BAD END

82%
Game Brain Score Based on 239 reviews
  • story
  • music
  • graphics
BAD END Game Cover
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In "Bad End," mobile Visual Novel game rumors claim that players will die in real life if they make the wrong decisions. When Kyuuhei's best friend dies under mysterious circumstances, he becomes determined to uncover the truth behind the game. Driven to find out what happened, Kyuuhei decides to play "BAD END" himself, risking his life to solve the game's mystery. The game is available in Japanese, English, German, Spanish, and French.

  • iPad
  • iPhone
  • PC
  • Phone
  • Windows
  • Mobile Platform
  • Tablet
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

82%
Audience ScoreBased on 239 reviews
story86 positive mentions
gameplay3 negative mentions
  • Engaging story with multiple endings that keeps players interested.
  • Decent artwork and character designs that enhance the visual experience.
  • Affordable price point makes it accessible for casual gamers.
  • Predictable plot with cliché elements that may disappoint seasoned visual novel fans.
  • Short playtime, making it feel less substantial for those seeking a longer experience.
  • Some translation errors and awkward dialogue that detract from the overall immersion.
  • story248 mentions

    The story of "Bad End" is a mixed bag, with many reviewers noting its cliché elements and predictability, yet some found it engaging and entertaining. While the premise of a mobile game that kills players in real life is intriguing, the execution often falls short, with shallow characters and a straightforward plot that lacks depth. Despite its flaws, the game offers a decent narrative experience with multiple endings, appealing primarily to fans of the visual novel genre.

    • “The story is a bit ridiculous at some points, but it was entertaining enough to keep me going to the end.”
    • “The narrative is nice, the dialogues are right to the point and keep the plot flowing.”
    • “I absolutely loved the story; even with a few typos, it wasn't enough to take me out of the experience.”
    • “The story is cliché and while I did not see the main ending coming, it is still pretty obvious in the end.”
    • “Very shallow story, very shallow characters.”
    • “The story offers no surprises and the supposed big twist is painfully obvious.”
  • music50 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its ability to enhance the atmosphere and fit the game's themes, while others criticize it for being generic, repetitive, or poorly matched to key scenes. Several reviewers noted that the soundtrack has potential but could benefit from more variety and originality, as some tracks felt jarring or distracting. Overall, while the music contributes positively to the experience for some, it falls short for others, leading to a somewhat divided reception.

    • “I love the art style, the music, and the characters; they all have their place in this awesome world.”
    • “The music fits very well, and the artwork is nice.”
    • “The horror element is articulated well by the music, and relies more on mystery and suspense instead of jump scares.”
    • “Game uses generic music obtained from online sources.”
    • “Some soundtracks didn’t really fit the mood and were painful to listen to.”
    • “The music is irritating and runs in short loops, the translation is awful, the story is ridiculous, and the characters are prone to saying things like 'so yeah anyway I'm gonna go' immediately after what is clearly meant to be an emotionally charged scene.”
  • graphics33 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the beautiful artwork and clean art style, while others find the visuals to be average or unremarkable. Some users appreciate the immersive quality of the visuals despite their limitations, but note that the lack of variety in death screens and repetitive graphics detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the art style is generally well-received, contributing positively to the game's atmosphere.

    • “The artwork is very pretty and very enjoyable.”
    • “The graphics are honestly really well done.”
    • “Add in the gorgeous artwork and you've got a highly enjoyable way to pass a couple of hours.”
    • “No artwork, just a plain text explanation of the death.”
    • “The death screens were usually blank with no visuals (except some of them, and those were replicas of each other), and there were only a couple of background music and sound effects, which was a bummer, really.”
    • “The visuals are okay, but unremarkable.”
  • gameplay18 mentions

    The gameplay of "Bad End" is characterized as a traditional visual novel experience, focusing on reading and making choices to explore multiple endings. While the gameplay is generally smooth and atmospheric, some users noted issues such as text skipping and the inconvenience of restarting from the beginning after dying. Overall, players found the gameplay enjoyable and worth the price, despite its brevity and minor glitches.

    • “The gameplay is really fair; unlimited saves and the skip text feature makes correcting mistakes or bad choices fixable in a matter of minutes.”
    • “However, the game is so good you can forget about any minor issues just by focusing on the gameplay.”
    • “One big issue I had with the gameplay was that once you die, you either start over completely from the beginning of the entire game and have to hold down your mouse for literal ages (and re-choose from previous dialogues), or you have to start from where you left off at the last save point.”
    • “Due to it being a visual novel, there isn’t much in terms of gameplay apart from picking different choices and seeing what ending you get.”
    • “The gameplay is a standard visual novel, text speed can be set from slow reading to instant text, nicely working text log, no voice acting, and thankfully a skip function in case you die and have to repeat sections.”
  • humor11 mentions

    The humor in "Bad End" is largely unintentional, stemming from translation errors and hammy dialogue that often leads to amusing moments. While some of the writing is genuinely funny, the frequent typos and character quirks contribute to a comedic experience that enhances the overall enjoyment, making it a worthwhile endeavor for players seeking lightheartedness amidst the horror.

    • “The writing is funny, but sometimes it wasn't meant to be ;)”
    • “The achievements all read 'bad' in big red letters, which is pretty funny.”
    • “It's unintentionally funny, there are quite a few hiccups in the translation (my personal favorites being 'mean't' and 'it isn't worth throwing my life away over something like that'), and Kyuuhei is sometimes painfully oblivious.”
  • character development6 mentions

    Character development in the game is generally viewed as decent but lacks depth, with character designs being described as cute yet generic. While the designs support the story, the backgrounds and overall scenery are considered uninspired and repetitive, detracting from the overall experience.

    • “Character designs are cute, easy to read, with a decent soundtrack and a day/night cycle included!”
    • “Character design and backgrounds are decent enough to support the story without drawing attention away from it.”
    • “Yes: good character design.”
    • “Character design and backgrounds are decent enough to support the story or at least not to hurt it, by drawing your attention away from it.”
    • “Character development -- I mean this isn't really a long plot to begin with.”
    • “Character designs are pretty generic; the scenery is just okay, with set pieces repeated a few times.”
  • replayability6 mentions

    The game offers significant replayability primarily due to its multiple endings, encouraging players to revisit it to experience all possible outcomes. While it is relatively short, the option to load from save data also adds to its replay value, making it a worthwhile investment for those interested in exploring different narrative paths.

    • “Overall, this game is short, but with multiple replayability due to its many endings.”
    • “You do get some replay value due to the multiple endings.”
    • “Lots of replay value to get all the different endings if you have the stomach for it.”
  • atmosphere4 mentions

    The game creates a relaxing atmosphere through its bright scenery and unobtrusive melodies, effectively enhancing the gameplay-story experience. The music complements the setting well, contributing to an overall enjoyable ambiance.

    • “The game creates a fine atmosphere, especially due to its main core element of gameplay and story.”
    • “The relaxing atmosphere is enhanced by the bright scenery and non-intrusive melodies.”
    • “The music was suitable and significantly added to the overall atmosphere.”
    • “The game creates a fine atmosphere, especially due to its main 'core' element of gameplay and story, which is playing a visual novel within a visual novel.”
    • “The atmosphere is relaxing, mostly because of the bright scenery and non-bothering melodies.”
    • “It does have a certain atmosphere to it.”
  • optimization3 mentions

    The game's optimization features include options for both full screen and windowed modes, but the performance grading system is limited to the player's first playthrough, which may affect replayability.

    • “The game grades your performance at the end of your first playthrough, encouraging players to optimize their strategies for better outcomes.”
    • “Upon completing your first playthrough, the game evaluates your performance, prompting you to refine your approach in subsequent runs.”
    • “The performance grading system at the end of the first playthrough motivates players to optimize their gameplay for improved results.”
    • “When it comes to optimization, the game offers both full screen and windowed modes, but the performance is lacking.”
    • “The game grades your performance at the end of your first playthrough, which feels like a missed opportunity for better optimization.”
    • “Receiving a bad ending results in a performance grade based solely on your first playthrough, highlighting the game's poor optimization.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    The emotional impact of the game is undermined by poor music, awkward translations, and a lackluster story that fails to deliver on its dramatic moments. Characters often dismiss emotionally charged scenes with casual dialogue, detracting from the intended tension. However, playing with friends can enhance the experience, making it more enjoyable despite its shortcomings.

    • “I highly recommend viewing/playing with friends, since it's the way most mediocre horror is ideally enjoyed and definitely made me feel warmer towards bad end than I might have otherwise felt.”
  • stability1 mentions

    Overall, the game demonstrates solid stability with no significant glitches reported, though players noted the presence of numerous typos. While the writing may lack depth and variety in its endings, the art quality is praised, contributing to a generally stable experience.

    • “The writing is kind of bland, and all the deaths and 'bad ends' are very similar, but the art is very good. I didn't encounter any glitches, just a lot of typos, which is actually pretty surprising for an almost free visual novel.”
    • “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly impossible to progress without saving every few minutes.”
    • “I experienced multiple freezes during gameplay, which really detracted from the overall experience.”
  • grinding1 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly when having to reload choices to achieve desired outcomes. Additionally, some character behaviors feel irrational, detracting from immersion and making the experience feel less engaging.

    • “Grinding in this game feels like an endless loop of repetitive tasks that drain the fun out of the experience.”
    • “The amount of time required to level up is absurd; it feels more like a chore than an enjoyable part of the game.”
    • “I find myself doing the same missions over and over just to progress, which makes the gameplay feel stale and uninspired.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

2hMedian play time
2hAverage play time
1-3hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 3 analyzed playthroughs

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