Backstage Pass
- August 22, 2016
- sakevisual
- 9h median play time
Get on Steam"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.
Mac OS
PC
Linux
Reviews
- The game features beautiful artwork and well-designed characters, making it visually appealing.
- The storylines are engaging and offer a variety of routes and endings, providing good replay value.
- The game includes interesting mechanics like stat management and outfit customization, adding depth to the gameplay.
- The stat-raising mechanics can become tedious and may frustrate players who prefer a more straightforward narrative.
- Many players have reported bugs and issues, particularly with loading saves and missing events, which can disrupt the experience.
- The game is still in early access, leading to concerns about its completion and the value for the current price.
- story115 mentions
- 34 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the well-developed characters and engaging plotlines, while others feel the narrative is too short and overshadowed by tedious stat management mechanics. Many users noted that the story can be enjoyable and relatable, but the pacing and repetitive gameplay detract from the overall experience. Overall, while the art and voice acting are praised, the story's depth and length leave some players wanting more.
“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.”
“The storylines are engaging (to the extent where at times I had 'heart in mouth' moments), the art is impeccable and the characters are very well rounded and believable.”
“A lot of your time is spent clicking endlessly to advance the time with nothing happening to advance the story in any way.”
“The plot was extremely boring and the guys didn't stir up almost any emotions in me.”
“Not to say that all games have to have a complicated story, but when playing a visual novel type game where the focus is the story, it feels a little lacking.”
- graphics41 mentions
- 68 % positive mentions
- 24 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beautiful artwork and engaging art style, with many reviewers noting the high quality of character designs and visuals. However, some criticism arises from inconsistencies in the art style between different elements, such as sprites and CGs. Overall, the visuals, combined with good voice acting, contribute significantly to the game's appeal, despite some players feeling that the graphics alone do not define the overall experience.
“The graphics are amazing, the character's CGs are totally fangirl worthy, and I actually do enjoy the gameplay of it.”
“The artwork is beautiful and the music is pretty decent.”
“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'.”
“Initially, I was unsure about the art style of the game, 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.”
“Very inconsistent art style.”
- gameplay27 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is a mix of stat-raising and choice-based mechanics, which some players find engaging and fun, while others criticize it for being convoluted and repetitive. Many users appreciate the depth added by the stat mechanics, though they can be tedious and time-consuming, leading to frustration. Overall, the game offers a decent amount of content and enjoyable moments, but its complexity and length may deter some players.
“The gameplay is well thought out so that you can earn heart/star points through different means.”
“Fun, engaging stat-raising gameplay.”
“If you like visual novels, the branching, length, quality of the gameplay, visuals, audio, and replay value is amazing and so worth it.”
“Stat raising took too much time (10 hours of gameplay, while the whole plot/story reading would probably just be an hour, more or less).”
“The gameplay quickly becomes repetitive and mindless.”
“It's very full on and at times frustrating trying to learn the mechanics for the game.”
- music24 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its beauty and relaxing qualities, while others find it repetitive or too loud. Some users enjoyed the catchy tunes and high production values, but a few noted that the music can become grating after extended play. Overall, the soundtrack enhances the experience, though adjustments to volume control and variety during events are suggested.
“The music was also beautiful.”
“Good music that doesn't get repetitive.”
“The music and the art is beautiful.”
“The music is repetitive, and I muted it after 2 playthroughs.”
“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.”
“The music gets very grating very quickly.”
- replayability20 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The game boasts high replayability due to its numerous characters, multiple endings, and secret routes, encouraging players to explore different storylines and outcomes. Many reviewers highlight the engaging narratives and quality design, making it a worthwhile experience for those who enjoy visual novels. Overall, players find the replay value to be significant, justifying the game's price with its extensive content.
“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.”
“Can tell there will be a lot of replayability to get all the different endings.”
- grinding13 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game has been widely criticized for being tedious and repetitive, with players expressing frustration over the extensive stat-raising and calendar management required. Many reviewers noted that the need for meticulous planning and frequent saves to avoid losing progress detracted from the overall enjoyment, making the experience feel more like a chore than engaging gameplay. While some appreciated the strategic elements of stat management, the overwhelming grind often overshadowed the game's potential for storytelling and character development.
“The stat raising and calendar planning got too tedious that it ruined the game experience for me.”
“In practice, it just leads to a lot of unnecessary grinding.”
“The game is... extremely tedious. I had to push through it most of the time and lots of saves, and lots of skipping because of accidental mistakes in stat raising, or missing something in a week causes you to restart. It's good to make saves before every month in case you mess up and you don't want to restart the entire game (believe me, I restarted a new game like... over 30 times already... it was painful).”
- humor12 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised, with players enjoying the unique and well-written characters that elicit genuine laughter and smiles. Many found the stories and character interactions to be cute and funny, with standout moments that had them laughing out loud, particularly in specific character routes. Overall, the blend of charm and humor adds a delightful layer to the gameplay experience.
“The characters were enjoyable and unique, being fun, funny, and serious all in their own way.”
“Dude, Benito is the smoothest guy in this game; I totally didn't see anything he did coming, and it's hilarious.”
“It was hard to get a good ending, but oh my god, a certain 'conversation' had me laughing hysterically.”
- character development4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is praised for its colorful designs, engaging storylines, and high-quality voice acting, contributing to a visually appealing and immersive experience. While most character portrayals are attractive and well-executed, a few cutscenes feature distorted facial representations that detract from the overall quality. Overall, the character design and development are considered strong points of the game.
“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.”
“However, ultimately the colorful character designs and scene choices are done really well with respect to the game setting.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by the contrast in character portrayals, particularly with John, who is seen as both flawed and wholesome depending on the route. Players appreciate the effort required to impress romance interests, which enhances emotional investment, while innovative side character storylines addressing mental health and career conflicts add depth and resonance to the overall experience.
“Though John's a bit of a jerk in other routes, 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.”
“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!”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game has been criticized for its stability, with users reporting various bugs that hinder gameplay, such as unreadable emails and issues with the opening video. Overall, these stability problems detract from the overall experience.
“The biggest flaw of the game was probably that it was a bit buggy.”
“It was a bit buggy; I could not read the emails at all, and I couldn't watch the opening video, although the music still played.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game is positively highlighted through the exceptional performances of the voice actors, who bring significant emotional depth to the experience.
