One Glimpse of Panties and The World Ends: A Punch Line Review

By Manuel

Players: 1
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, PC (Steam)

Looking older anime-themed games is something of a hobby of mine, as you can often find overlooked gems in the sea of licensed games. Punch Line is a visual novel that also features some adventure game mechanics, and it released quite a while ago on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and PC. We're going to be taking a look at it today on the PlayStation 4, though I might suggest that those interested get the PC release instead. We're getting ahead of ourselves just a little bit though. There's a lot to go over in this one, so let's dive right in!

Punch Line places you in the role of Yuta Iridatsu, a resident of Korai House. Korai House is an apartment building where the main cast live, and where much of the game takes place. There was a time where Yuta was able to go about his life freely, but that all ended when the bus he was riding on was hijacked by a terrorist group known as Qmay. This hijacking also involved a local hero named Strange Juice, and ultimately came to an end when Yuta unlocked a superpower within himself after he caught a glimpse of Strange Juice's panties. Glowing with power, Yuta was able to subdue the terrorist leader, and save everyone. This wasn't exactly a happy ending though, as Yuta found himself totally spent, lying near the water with Strange Juice. He'd then get another look at her panties, and something would fall out of the sky and cause Yuta to pass out. This is where the game actually opens.

Yuta wakes up in a seemingly abandoned room in Korai House, and a cat spirit named Chiranosuke informs him of everything he's missed since the bus incident. It seems that Yuta's spirit has somehow become separated from his body, which still occupies his old room. Who exactly is inside of his body is a matter to be revealed later, but the duo can keep an eye on him thanks to the many cameras Yuta's sister set up in the room. Though they can see him, they can't enter the room as a mysterious force blocks them. Seeking a solution, Chiranosuke tells Yuta of a book known as the "Nandara Gandara" which can be used to reunite his spirit with his body. This book apparently is hidden somewhere in Korai House, but Yuta can't simply grab it due to being a spirit. All is not lost though, as Chiranosuke teaches Yuta how to harness spirit energy to move objects, and influence the world around him. He does this by scaring the other residents of Korai House until he gains an appropriate spirit level that will allow him to perform more complex actions, and then setting off a series of tricks that will set off a chain reaction of events that will get him the book. Things are never simple though, as Yuta still has that problem with seeing panties. It turns out that Yuta can actually end the world if he sees panties twice in a row, and that's a surprisingly easy thing to do when you're a spirit. This is just something he's going to have to overcome though, as he needs that book, and he needs to get his body back.

I'm going to circle back around to discuss more of the plot in just a bit, but I wanted to take a brief look at gameplay first. At its core, Punch Line is a standard visual novel. Unlike most visual novels that have several dialogue choices that move the story one way or another, this plays out mostly in the form of a kinetic novel. That means that choices don't matter all that much, and the story will continually flow on its own. This of course makes sense since Yuta himself rarely has the ability to directly interact with the other residents of Korai House, but it can be a bit disappointing for those looking to shape the story as they see fit. This doesn't mean that there's no player input at all, it just comes in a different form.

The bulk of the actual gameplay is pretty much only present in the trick sections of the game. These play out as minigames where Yuta has the ability to interact with the rooms of each resident of Korai House. His actions are limited, but he can knock over objects, flip switches, and throw things into people's pockets. His abilities grow throughout the game, and more complex actions can be taken before long. Panties are his main enemy though, and a meter will start to fill if he stares at them for too long. Though the game says that it only takes two glances to end the world, it's more of a timed event. There are false actions that can be taken, so it's best to have a plan of sorts before acting. Staring at panties for too long, or simply performing the wrong tricks, will result in a Game Over. Not all is lost though, as you can simply restart the section from the beginning. There is no penalty for failing, and there are actually some benefits to doing so if you're an achievement hunter. It's a really simple system that's easy to understand, but it offers a nice break from the visual novel aspect of the game.

Seeing as I basically explained all you have to know about Punch Line's gameplay, I guess it's time to circle back to the plot. Though the game features a relatively small cast, each of them are fleshed out with lengthy backstories that make them all relevant to the main plot. Mikatan Narugino is an idol who is also the hero Strange Juice, Ito Hikiotani is a video game otaku and a hikikomori, Rabura is an exorcist who doesn't believe in ghosts, and Meika is an inventor and the landlady of Korai House who also serves as the intel behind Strange Juice. There's also Chiranosuke and Yuta themselves, as well as the mysterious person who occupies Yuta's body. Though the main plot seems to be able getting Yuta's spirit back to his former self, there's also the entire Qmay thing too. The game opens with a terrorist attack, and these attacks continue in the background throughout much of the game. It seems that an asteroid is on a collision course with Earth, and Qmay seeks to reveal the conspiracy that surrounds this planet-destroying event. This involves satellite nukes that hopefully will knock the asteroid out of its orbit, a religious cult, a series of US-backed fallout shelters, and more. It's a surprisingly complex plot that still falls back on the panties tropes, but I'm here for it. The plot really kept me invested, and I found the writing to be quite original.

Not only is there the main throughline of the plot engrossing, but the characters are all well-written too. Though Yuta is only able to interact with Chiranosuke for the most part, the other characters have relationships that grow and evolve throughout the course of the game. Mikatan struggles to balance her various activities, and to hide her Tsugaru dialect, Ito secretly keeps a pet bear in her closet that turns out to be tied to everything going on, Rabura tries and fails to get her exorcism jobs off the ground, and Meika just gets herself into the middle of everything. The interactions between the characters can easily turn into fluff and filler, but they never come off that way. The story pacing is tight, and most players will find themselves halfway through the game before they realize it. I beat the game in a couple of marathon sessions, and I had a blast playing it. There is something about the game that I've left out up to now, and I'm sure that there are many of you out there who are wondering why I've yet to mention it.

I went into Punch Line thinking that it was a purely original game, and was quite impressed that it featured fully animated cutscenes. Not only that, but it's structured like an anime too. Each chapter of the game is an "episode", and these even come complete with openings, closings, and mid-breaks. The presentation is spot on, and I felt like the game captured the essence of an anime show perfectly. Then I learned that this game is just an adaptation of an already existing series. I'm sure that there are others out there who knew about the series, but I was not one of them. Despite having several big names involved with the production of the show, I'd never heard of Punch Line before playing the game. Out of curiosity I went and watched the show, and learned that the game is practically one-to-one with its plot. It does add a lot of extra content, mainly involving the relationships between the residents of Korai House, but it retreads much of the same material. This doesn’t have to necessarily be a negative, but it does make the game feel a lot loss original. Also, since it follows the anime plot so closely, there isn't much need to play the game and watch the anime. Most people can get by with one or the other, and that makes justifying Punch Line the video game's existence just a little bit harder. Having said all that, I still think the game is amazing, I just had to adjust my praise for it accordingly.

Considering that Punch Line takes most of its cues from the anime it’s based on, it makes sense that it would be quite impressive visually. These characters and their designs come from an A-list group of designers and studios, so I don't think I have to go into too much detail regarding how great they all look. It even goes above standard visual novels, as the game uses 3D models instead of 2D images. This allows for far more expressive actions, and lets the game recreate scenes in ways that still images simply can't. The game does make use of clips taken directly from the anime, though most of the longer scenes are shown using in-game graphics. Part of me feels that the game would've benefited from more of the latter, as the anime cutscenes often took me out of the game. They're obviously a treat for the eyes, but they just served as a reminder that I was playing a straight video game adaptation of the show. Actually, the cutscenes lead me to the only real complaint I have regarding the visuals. Though many scenes are taken directly from the anime, or recreated using the 3D characters on the 2D backgrounds, others are simply still images with voice and text laid over the top of them. These felt very lazy when compared to the rest of the game, and I have to wonder why the developer chose to go that route for some of the more important cutscenes. I'll admit that it's a small thing to latch onto for a complaint, but it really did bother me while I was playing the game. That small issue aside, I have nothing but praise for the game's visuals.

If there's one single aspect of Punch Line that is near perfect, it would be its sound. The soundtrack features much of the music from the anime itself, and I think has some compositions that can only be found here. I may be wrong on that last part, but I'm not wrong in saying that most, if not all, of the music is composed by Tetsuya Komuro. Explaining who Tetsuya Komuro is to those who aren't familiar with his work is too daunting of a task for this review, but suffice it to say that he is an extremely famous composer, musician, and producer. Seeing him involved in a project like this blows my mind, but I won't look a gift horse in the mouth. Each piece of music in the game is awesome, and they always fit the scene they're in perfectly. It's not just the instrumental music though, as the game also has memorable opening and closing themes too. The opening actually features Shoko Nakagawa and Dempagumi.inc., both of whom are favorites of mine. I literally have no negatives at all when it comes to the music, and that's just one aspect of the sound design.

Those looking for an English dub track might be disappointed to learn that there isn't one here, but the game does feature full voice acting from the Japanese cast. I have a preference for this anyway, so I'm not one to complain. The game is mostly a visual novel, so you'll get all the text translations you need anyway. The anime cutscenes are hard-subbed in English, and there's lots of overlaid text for things that are written in Japanese that help keep the immersion high. The localization is actually pretty spot on and thorough, and that's not something I can say about every game. I did notice a small issue though, as there were a couple sections of spoken dialogue that were left completely untranslated. These all took place whenever characters spoke over a still image of Korai House, so I'm willing to bet that they were somehow overlooked in the localization process. These sections are thankfully both short and rare, so it's not like they're going to be game breaking for those who can't understand them.

Though playing Punch Line today may be a bit difficult since half of the platforms it's on are rather dated, you can still pick it up on Steam, or play it on a PlayStation 5. It comes in at a very reasonable $39.99, and seems to go on sale quite frequently. It took me about 8 hours or so to beat the game, and that was with me skipping some openings and closings here and there, and mostly breezing through the trick gameplay sections. Game time can of course vary due to reading speed, or trouble with the gameplay sections, but you're looking at a decent length ten hour game at the very least. Though it's probably not the most replayable game out there, you do get a lot of bang for your buck. There are achievements to collect, multiple endings to see, and even a gallery of panties to unlock if you choose to give in to those urges. Not only do I think this is a fun game on its own, but it acts as a nice companion piece to the anime. It retreads much of the same material, but there's a lot more character building in the game over the anime. I wouldn't say that it's the perfect replacement for the show itself, but you could actually simply play the game and get the full Punch Line experience if you so desire.

Though it may not be for everyone due to its ecchi content and frequent references to panties, I still say that Punch Line is worth playing today. Choosing a platform to play it on might not be as easy as it was when it was first released, but it's totally still doable. It honestly is worth picking up simply due to the many big names that surround its creation, and it's a wonder that it doesn't seem to be very well-known today. It also has a self-contained story that wraps itself up nicely by the end, so you don't have to worry about getting into a long-running franchise if you choose to play it. There's also so much more to the plot that I didn't get into, and you're sure to fall in love with it like I did. Pick it up now however you can, and thank me later. I'll see you in the next one.

Check Out Punch Line on PlayStation:
https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP4293-CUSA12986_00-PUNCHLINEGAME000

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Story: A+
Gameplay: A
Graphics: A
Music/Sound: A+
Value: A

Overall: A

Pros:
+ A fun and unique visual novel that features a very wacky storyline.
+ The cast of characters is rather small, but each of them are well-developed and the interactions between them drive the game forward.
+ The visuals are all amazing, and the game even incorporates clips from the actual anime it’s based on.
+ Not only is the game fully voiced by the original Japanese cast, but it also has music from the legendary Tetsuya Komuro.
+ Can serve as both a companion piece to the anime, or even a replacement.
+ Fleshes out the story in ways the anime could only dream of, and has a lot of bonus content too.
+ Though priced at $39.99, it seems to go on sale quite frequently.

Cons:
- It mostly retreads material covered in the anime. Those who have already seen it may not find this game as enjoyable as those who haven't.
- The gameplay is very simple, and the visual novel aspects of the game play out more as a kinetic novel than anything else.
- Playing it on a PlayStation console is a bit more challenging these days, though it's still totally doable.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

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What even is this line?!?!

#PunchLine