Bad Apple Wars

 PlayStation Vita
User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 9 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
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  1. DMD
    Oct 31, 2017
    6
    This is an otome game, which is a visual novel with a romantic theme and starring a female protagonist. It's also heavily influenced by the anime Angel Beats, in which teens that have died tragically early deal with a bizarre afterlife patterned after a high school. The good apples are souls that try to obey the hellish rules of the school to graduate and move on, while the bad apples areThis is an otome game, which is a visual novel with a romantic theme and starring a female protagonist. It's also heavily influenced by the anime Angel Beats, in which teens that have died tragically early deal with a bizarre afterlife patterned after a high school. The good apples are souls that try to obey the hellish rules of the school to graduate and move on, while the bad apples are rebels who try to defy this fate and seek to escape the school whole.

    What's nice about this game is that the love interests are split up between the good and bad sides, giving you a better look at the story than many otome games. You see all sides of NEVEAH academy, and in the routes I played, there is substantial additions to the story with the different interests. The art is striking too, very colorful and with great, lanky character designs. All are fashionable too, my favorite being the samurai-loving side character who is dressed in perfect 80s prep (which looks wonderful!)

    The plot is fun, and the characters are very lively. Unusual for a visual novel, there are a ton of well fleshed out side characters, much more than many otome games. The story despite being derivative was nice, too, and I enjoyed it much.

    So then why a 6?

    The problem is that it feels a bit slapdash and lacking in the presentation. There are minor characters who play a decent role in the plot, like the sleepy sounding girl Akki, but get no picture at all despite being fully voiced, and voiced well. The actual art assets beyond the stylish presentation are simple even by otomate standards, with only a few different poses, and not much in the way of cgi or effects. It feels a bit bare bones at times, compared to Code: Realize or Malice x Collar.

    Some people dislike the odd font they use for lettering in the game, but I didn't mind it.

    The biggest issue though, is the fault of the localizers. There's a mechanic where you touch your love interest in order to hear his inmost thoughts, which are spoken...but in Japanese, with no subtitles! This has no effect on gameplay, but considering these moments happen at critical points in the storylines, it would be nice to know what they are saying.

    So on the whole, it's a decent Otome game with some nice points, but it really needed a little more work on the presentation to shine. It's comparable to Period: Cube, but falls short of the best otome games on the Vita.    … Expand
  2. Frenish
    Feb 6, 2020
    6
    Game is literally a book. Wish there was more interaction but sadly there isn’t
  3. bfdk
    Aug 16, 2022
    7
    this is a visual novel where you don't really treat it as a game, but more like a book. Story and characters might not be for everyone though.

Awards & Rankings

4
#4 Best PS Vita Game of 2017
3
#3 Most Discussed PS Vita Game of 2017
8
#8 Most Shared PS Vita Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. Gaming Age
    Feb 5, 2018
    100
    I don’t often find myself interested in seeing where these games are going, but I’ll admit that this one got me hooked. Give it a chance (provided, obviously, you already have an interest in visual novels), and you’ll probably find yourself hooked too.
    Read full review
  2. God is a Geek
    Oct 16, 2017
    80
    Bad Apple Wars is yet another interesting otome game from Otomate that manages to stand out from their other releases really well but one that has a terrible font that annoyed me constantly.
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  3. GameSpew
    Oct 13, 2017
    60
    For fans of otome games, Bad Apple Wars may feel like a love-it-or-hate-it experience that will mostly depend on how much you’re able to put up with. If you’re able to find aspects of the characters you like, its romance subplots will probably pay off. Yet, even if you can’t, there’s an interesting enough plot that will make its few hours long of a campaign feel justified.
    Read full review
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