Hello, Goodbye

About

"Hello, Goodbye" is a visual novel where you play as a young military officer impersonating a transfer student at Tenshudo Academy. As Toubu Kaito, you must navigate the complexities of school life while uncovering the mysteries of Morino Special District. The game features multiple routes and endings determined by your choices throughout the story.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

94%

Audience ScoreBased on 47 reviews

story21 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

The plot is engaging and well-conceived, with a mix of romance, drama, and sci-fi elements that keep players invested.
The soundtrack is highly praised, featuring a variety of well-composed tracks that enhance the overall experience.
Character development is strong, with each route providing emotional depth and unique interactions that make the characters memorable.

The writing can be inconsistent, with some dialogue feeling uninspired and certain plot points lacking clarity or resolution.
The pacing is uneven, with some scenes dragging on while crucial moments are rushed, leading to a disjointed narrative experience.
There are limited choices throughout the game, which may leave players feeling restricted in their decision-making and overall engagement.

story
88 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
73%
3%
The story of "Hello, Goodbye" is a multi-genre visual novel that blends elements of romance, espionage, and slice-of-life, centered around a military officer tasked with infiltrating a school in a divided Japan. While the plot features engaging character development and emotional depth, it often prioritizes romantic interactions over the political and military backdrop, leading to a somewhat predictable narrative. Despite its flaws, including a lack of impactful choices and occasional pacing issues, the game is praised for its character-driven storytelling and appealing art design, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of the genre.
- “Hello, goodbye possesses many elements of Japanese storytelling that I find irresistible; a likable and competent protagonist, the childhood friend trope, a deep mystery, danger, intrigue, and consequential suspense.”
- “A rich and well-thought-out plot is this game's strongest selling point.”
- “Hello, goodbye does something special among visual novels: it succeeds at making familiar plot tropes seem fresh through its multi-path storyline, pretty art design, crisp scene direction, and good voice acting.”
- “Little background is provided on how the country broke down, or how it eventually became united again in the end. The political-military side of the story feels more like an afterthought to the romantic school life of a character who is not even a student to begin with.”
- “The story is relatively straightforward in that few choices are provided, eventually directing to a romantic route with one of the female protagonists.”
- “The main story sounds serious from the store page, but 'Hello, Goodbye' is mostly a slice-of-life story with more about eating cake with waifus than trying to conduct any kind of espionage.”
music
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
22%
11%
The music in the game is widely praised for its quality and variety, featuring over 30 well-composed tracks that enhance the overall experience. Many players find the soundtrack catchy and enjoyable, often listening to it independently of gameplay, while some note that certain tracks may not appeal to all tastes. Overall, the music is considered a standout aspect, contributing positively to the game's atmosphere and emotional impact.
- “There is a good assortment of music, over 30 tracks, that are overall well composed.”
- “The music is well done too with a good variety of 30 background tracks which fit the scenes well.”
- “Absolutely enjoyed the music, always fitting the mood, causing me to just sit back and let the song play for a while, since it's kind of heartwarming.”
- “The only thing I love from this VN is its soundtrack/BGM.”
- “I bought the soundtrack at the same time as the game and whilst most I have bought end up in my music library, this one hasn't.”
- “I recommend turning the music volume a bit right from the beginning of your playthrough to deal with this issue.”
graphics
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
17%
25%
The graphics in the game are generally well-received, featuring decent artwork that evokes a charming mid-2000s rom-com anime style, though not considered top-tier. While character sprites are mostly static and backgrounds lack dynamism, the overall quality of the visuals, including a variety of CGs, is praised, contributing positively to the game's appeal. The artwork is highlighted as a standout feature, enhancing the engaging story and enjoyable soundtrack.
- “I found that the artwork is all to a very high standard and there are a reasonable number of regular CGs and super-deformed style CGs.”
- “Still, the artwork is top-notch, the story is quite engaging, the music will be a good addition to your vast collection of game soundtracks, and the characters are easy to fall in love with.”
- “The artwork is decent and well drawn, with a lot of CGs included.”
- “Graphically speaking, the drawing was done well, but I wouldn't say it was top grade either.”
- “Alongside the art, which is not among the best I've seen, it does have a certain charm. It kind of reminds me of those mid-late 2000s typical rom-com anime art style, and the actual character designs definitely appeal to me.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by a blend of dark wit and sharp dialogue, with characters that evoke laughter through their engaging lines. The narrative balances lighthearted moments with more intense themes, creating a unique experience that is both funny and emotionally resonant. Overall, it appeals to fans of visual novels seeking a well-crafted story that combines humor with depth.
- “He's calm and dangerous but also kind and gentle with a dark sense of humor and sharp wit.”
- “I found that she was the most fun character, and I was laughing at quite a few of her lines.”
- “This lovely project might look like yet another slice-of-life nonsense, but it turns out to be a surprisingly engaging story full of both hilarious and sad moments.”
emotional
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its naturally developed stories that are both wholesome and satisfying, avoiding forced drama while incorporating tasteful adult content that enhances intimacy. Players find the endings rewarding, contributing to a fulfilling experience, complemented by heartwarming music that enhances the overall emotional engagement.
- “Each girl's story is emotionally engaging and builds naturally rather than feeling forced.”
- “The endings are very satisfying and rewarding; it made me feel like it was worth playing every route.”
- “Absolutely enjoyed the music, always fitting the mood, causing me to just sit back and let the song play for a while, since it's quite heartwarming.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development in the game is generally well-received, with a strong narrative, though some characters, particularly the female ones, are perceived as lacking depth. The character designs are praised for their beauty and charm, reminiscent of mid-2000s rom-com anime, while the overall artistic presentation and music enhance the experience.
- “The character design is beautiful, backgrounds are detailed, music is great, (although too loud at times), and the story is top notch.”
- “The story does have good character development, but the ladies are mostly monotone.”
- “[b]Alongside the art[/b], which is not among the best I've seen, but it does have a certain charm, it kind of reminds me of a few of those mid-late 2000's typical rom-com anime art styles, and the actual character designs definitely appeal to me.”
gameplay
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The gameplay is characterized by well-implemented mechanics that create a satisfying puzzle-solving experience, offering players around 20-30 hours of engaging content.
- “While not new by any means, the mechanic is implemented very well and provides the sense of putting together a puzzle.”
- “20-30 hours of gameplay?”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and unforgiving, particularly criticizing a mini-game that involves finding a hidden cat in a background image, which detracts from the overall experience.
- “The grinding in this game feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “I found the grinding mechanics to be incredibly tedious, often feeling like a chore rather than an enjoyable part of the game.”
- “The constant need to grind for resources takes away from the overall experience, making it feel more like a job than a game.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, users report that the game's optimization is solid, with no performance issues encountered thus far.
- “Performance: no problems so far.”