Variable Barricade Reviews
Variable Barricade is a delightful rom-com of a dating sim, with charming characters and a ton of endings to discover.
Through its hilarity and romance, you can absolutely trust Variable Barricade to bring a smile to your face.
Maybe it's the fact that I've now reviewed eleven games from the same developer in the last two years, but I'd really like to see them take some more risks with the endings in these romance games. Variable Barricade seemed like it would be the time, but the ending did leave me feeling a bit baited. But I accept that I'm part of a very small minority compared to the rest of the audience, and if you're looking for romantic hijinx with a side of gritted teeth then climb over the barricade.
In many ways, Variable Barricade can be seen as a bit hit and miss. It does a few things refreshingly different for the genre, such as making Hibari truly her own character and with her own development, but manages to slip up when it comes to completely embracing its premise; it has some bizarre diversions that could possibly make or break the game for some players.
Variable Barricade was a great experience that subverted my expectations multiple times. From its unique flowchart system to the constant comedy punchlines, I could not stop playing. The interactions across every route kept me playing for hours. I said this once, and I’ll say it again: An otome game truly gets my high praise if it manages to make me lose track of time and keep going nonstop until I feel fatigued. And, Variable Barricade managed to check all of those boxes. So, if you’re looking to wind down with a comedic romance, look no further.
To conclude, Variable Barricade was a nice twist to a usually predictable Otome game. It chose to pace out the story in a way that gave you more control. Your potential husbands are tasteful and quirky, making each moment you spend with them a nice surprise. The music does have some questionable tracks, but still gets the job done. Overall, this visual novel continued to peak my curiosity, making it hard to set down. I’m giving this game an 8.5 out of 10. Now, if you’ll excuse my rudeness I have a couple of match making friends I have to deal with.
Variable Barricade is at its best when it leans into its inner romcom. Driven by a great protagonist and enjoyably quirky love interests, it has no shortage of sweet and funny moments. Unfortunately, the fun parts come with a generous side of tedious and manufactured melodrama. Overall though I still enjoyed Variable Barricade.
Overall I did enjoy the game, especially Taiga’s and Ichiya’s routes. Even the other endings besides the love endings I was satisfied with. The game also made me laugh multiple times, I especially laughed a lot about Ichiya’s and Hibari’s grandfathers’ reactions. They were mostly jokes but the game also used Chibi images sometimes, this made the situation ever funnier. I would categorize the game as a romantic comedy. As for what rating to give Variable Barricade, I had a tough time. Difficult to chose between I like it and I like it a lot. I definitely loved the story lines and the characters, but I sometimes had a hard time really getting into the stories. I think this was due to the way the game board was set up, it took me out of the flow of the story. So I rating I am going to give Variable Barricade is ‘I like it a lot’.
Variable Barricade is a visual novel with a unique gameplay system, fragmenting its plot in a big board. Except for the common route, each route presents unique events, prioritizing Hibari's relationship with each of her suitors, where it proves that judging a book by the cover is a tremendous error. With excellent gameplay and replay value; fluid and interesting narrative; captivating characters; and an impeccable audiovisual presentation, romcom lovers should not miss the bizarre situations between the Tojo family heir and her suitors.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Variable Barricade is another Switch otome game with that sort of set up, but this time it manages to pair a confident, outspoken heroine, imperfect love interests with some interesting backstories, and an attempt to be a bit more interactive rather well.