I thought I knew what to expect from The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy-, and I was wrong

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Initially, when I came across “The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy–“, I thought it would offer a familiar experience given my past encounters. My preconception was partly due to Rui Komatsuzaki’s distinctive art style, which I had seen in Kazutaka Kodaka’s previous works. This similarity made me lower my defenses, leading me to believe that the game, despite being a joint project between Kodaka and Kotaro Uchikoshi, would follow the same pattern and structure as Kodaka’s past works. However, I overlooked the other creative talents involved in the project.

Instead of diving too deep right away, let me clarify: The Hundred Line deviates from the creative’s past projects by placing more emphasis on its gameplay mechanic. Unlike previous works which were primarily narrative-driven, this game combines elements of classical narrative adventure games (similar to Zero Escapes and Danganronpa) with Tactical RPG gameplay. In this game, you take on the role of humanity’s last defense, tasked with protecting the Last Defense Academy from invaders who seek to seize whatever secret “final hope” for mankind is hidden within its walls.

In most tabletop role-playing games (TRPGs), battles tend to occur on separate maps. However, unlike many others, The Hundred Line typically sets battles on a single map. One might assume this would lead to repetitive battles, but fortunately, that’s not the case. The feel of each battle can vary greatly depending on both the types of enemies you encounter and the unique abilities of the students at your disposal. Each student in the game has a distinct moveset, similar to the various units in Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth. For instance, one character rides a motorcycle, gaining shield for every tile he moves during his turn. Another’s moveset changes depending on her fatigue from moving during a single turn, with her attacks fanning out in a V-shape and dealing extra damage if the targeted enemy has no neighbors to its left or right. One student can place sentry towers, attacking all enemies within range at the end of her turn, while another has abilities such as placing constructs.

In this game, the diverse group of characters means that each fight plays out uniquely; the placement and opponents of your characters greatly influence the strategy you need to use. You could say that every encounter presents a puzzle to solve, requiring you to strategize using your team members as the tools for solving it. The AP system ties everything together, as most actions during a turn consume AP, and defeating medium and large enemies replenishes it. Smaller enemies might not return AP, but they aren’t weak either; if not managed properly, they can pose a threat in numbers.

As the battle unfolds, you’ll accumulate Voltage, a valuable resource that serves two purposes. Firstly, it can be utilized to boost a unit’s abilities during a turn. Secondly, it allows for the execution of powerful special moves, dealing massive damage and additional effects without consuming Action Points. However, the catch is that the character who performs this move will be unable to act on their next turn.

In The Hundred Line, death isn’t necessarily a setback. Instead, it’s an opportunity. Your performance will be evaluated based on “Great Kills”, and letting a low-health unit unleash their Desperation special attack is one way to secure those. Contrary to most TRPGs, in this game, allowing a unit to die can actually be beneficial.

Strategically, understanding when a unit is in a dire situation and deciding whether letting them sacrifice themselves for a glorious death might just be the best move, is key in The Hundred Line.

In addition to the structured conflicts, players embark on a narrative journey that bears resemblance to Danganronpa. The gameplay is presented in a side-scrolling style, similar to Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair. During leisure periods, players can engage with other students or delve into books to boost their academic performance, participate in simulated VR battles to accumulate resources, enhance weapons, venture beyond the Undying Flames’ wall to explore the post-apocalyptic city, gathering additional items and resources needed for crafting gifts. These gifts, when offered judiciously to specific students, can further improve academic stats. However, one cannot engage in every activity as each chosen action consumes time, thus pushing the storyline forward.

As a fan, if I were to step out of the school’s boundaries for a day, it feels like stepping into a captivating board game. Each move I make is determined by cards, allowing me to traverse a fixed number of spaces and choose my direction at junctions. The world outside the academy presents a variety of experiences: item drops guaranteed on certain squares, challenging scenarios that demand thoughtful responses, and battles to test my mettle. My actions influence my resources, health points (HP), and even the possibility to re-roll tiles on the map.

However, not all areas are accessible without upgrading my extinguisher. This magical tool allows me to bypass the purple flames that block my path in certain story-driven segments of the game world. It’s an exciting adventure, filled with challenges and rewards that keep me coming back for more!

The strategic aspect of The Hundred Line game is captivating. To enhance your units, you need particular educational levels and resources that can only be obtained beyond the school environment, making it a delicate task to determine the optimal gifts for each character while also gathering the essential resources. Some traits are apparent and integral to their characters, while others become clear as keywords that you unlock by spending time with them. This encourages active engagement with the game’s mechanics, as overemphasizing one aspect at the expense of others will eventually lead to obstacles.

I won’t reveal too many details about the story due to strict Preview guidelines. But let me say this much – both the characters and plot of The Hundred Line took me by surprise. At first, it seems like Kodaka’s work dominates the game, but as you play more, you can see Uchikoshi’s influence just as clearly, if not more so. I haven’t finished the game yet, but from what I’ve played so far, The Hundred Line is incredibly ambitious, and I’m a bit nervous to find out how deep the rabbit hole goes.

In my estimation, playing The Hundred Line for the first time could take over 30 hours, and it seems clear that one playthrough won’t uncover the entire story. While this isn’t groundbreaking news – Too Kyo has openly acknowledged this – I feel compelled to emphasize that this game is certainly designed for multiple playthroughs. Fortunately, The Hundred Line is well-suited for Steam Deck, and so far, my current playthrough, which is approximately 20 hours in, has been on Valve’s handheld PC gaming device.

Still in its infancy, there are plenty more hours to come. If The Hundred Line wasn’t entirely convincing earlier, it has won me over now; this is a game worth watching. Time will tell how well it endures throughout the entire playthrough, but we may be looking at something truly extraordinary. I can hardly wait to discover for certain.

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2025-03-25 16:26