact, I still hesitate to label myself a ‘fan’ of the genre; perhaps one game isn’t enough to shift my perspective that drastically. However, The Hundred Line? Absolutely, I’m an enthusiast of The Hundred Line.

In truth, it’s easily my Game of the Year thus far, and even with the Switch 2 looming, it’ll require something truly exceptional to dethrone it. Mitch rated it ‘Excellent’ with a 9/10 in our critique, but what he didn’t address – what he couldn’t touch on without revealing too much – is just how incredibly ambitious Too Kyo Games’ visual novel / tactical RPG fusion genuinely is.

So, if you’re cautious about spoilers and wish to experience this one with a clean slate, consider this your final warning. We’re diving in, everyone.

Before I leap directly into what is undoubtedly The Major Twist™, I want to first highlight the fantastic array of characters. Much like Danganronpa prior, the entire concept of The Hundred Line — surviving and defending your school from invaders over the span of one hundred days — would have flopped without the presence of Takumi Sumino, Darumi Amemiya, Shouma Ginzaki, Nozomi Kirifuji, and the rest of those charming misfits.

Character development is truly where directors Kazutaka Kodaka and Kotaro Uchikoshi excel the most. They managed to make each member of the ‘Special Defense Unit’ entirely distinctive and remarkable in their own manner.

Consider Tsubasa Kawana, for example. Whenever she finds herself in a high-pressure scenario, she instantly feels queasy, providing some delightful comedic relief. I lost track of how many times I chuckled each time the narrative took a grim turn, and the focus shifted to Tsubasa audibly dry heaving.

Alongside the humor, we also uncover much about Tsubasa’s history, including her fascination with machinery, nurtured by fixing automobiles with her grandfather during her childhood. Similar deep explorations reveal themselves for every character, leading us to grasp the possible origins of their various eccentricities. Even total twits like Ima Tsukumo, whose obsessive loyalty to his ‘Beloved Sister’ Kako raises alarm bells, secured his own moment of redemption through both his backstory and the direction the plot takes.

By the time I reached the finale, I truly didn’t want the game to conclude. I had grown fond of these characters, and a couple of significant losses genuinely brought tears to my eyes in the concluding chapters; something no previous game had managed to achieve. Couldn’t I just continue on? Just for a little longer..?

Well, here’s the twist: it didn’t conclude.

As you approach the final days in the core hundred-day timeline, you find that through powers attained via absorbing your foes, protagonist Takumi can actually rewind to day one and replay the entire thing again. But this time, you’re free to make substantial alterations to the narrative and steer toward one of potentially a hundred different conclusions. Whoa – hold my drink, Nier Automata!

I understand what you might be thinking, and no, you don’t have to replay the entire game a hundred times. Essentially, the story can diverge into various different paths, each with numerous potential endings, and the game even allows you to jump back to specific days to modify your choices and change the story’s trajectory.

Some endings may be exceedingly brief, while others are a bit more extensive… some good, and some very unfortunate. One might see you transform into the antagonist of the narrative, while another may have the endearing, faithful samurai Kyoshika Magadori being consumed by your zombified companions. The assortment of paths is simply outrageous, and unearthing each one is a delight.

These are merely a couple of the more, shall we say, ‘minor’ potential endings. I won’t delve into those that might genuinely spoil the overarching narrative; even if you’re still with me at this juncture, I want you to experience The Hundred Line’s storyline on your own terms. It’s safe to say, however, that the journey through those initial one hundred days could undoubtedly be seen as a ‘prologue’, even though it stands solidly as an engaging story in its own right with a beginning, middle, and conclusion.

So you can certainly stop there and enjoy a splendid time, but if you’re seeking something a bit more daring — something that throws the established rules out the window — I’d encourage you to continue and discover exactly what The Hundred Line has in store. It’s simply incredible.

There are countless reasons why I adore this game. I relish figuring out what activities to pursue during ‘free time’ sessions where you can either converse with your fellow students, explore the world in a board-game-inspired minigame, or dive straight into a few battle simulations to potentially enhance your abilities.

The most surprising aspect for me, however, was how much I appreciated the battle system itself. As I mentioned at the outset, I’m generally not one for tactical RPGs, but The Hundred Line’s turn-based framework works exceptionally well. I often find myself overwhelmed when it comes to deciding how to engage in tactical gameplay: how do these characters operate? Why can’t I move more than two spaces? Just what am I expected to do?

The Hundred Line simplified everything, and it’s once again thanks to the extraordinarily unique and diverse cast. Their artistic designs make it easy to distinguish between each one, and it only took a handful of battles before I had memorized their strengths and weaknesses, along with how their attacks unfold on the battlefield. It reached the point where, after a number of quiet days filled with ‘free time’, the warbling alarm signaling an impending battle filled me with anticipation.

Most of the battles felt manageable, and I never felt entirely powerless against the swarms of invaders, though there were a few that I unfortunately botched straight away and lost within just a few minutes. In those cases, the game provides the option to retry the battle with considerable boosts to your forces, instantly granting you a 300% ‘voltage’ (which essentially offers you three uses of your extremely powerful special attacks) and replenishing your squad’s health. Is it cheating? Perhaps, I suppose… But it also makes the game significantly more welcoming for tactical newcomers like myself.

I cherish the Danganronpa series. I think they’re exceptional games that remain just as captivating now as they were when first released, and without Danganronpa, I doubt The Hundred Line would even exist. I must be honest with myself, though… The Hundred Line surpasses it. It’s a masterpiece.

Co-director Kazutaka Kodaka has recently confirmed that the game is “performing well,” but I still feel as though not enough individuals are discussing it. I suspect, however, that as the years progress and more people experience it through word of mouth, it’ll be remembered as one of the finest visual novels of all time. There’s truly nothing else that compares.

Have you played through The Hundred Line – Last Defense Academy yet? What are your thoughts? Do you have a favorite character / ending? Share your insights in the usual comment section.