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Backstage Pass

87%Game Brain Score
story, graphics
grinding, stability
87% User Score Based on 478 reviews

Platforms

Mac OSMac OSPCPCWindowsWindowsLinuxLinux
Buy Nowfrom $4.85
Buy NowGet on Steam$29.99

About

"Backstage Pass" is a visual novel/sim game that follows Sian, a makeup artist's daughter, as she navigates the world of showbiz. With fully voiced characters and over 15 unique endings, players must help Sian balance her schoolwork, career, and romantic life while working with various talents in the entertainment industry. The choices made will determine Sian's path and her future in the unpredictable world of showbiz.

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
Backstage Pass screenshot
Backstage Pass screenshot
Backstage Pass screenshot
Backstage Pass screenshot
Backstage Pass screenshot
Backstage Pass screenshot
Backstage Pass screenshot

87%
Audience ScoreBased on 478 reviews
story114 positive mentions
grinding38 negative mentions
  • The game features beautiful artwork and well-designed characters, making it visually appealing.
  • The storyline is engaging, with multiple endings and character routes that provide replayability.
  • The game includes a relatable protagonist who deals with social anxiety, adding depth to the narrative.
  • The stat-raising mechanics can become tedious and may require extensive trial and error to achieve desired endings.
  • Some players have reported bugs and issues with the game, particularly with loading saves and missing audio.
  • The game is still in early access, leading to concerns about its completion and the value for the current price.
  • story
    324 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story in this game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its engaging characters and well-developed narratives, while others criticize the focus on stat management that detracts from the storytelling experience. Many found the plot to be somewhat bland or lacking depth, particularly in comparison to the game's visual and audio quality. Overall, while the game offers a variety of endings and character arcs, the balance between gameplay mechanics and narrative depth remains a point of contention among players.

    • “The story is interesting, the characters are really well developed and believable, and the dialogues were fun to read.”
    • “The story was what kept me going through the stat raising torture, and the art style, and the voice actors.”
    • “Great story writing, a very charming and likeable protagonist, and the ability to not just cultivate relationships with the main romances but also friendships as well; there are some otome games where it's very 'insta-love' and this is not one of those games.”
    • “The plot was extremely boring and the guys didn't stir up almost any emotions in me.”
    • “The story is too short for that price.”
    • “I think the story part itself is just wayyy too short for me to feel close to the characters; just skipping through dates with all the same text didn't feel like actually spending time with them, I expected more romance scenes outside of the dates you do as a chore.”
  • graphics
    104 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics in "Backstage Pass" are widely praised for their beauty and quality, featuring a charming art style and over 80 collectible CGs that enhance the storytelling experience. While many reviewers appreciate the visuals and voice acting, some note inconsistencies in art style and quality between different elements of the game. Overall, the artwork is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal and replayability.

    • “The graphics add a lot to the story.”
    • “The artwork is beautiful, drawing inspiration from Japanese sources while adding a nice touch of Western flavor, and some of the CGs are simply gorgeous.”
    • “The game has really great graphics, interesting storylines, intriguing characters, and an easy-to-use stats control system.”
    • “Initially, I was unsure about the art style of Backstage Pass, and some CGs do look a bit strange with regards to proportionality.”
    • “Between this and the inconsistent art style between sprites and CGs, it feels that all of their money went to hiring Studio Deen for the anime opening.”
    • “There are a number of collectible graphics, or CGs, that require players to replay scenes over and over to get all of the possible variations.”
  • gameplay
    80 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay is a blend of romance, stat-raising, and decision-making, offering around 20-80 hours of playtime depending on completionist tendencies. While some players appreciate the engaging mechanics and character interactions, many find the gameplay repetitive and tedious, with convoluted systems that can detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game is seen as enjoyable but marred by its lengthy and sometimes frustrating gameplay elements.

    • “It's a mix of romance, stat-raising, and decision-making, and it took me around 20-25 hours of gameplay to find a bunch of endings (still haven't finished all the routes).”
    • “The gameplay is well thought out so that you can earn heart/star points through different means.”
    • “If you like visual novels it may seem expensive but the branching, length, quality of the gameplay, visuals, audio and replay value is amazing and so worth it.”
    • “Then when it comes to the romance/friendship aspect, the bland plot and the focus on stat raising mean you don't really get a lot of either. Unless you're lucky enough to dedicate a lot of time to fully playing a route or recording the gameplay to analyze it, it's not that fun.”
    • “The gameplay can be quite repetitive at times, and after replaying a playthrough, I remember why I have a dull impression of this game: the gameplay is unremarkable and consumes the largest part of the experience.”
    • “The gameplay quickly becomes repetitive and mindless, and the mechanics are very convoluted, requiring a guide to figure out.”
  • music
    74 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is generally praised for its beauty and soothing quality, with many reviewers noting that it complements the vibrant art and character personalities well. However, some players found the music to be repetitive or too loud, leading them to mute it after a few playthroughs. Overall, while the soundtrack is considered decent and well-produced, opinions vary on its repetitiveness and volume control.

    • “The music is just... it's hard to describe it as anything but gorgeous and very soothing.”
    • “The characters are amazing, the music is perfectly matched, and the storyline is well written and carried out amazingly with the voice actors.”
    • “The writing, art, voice acting, sound, and music production was very well executed.”
    • “The music is repetitive that I muted it after 2 playthroughs.”
    • “The music gets very grating very quickly.”
    • “The music in this game is fairly well done, but one thing that I personally believe is that the music cannot actually be turned down low enough without being fully mute.”
  • replayability
    48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game boasts high replayability, with numerous endings and secret routes that encourage players to explore different storylines and character interactions. Many reviewers highlight the compelling characters and well-designed artwork, which enhance the overall experience and make the game worth revisiting. Overall, players find the replay value significant, with some noting it as "infinitely replayable" due to the variety of content available.

    • “It has plenty of replay value; it gives you plenty to do, plenty of routes and endings.”
    • “The artwork is very well-done, the game itself is well-designed, and it offers hours of replayability with many endings that go beyond 'good ending' or 'bad ending'.”
    • “This gives the game so much replayability as you want to figure out all the extra endings and get the scenes you were unable to get prior.”
    • “The replay value is high, since there are many different endings you can strive for.”
    • “With all of those endings, I think it’s got enough replayability (especially after the final version with voices gets updated) to make it worth the price.”
  • grinding
    38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The grinding aspect of the game has been widely criticized for being tedious and repetitive, with many players expressing frustration over the stat-raising mechanics and calendar planning. Users noted that the need for meticulous management and the potential for missed opportunities often led to excessive restarting, detracting from the overall enjoyment. While some appreciated the strategic elements of stat raising, the overwhelming sentiment is that it becomes a burdensome grind that overshadows the game's narrative potential.

    • “The game is extremely tedious; I had to push through it most of the time with lots of saves and skipping due to mistakes in stat raising. Missing something in a week causes you to restart, so it's good to make saves before every month in case you mess up. Believe me, I restarted a new game over 30 times already... it was painful.”
    • “I was really hoping for more story instead of mindlessly grinding to get the character of your choice, or finding out the hard way that you had to be close enough to someone before a certain date to even get started with them.”
    • “Not to mention how tedious and repetitive the game process of stat raising was.”
  • humor
    32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is widely praised, with players enjoying its clever writing and funny character interactions that elicit genuine laughter. Many found the storylines to be both cute and amusing, particularly highlighting memorable moments and unique characters that contribute to the overall charm. While some noted the romance could be overly innocent, the comedic elements consistently provided entertainment throughout various routes.

    • “It's worth the hours you put in to enjoy a beautiful and funny storyline!”
    • “Dude, Benito is the smoothest guy in this game; I totally didn't see anything he did coming, and it's hilarious.”
    • “I found the characters to be really well written, and I found myself smiling and laughing along with happy moments and jokes alike.”
  • character development
    12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the character development in the game is praised for its colorful designs, engaging personalities, and well-crafted storylines, contributing to a visually appealing and immersive experience. While some cutscenes may distort character appearances, the majority of feedback highlights the beauty of the art and the effectiveness of voice acting, enhancing the overall charm of the characters.

    • “It has well-written and interesting storylines, good character design, beautiful art, and great voice acting.”
    • “The stories are cute and funny, and the character designs are all very pretty.”
    • “Ultimately, the colorful character designs and scene choices are done really well with respect to the game setting.”
  • emotional
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of the game is mixed; while some characters, like John, can be perceived as emotionally distant or disappointing, others offer depth through innovative storylines that address mental health and personal conflicts. Players appreciate the effort to engage with romance through stat-raising mechanics, though some find certain character dynamics, like Sian's motherly demeanor, to be uncomfortable. Overall, the emotional engagement varies significantly across different routes and character interactions.

    • “Though, John's a bit of a jerk in other routes, but he's so wholesome in his own route.”
    • “I still don’t really like the RNG nature of stat raising, but I did like how it made me feel I was actually working to impress the romance interests.”
    • “Also, some of the side character storylines are really innovative, touching upon mental health issues, career conflicts of interest, etc. Looking forward to what Sakevisual does next!”
  • stability
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game suffers from notable stability issues, with users reporting various bugs that hinder gameplay, such as unreadable emails and unplayable opening videos. These technical flaws significantly detract from the overall experience.

    • “The biggest flaw of the game was probably that it was a bit buggy.”
    • “A bit buggy though, I could not read the emails in the slightest and I could not watch the opening video, but the music still played.”
  • optimization
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The reviews do not provide specific feedback on the game's optimization, focusing instead on the quality of the voice acting. Therefore, there is no information available regarding the optimization aspect.

Buy Backstage Pass

11h Median play time
13h Average play time
7-25h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 14 analyzed playthroughs

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