The Hundred Line’s Script Is Long Enough To Print 60 Paperback Novels

According to its director, at least

• by Ollie Reynolds Yesterday, 1:15pm

The Hundred Line – Last Defense Academy is out now on Nintendo Switch and, by all accounts, it stands as one of the best games from directors Kazutaka Kodaka and Kotaro Uchikoshi.

It’s a pretty hefty title, too, boasting 100 unique endings with more narrative twists and turns than your average George R. R. Martin book. As such, a recent Denfaminicogamer interview (thanks, Automaton) with Kodaka and voice actors Taihi Kimura (Takumi Sumino) and Tomoyo Kurosawa (Nozomi Kirifuji / Kashimiya Karua) reveals just how extensive the script really is.

According to Kodaka, he was urged by translators to reduce the script after it reached around 5 million characters, and although he was initially successful in doing so, new narrative threads meant that the full script wound up being even longer at 6 million. He says that this would essentially equate to around 60 paperback books.

Kurosawa then joked that if she’d received the script back before the digital days, she’d be dealing with mountains of paper. She also notes that because the game felt so extensive, she had to frequently check in with the directors as to which storyline path was occurring, which characters were alive and which were dead, and the relationships between the characters before she could begin acting it out.

Kodaka doesn’t want people to feel overwhelmed by the game, however, and has stressed on social media that players shouldn’t feel obliged to see every ending:

“Don’t force yourself to do everything, and if along the way you think “this isn’t right,” try making different choices, and when you find a goal that satisfies you, that’s the end. Then, if a friend tells you a recommended route, try it again…feel free to give it a try and have fun in that way.”

We gave The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy a score of 9/10 in our recent review and said that “A well-written and compelling story, strong and strategic gameplay, attractive art style, and passionate VA work all come together to make for a comprehensive experience that you won’t want to miss”.

However, developer Too Kyo Games is still apparently “on the brink of going under” after taking out a loan to help with the production. As such, there are currently no plans to port the game to other consoles.

Have you come close to completing The Hundred Line yet? Let us know how you’re getting on with a comment down below.