BURIED STARS
- November 29, 2021
- LINE Games Corporation
- 49h median play time
Get on Steam"Buried Stars" is a rhythm action game where players step into the shoes of a rising idol. Perform on stage, navigate the ups and downs of fame, and uncover the secrets of a mysterious world in this narrative-driven experience. With a variety of songs, characters, and story paths to explore, every performance could be your last chance to shine.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Playstation 5
Steam Deck
Windows
PlayStation
Playstation Vita
Reviews
- The game features a compelling story with well-developed characters that keep players engaged throughout.
- The visuals and audio, including voice acting, are of high quality, enhancing the overall experience.
- The unique mechanics involving social media and character interactions add depth to the gameplay, making choices feel impactful.
- The English translation is often poor, leading to confusion about dialogue choices and character reactions.
- The gameplay can become tedious due to repetitive dialogue and a lack of quality-of-life features, such as the inability to skip previously read text.
- Players are forced into a bad ending on their first playthrough, which can be frustrating and detracts from the overall experience.
- story143 mentions
- 34 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The story of the game is a mixed bag, with some players praising its intriguing plot, character depth, and emotional resonance, while others find it average or lacking in execution. Many appreciate the well-developed characters and the engaging mystery elements, though some criticize pacing issues and the limited impact of player choices on the overall narrative. Overall, it offers a compelling experience for fans of visual novels, particularly those who enjoy character-driven stories with multiple endings.
“The story is engaging and the atmosphere nice and gloomy, maintaining a certain amount of tension even when just talking with the characters.”
“The story has me hooked; it is just so fun to find all the different endings and watch the story unfold with your decisions.”
“All-in-all, buried stars is a brilliant game, with an in-depth story and catchy characters - not to mention how complex and likable they all are.”
“The storyline failed to captivate me, often feeling uninteresting and lackluster.”
“There really isn't enough play choice on the outcome for me to feel compelled by the story.”
“The story is a touch too long (although at this price tag it has to be long) and a touch too drawn out.”
- gameplay64 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the visual novel has received mixed reviews, with some praising its unique mechanics and character interactions, while others criticize it for being repetitive and tedious. Players appreciate the emotional depth and art design but find the core gameplay—primarily consisting of dialogue and clue gathering—lacks engagement and can feel unnecessarily complex. Overall, while the game offers interesting themes and character development, its execution may not appeal to those seeking more dynamic gameplay.
“The mechanics are really nice, well executed, and work well with the message.”
“The gameplay is interesting, the art is awesome.”
“The gameplay is fairly nice in which all choices are really worth considering.”
“The actual gameplay of having to talk to everyone to gain clues rapidly becomes a tedious chore, and I resorted to just following a step-by-step walkthrough to get to the end.”
“This becomes an absolute tedium well before you even hit the halfway point, and I found myself repeatedly taking breaks and stepping away from the game because the pacing was ruined by this tedious and slow gameplay.”
“I did not think it was possible for a visual novel to have bad gameplay, but Buried Stars surprised me.”
- graphics27 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 37 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their high quality, featuring bright, detailed artwork and smooth animations that enhance the visual experience. Many reviewers highlight the impressive character designs and the effective use of lighting and shadows, contributing to an immersive aesthetic. While some secondary artwork may not match the primary visuals, the overall production values are considered above average for the genre, making it a standout visual novel.
“The graphics are undoubtedly a standout, offering a visually pleasing experience.”
“The main artwork is bright, detailed, and painstakingly animated, bringing life to one of the prettiest casts I've seen in a visual novel.”
“The main artwork is bright, detailed, and painstakingly animated, bringing life to one of the prettiest casts I've seen in a visual novel (some of the secondary artwork isn't as good, but it's nowhere near, say, original Higurashi levels of visual trash).”
“Beyond this, the aesthetic is pretty classic for a visual novel, as many of them have an anime style.”
“The art style, 3D backgrounds, the lighting and shadows reflected and cast onto the 2D sprites of the characters bring immersion to the game, making everything seem more real.”
- music23 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised for its quality and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, with many reviewers noting its fitting and immersive nature that complements the story's somber tone. The soundtrack is described as top-notch, reminiscent of popular titles like Danganronpa, and effectively conveys a range of emotions throughout the gameplay. Additionally, the integration of Korean voice acting further elevates the audio experience, making it a standout feature of the game.
“Additionally, the music and cinematic scenes help immerse you in the game and story.”
“Accompanied with awesome soundtracks that can convey all sorts of emotions based on the current scenarios in the game.”
“Not a single K-pop song in the game about K-pop stars.”
“Matching the somber tone of the plot, many of the songs are fairly dreary and moody, helping to set the right atmosphere.”
“The music, often reminiscent of Danganronpa's soundtrack, always enhances the mood, and the Korean voice acting is top notch.”
- grinding12 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious and slow, with many players finding the investigation and dialogue-heavy gameplay to be a chore. This leads to frequent breaks and reliance on walkthroughs to progress, as the pacing is negatively impacted by unnecessary padding and lengthy conversations. While some appreciate the themes and messages, the overall experience is marred by the repetitive and drawn-out nature of the gameplay.
“Unfortunately, I found this one to be very tedious to play.”
“However, the actual gameplay of having to talk to everyone to gain clues rapidly becomes a tedious chore, and I resorted to just following a step-by-step walkthrough to get to the end.”
“This becomes an absolute tedium well before you even hit the halfway point, and I found myself repeatedly taking breaks and stepping away from the game because the pacing was ruined by this tedious and slow gameplay.”
- emotional9 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is profoundly impactful, with players noting its hard-hitting story that evokes empathy and anger, making it a memorable experience. The powerful voice acting, beautiful art, and immersive narrative contribute to a deep emotional resonance, despite the game's sad themes. Overall, it leaves a lasting impression, highlighting the complexities of human interaction and the darker sides of social media.
“I can admit, emotionally I won't be recovering from this game for a while.”
“Story is also amazing, very real and hard-hitting, emotional, raises empathy as well as anger with the characters, very immersive in my opinion!”
“Anyways, Buried Stars is really an amazing game and I think it will never leave my memory for how touching and amazing it is.”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is characterized by a somber and chilly tone, enhanced by atmospheric music that sets a dreary and moody backdrop. Players appreciate the engaging story and the tension maintained throughout, particularly during character interactions, which contribute to a thrilling and immersive experience. Overall, the combination of well-crafted mystery elements and effective voice acting further enriches the game's atmospheric quality.
“The story is engaging and the atmosphere is nice and gloomy, maintaining a certain amount of tension even when just talking with the characters (which you will be doing 80% of the game).”
“Good characters, great atmosphere and tension, and a fantastic, well-crafted mystery.”
“Matching the somber tone of the plot, many of the songs are fairly dreary and moody, helping to set the right atmosphere.”
“Loving the thrilling atmosphere I've been getting while playing!”
“The atmosphere feels chilly and uninviting.”
- character development7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 29 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight exceptional character development as a standout feature, with praise for its psychological realism and depth. Users appreciate the combination of engaging storytelling, diverse endings, and a visually appealing art style that enhances the overall experience. This aspect is particularly recommended for fans of mystery genres who value well-crafted characters.
“It has almost everything going for it: top-notch character development, intriguing story, palpable suspense, tons of different endings, pretty art, great sound design, and a stylish presentation.”
“What Buried Stars does best, and better than most other visual novels I've read, is the character development.”
“Highly recommended for mystery fans who value strong character development!”
- replayability6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability through multiple endings and character-specific epilogues, with players potentially enjoying 25-35 hours of additional content. However, the experience can vary; those who dislike revisiting lengthy communication sequences may find replaying less appealing, and the lack of user-friendly navigation tools could hinder the overall replay value compared to other high-end visual novels.
“A handful of endings and cutscenes to collect makes it worth the replay value.”
“A very generous 25-35 hours of replay value if you decide to go for any ending after the normal one you get on your first playthrough.”
“The different routes and endings offer much replayability.”
“Replay value can be up or down for some: if you don't particularly enjoy replaying the long communication sequences repeatedly to get different results, a guide is almost essential.”
“Most high-end Japanese visual novels are better at replayability because they've mastered user-friendly devices like the plot tree or 'skip all read dialogue/jump to next decision'; however, Buried Stars does not do this and could have been better done.”
- optimization6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is generally stable, with no crashes or major bugs reported, though some users experienced performance issues in the later stages. While the Korean and Japanese voice dubs received high praise, the English translation was noted as subpar and poorly optimized. Overall, the game's premise is engaging, but the optimization could benefit from further refinement.
“Also, I had performance issues in the later part of the game, but no crashes or bugs.”
“Voice dub is available for Korean and Japanese, with both giving stellar performances.”
“The premise is a good one; the 5 contestants of an American Idol-style singing competition (plus a stage manager) are trapped inside a performance venue when it collapses due to rushed, shoddy construction.”
“I had performance issues in the later part of the game, but no crashes or bugs.”
“The translation is passable, but rather poorly optimized for English.”
“There are voice-acted lines in the game, but since they're in two languages I don't know, it's a bit hard to judge their performance.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by a funny bonus ending in Route C, which cleverly references Korean horror, adding an enjoyable layer for players.
“Route C was a funny bonus ending and a nod to Korean horror that I appreciated.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviewers suggest that the game's monetization could benefit from increased international advertising to enhance its visibility and potentially boost revenue.
