Hate Plus

85%
Game Brain Score Based on 342 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • music
Hate Plus Game Cover
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"Hate Plus" is a visual novel sequel to "Analogue: A Hate Story" where you investigate a generation ship's regressive past with a spunky AI sidekick. Uncover the disturbing political program that caused the ship's Neo-Confucian society to revert to Joseon Dynasty social norms. This game explores themes of transhumanism, cosplay, and the loss of freedoms, allowing both new and returning players to dive in.

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Reviews

85%
Audience ScoreBased on 342 reviews
story89 positive mentions
atmosphere3 negative mentions
  • Hate Plus continues the engaging story from Analogue: A Hate Story, providing deeper insights into the characters and the events leading to the societal collapse.
  • The writing is exceptional, with well-developed characters and emotional depth that resonates with players, making them care about the outcomes.
  • The game introduces a unique mechanic of real-time waiting between gameplay sessions, enhancing immersion and allowing players to reflect on the story.
  • The forced 12-hour wait between in-game days can be frustrating and disrupts the flow of the narrative, leading to potential disengagement from the story.
  • Some players may find the scrolling through logs cumbersome and unresponsive, detracting from the overall reading experience.
  • The game lacks the interactive elements and puzzles present in its predecessor, making it feel more linear and less engaging for some players.
  • story425 mentions

    The story in "Hate Plus," a sequel to "Analogue: A Hate Story," continues to explore complex themes of political intrigue, societal decay, and personal trauma through a non-linear narrative primarily conveyed via logs from the ship's past. While many players appreciate the depth and character development, particularly of *mute, some feel the execution lacks the emotional impact and cohesive storytelling of its predecessor, leading to a more fragmented experience. Overall, it is recommended to play "Analogue: A Hate Story" first to fully grasp the context and nuances of the sequel's narrative.

    • “The story depicts the events leading up to the cultural change that led to the societal collapse in the first game, much more of a thriller exploring trauma and how power structures can make themselves fall in on themselves.”
    • “Overall, a brilliant gateway into politics with a fantastic character-driven story and immersive world-building.”
    • “Christine Love once again proves her mastery of asynchronous storytelling; each step forward is a choice as to what you want to learn more about, and each individual narrative weaves together into such an artful tapestry that the stories and characters within will be with you for a long time afterwards.”
    • “The story itself, a prequel in the frame of a sequel, isn't very remarkable, and in fact may be inferior to the first one.”
    • “The story is a lot less impactful, the interface is a step back while being more mouse-driven at the same time, and the whole game feels more tedious.”
    • “Where analogue: a hate story was about investigating a disaster and slowly piecing together the truth in an organic fashion, hate plus is about reading a bunch of walls of text while an NPC reacts to them and tries to tell you how you're supposed to feel.”
  • gameplay59 mentions

    The gameplay in "Hate Plus" is primarily focused on reading logs and making narrative choices, with a significant emphasis on storytelling over traditional gameplay mechanics. While some players appreciate the innovative time-gating mechanic that encourages breaks, others find it frustrating and limiting, leading to mixed feelings about the overall experience. Overall, the game retains a visual novel style, with improved mechanics compared to its predecessor, but it may not satisfy those seeking more interactive gameplay elements.

    • “Clever sci-fi world-building and social commentary, presented through innovative storytelling and gameplay techniques.”
    • “The unique mechanic of being limited to a certain amount of files you can read a day, forcing you to stop, usually when it gets especially juicy, makes it teasing and makes you come back for more.”
    • “Gameplay: surprisingly, the gameplay here in a visual novel style game has improved quite well.”
    • “Not sure I particularly like it as such, since it seems to serve no real purpose narratively or gameplay-wise.”
    • “Most of the gameplay is picking which email to read next and then reading through it so that you can work out what actually happened in the central catastrophe which is the main subject of the game.”
    • “For as little gameplay as the original had, Hate Plus has even less.”
  • music46 mentions

    The music in "Hate Plus" has been widely praised for its emotive and atmospheric qualities, effectively complementing the game's sci-fi setting and narrative depth. Many players highlighted specific tracks, such as "vision" and "dream," for their ability to enhance emotional engagement, while some noted that the soundtrack, though good, may not be as memorable as its predecessor. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a significant asset to the game, with recommendations to purchase it alongside the game itself.

    • “I love the story, I love the characters (especially *mute), and I absolutely love the music.”
    • “The music in Hate Plus is awesome, just like the first game.”
    • “The soundtrack fits really well with the atmosphere, whether it's reading a dark, novel-sized text log or having conversations with your AI companion.”
    • “I even felt the music wasn't as good this time around.”
    • “The music is generally simple and repetitive, but there are several tracks that really do help set the mood as you wade through dozens of old computer logs that range from innocent to scandalous to horrifying.”
    • “Otherwise, you could get a pretty close experience by sticking on the Mass Effect OST with dual monitors, a wiki plot summary on one screen and a cute anime wallpaper on the other.”
  • emotional36 mentions

    The emotional aspect of *hate plus* is described as an intense and multifaceted experience, blending heart-wrenching moments with humor and light-heartedness. Players report being deeply affected by the story and characters, often feeling a rollercoaster of emotions that linger long after gameplay, with some moments eliciting tears and profound reflection on the narrative's darker themes. Overall, the game is praised for its ability to evoke strong feelings, making it a memorable and impactful experience.

    • “Don't let yourself be fooled by the apparent simplicity of the trailer or what you might have heard about this game, [i]Hate Plus[/i] is gripping, heart-wrenching, oppressing and prescient (but also very much fun at times!), and lingered in my heart and mind for years after I first finished playing it.”
    • “Heartbreaking and beautiful, this game pulls no punches and will gleefully leave you crying and fearful of the world around you.”
    • “While there are certainly cute and heartwarming moments, this game hurts, but only because it makes you care.”
    • “The story is boring and lacks continuity.”
    • “The emotional depth is missing, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
    • “I felt no emotional engagement throughout the game.”
  • humor17 mentions

    The humor in "Hate Plus" is a standout feature, blending sharp wit with emotional depth, often through the character of *hyun-ae, who humorously critiques visual novel tropes. Players appreciate the clever banter between characters, particularly in the harem route, which provides a mix of hilarity and heartfelt moments. Overall, the game successfully balances its darker themes with lighthearted humor, making it both entertaining and thought-provoking.

    • “Balancing these tropes, however, is a healthy dose of humor and some straight-up, old-fashioned Asian cuteness; Hate Plus is one of the very few video games that made me laugh out loud multiple times.”
    • “The plot itself, like its predecessor, is seriously messed up stuff interspersed with little rejuvenating isles of humor and heartwarming.”
    • “I personally enjoyed the harem route because it's hilarious with the AI's bantering between each other even while you're reading a document.”
  • character development13 mentions

    Character development in the game is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the depth and intricacies of character arcs, particularly in relation to political themes, others feel that certain characters lack meaningful growth and serve primarily as narrative devices. The game's brevity limits character exploration, but those who engage with the story and its routes often find rewarding development and well-crafted dialogue. Overall, the effectiveness of character development seems to hinge on prior knowledge of the series and individual player preferences.

    • “You get the chance to delve deeply into the political machinations that led to the year-0 reset and peculiar dynastic state of the mugunghwa, and even if political machinations and conspiracies and election fraud and rebellion aren't your cup of tea, there's some great character development on each route, and the dialogue in all areas is top-notch.”
    • “I'll just say this: pay attention to how you feel about *mute's character development, both before and after you complete the 'deep space therapist' achievement.”
    • “I liked the continued great character development method that is modus operandi for this series, the setting is intriguing and I got to learn a bit about topics I wouldn't have otherwise been likely to look into.”
    • “She just doesn't contribute all that much except being a vehicle for the author to poke fun at the player; she doesn't have anything to do with the story this time around and the game's format doesn't really allow for her to develop a rapport with the player character, so there's not much room for character development.”
    • “There's not so much on character development (the game is too short) but that's fine, that's not the point.”
    • “Character development is not a thing.”
  • graphics10 mentions

    The graphics in the game are praised for their charming art style and clean interface, contributing positively to the overall presentation. While some find the artwork inconsistent and generic, the sepia-photo visuals add a layer of realism that enhances the storytelling. The inclusion of hyperlinks with character images and descriptions further enriches the visual experience.

    • “The art style is great, and the story as a whole is an A+.”
    • “Aesthetically, it's pretty neat too.”
    • “In a game like this, presentation is everything, and Hate Plus does not disappoint, with charming graphics for the two AIs, a nice, clean interface serving as the ship's computer console, and an excellent soundtrack by Isaac Schankler, who also composed the music for Analogue.”
    • “The artwork is inconsistent (stay anime or not, why stretch my suspension of disbelief even further?).”
    • “The art style is fairly generic, though the sepia-photo visuals do provide some fresh realism and believability to the story.”
    • “The art style is fairly generic, though the sepia-photo visuals do provide some fresh realism and believability to the story.”
  • atmosphere4 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is characterized by a cohesive sci-fi aesthetic, enhanced by a fitting soundtrack and a futuristic user interface, creating an engaging experience in the adult visual novel genre. Unlike more oppressive settings, players enjoy a more relaxed vibe aboard a spacecraft, with a modern societal backdrop that contrasts with traditional sci-fi narratives. Overall, the atmosphere effectively supports both the storytelling and character interactions.

    • “Maintaining its sci-fi atmosphere with the music and futuristic UI glues all the pieces together for a great experience in the AVN genre.”
    • “That being mentioned, the game's soundtrack fits really well with the atmosphere, whether it's reading a whole dark, novel-sized text log or conversations between you and your AI companion.”
    • “The atmosphere isn't as oppressive as in analogue, since you're just chilling in your spacecraft during a flight instead of negotiating with strange AIs on a derelict space colony ship that's about to explode.”
    • “Everything fits, though you have to be prepared that this story offers a quite different atmosphere, since society hasn't regressed yet; it feels a bit more modern.”
    • “That being mentioned, the game's soundtrack fits really well with the atmosphere, let it be reading a whole dark, novel-sized text log or conversations between you and your AI companion.”
  • grinding3 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly due to the increased reading required and the necessity to complete multiple endings to fully experience the story. While some appreciate the depth this adds, others feel it detracts from the overall enjoyment, making the gameplay feel more laborious.

    • “The story is a lot less impactful, the interface is a step back while being more mouse-driven at the same time, and the whole game feels more tedious.”
    • “Just as before, you need to play two endings in order to get all of the story pieces, which is tedious in a kinetic story.”
  • replayability3 mentions

    Overall, the replayability of the games is mixed; while some players find significant value in the innovative elements and expansions of the sequel, others feel that the lack of changing content and limited variations diminish the incentive to replay.

    • “Both games are very innovative and have major replay value, and Hate Plus expands even further on those elements in a very cathartic way, especially in a certain path.”
    • “No real replay value like the first game.”
    • “Replayability is questionable because the documents never change, no matter what AI you've got.”
    • “Both games are very innovative and have major replay value, but the replayability in this one feels lacking.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game is subtly highlighted through the use of advertising that reflects a utopian society, contrasting with the game's darker themes. This approach suggests a blend of immersive world-building and commercial elements, enhancing the narrative while also hinting at the economic structures within the game's universe.

    • “The monetization strategy feels exploitative, as it constantly pushes players to spend more money to enjoy the game fully.”
    • “I find the in-game purchases to be overpriced and unnecessary, making it hard to enjoy the game without feeling pressured to spend.”
    • “The constant barrage of ads and prompts to buy premium currency really detracts from the overall experience.”
  • stability1 mentions

    The game is reported to be stable and largely free of bugs, indicating a smooth gameplay experience for users.

    • “The game is stable and bug-free as far as I can tell.”
    • “I haven't encountered any crashes or major issues, which makes for a smooth gaming experience.”
    • “The stability of the game allows me to fully immerse myself without worrying about technical problems.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

80% average critic score

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Play time

8hMedian play time
7hAverage play time
3-10hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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