The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy’s Enormous Size Was A Huge Risk – But It Paid Off

by

After playing The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy for over 55 hours, I came across a really moving scene. Two characters, who had recently discovered a surprising truth – one of many revelations that changes how you see the game – woke up early and watched the sunrise together. It was a small, peaceful moment of connection, and it felt especially powerful after a series of difficult events. It showed a deeper, more thoughtful side to the game than I’d experienced so far.

Based on how long the game is estimated to take, I was still about 90 to 120 hours away from completing it, depending on how quickly I played and how much I explored. The game is called The Hundred Line because the students at Last Defense Academy have to defend their school for 100 days against waves of attackers, which leads to frequent battles. However, the title also has a hidden meaning you discover after playing for around 30 hours: the game actually has 100 different endings, and the goal is to unlock them all to fully understand the story.

Okay, so I was skeptical when I heard this game had 100 endings. It sounded like one of those marketing claims where they really mean just a handful with slight differences. You know, a game saying ’12 endings’ often turns out to be four with a few tweaks. And yeah, some of the endings here are a little…weird, or super similar. But honestly? There really are 100. It’s built around 21 different paths, and each one can end in a bunch of different ways. It’s kinda crazy!

Watching those two characters greet the sunrise, I had already experienced eight different endings, and was about five hours away from my ninth (though I quickly unlocked three more after that!). Pursuing these endings unveiled new details about the game’s world. The journeys to reach them offered fresh perspectives on the characters, and often uncovered hidden lore or explored previously unseen parts of the game. Each ending was unique – sometimes lighthearted, sometimes heartbreaking, occasionally frightening, and often both funny and tragic. Different characters died each time, and I felt a different emotional impact with each loss. As I finished what I consider the game’s closest equivalent to a true ending, I knew I wasn’t finished yet. Everything I’d learned along the way would only enhance my experience as I explored the remaining paths.

Kazutaka Kodaka and Kotaro Uchikoshi, the creators of the twist-filled and dramatic games Danganronpa and Zero Escape, have teamed up for The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy. Like their previous work, this game features shocking twists, a fast-paced story, and characters who can meet untimely ends. But it also adds a solid tactical combat system inspired by Fire Emblem. Players can also build relationships with students, explore using a board game-like system, and customize their characters with RPG-style stats and equipment as they progress.

Games that let your choices change the story often feel rewarding when you reach the end. The appeal is seeing a conclusion that feels like your story, one you helped create with the game developers. You might replay to see how different decisions would change things, but more often, you accept that a different path would have led to a slightly different outcome.

The Hundred Line offers a unique take on choose-your-own-adventure stories. Unlike traditional versions where you have to remember your previous choices, this game features a helpful timeline that allows you to easily go back and explore any decision you’ve made.

What’s really freeing about this game is that your decisions don’t have lasting consequences. The best way to experience it is to explore all the options and see everything that happens. While some paths offer more story details or lead to more satisfying endings than others, you’ll never be penalized for your choices or miss out on key story moments. It’s about discovery, not right or wrong answers.

It’s unusual to find a game of this size that feels so purely the result of the developers’ creative vision. ‘The Hundred Line’ is the type of game that most business-minded people would discourage a company from making today. It’s large, doesn’t include any extra purchases, prioritizes a strong story, costs $60, and tackles unusual, difficult topics – a combination that could easily fail, especially given its reliance on detailed 3D graphics for combat and extensive cutscenes. Many reviewers and online personalities might also hesitate to cover it fully because it’s a long game with a lot of reading.

Developing The Hundred Line took over five years, and its massive script—around one million words long—would have made translating it into other languages very costly, particularly with voice acting. Before the game launched, Kodaka told Nintendo Life that if sales were poor, the studio might have to close down, as they had borrowed money to finance the project. Just a week after release, Kodaka admitted on Bluesky that the company was still in serious financial trouble.

Despite the challenges, The Hundred Line has proven to be successful. Just three months after its release in July, Kodaka told Bloomberg he no longer feared the company would go bankrupt. While specific sales numbers haven’t been made public, it appears Too Kyo Games’ investment of time and resources into this ambitious game was worthwhile.

A big reason for the game’s appeal is likely the strong reputation of its creators, Kodaka and Uchikoshi, who previously made the popular Danganronpa and Zero Escape series, building a dedicated fanbase over time. The Hundred Line is also remarkably ambitious – its sheer scale is impressive and more engaging than a game with a more limited number of endings. Plus, the battles themselves are fun and offer a good balance of strategy and originality, keeping them from feeling repetitive.

Overall, The Hundred Line truly shines in its storytelling. The characters are well-developed and engaging, brought to life by excellent voice acting and realistic dialogue. What’s particularly impressive is the game’s ability to maintain a consistent narrative even as you explore various branching storylines and ‘what if’ scenarios, making it fascinating to see how characters react and change based on your choices.

With many game developers playing it safe and focusing on reliable strategies, it’s especially exciting to see a game take a big chance and succeed. But even without knowing about the industry trends, The Hundred Line would still be my top pick for 2025. It’s a stunning feat of storytelling, showcasing incredible possibilities with player-driven narratives, and stands out as one of the most creatively bold visual novels ever created.

Read More

2025-12-26 00:10