Visual novels are a fun, interactive way to play games that don’t actually need playing. It’s a medium I quite enjoy, and with a few looks at Our World is Ended, I thought I’d find an interesting, futuristic story and journey. Instead, typical anime tropes and an unforgivable practice of pedophilia make this game unplayable. Full disclosure: upon hitting the latter plot point, I stopped playing the game. Looking around the internet, I’m not alone, as other reviewers have done the same. I didn’t read these until afterward but was comforted that I wasn’t the only one who found themselves disgusted with what occurs as Our World is Ended plays out.

The game takes place in a near-future, where virtual reality is able to do more than show us a cool game world. In fact, the character central to the story is set to test out a new VR experience created by a group called Judgement 7. The VR experience immediately shows itself to be the product of a perverted, sexist developer, who is clearly some girl-crazy freak. As the game progresses, the VR program begins glitching, showing a post-apocalyptic universe that has destroyed Tokyo. It’s an okay premise, minus the creepy anime nonsense, but it gets to the point where the game is unplayable.

The game, in nearly every plot point, finds a way to mention someone’s breasts. Even the abstract concept of boobs gets brought up way too often. That becomes a clear point of interest for Our World is Ended‘s plot. Games like these are less about the game and more about feeding perverted fantasies. I’ll be honest, if I knew the game was like this, I never would have played it. If I thought there was a possibility that it would redeem itself, I might have gotten farther. However, it got worse, objectifying characters and using suggestive dialogue so many other Japanese-Anime based games utilize. Unfortunately, a line gets crossed.

We’re introduced to Tatiana, a character who is described as having “basic social and living skills more around the lower elementary school or kindergarten level,” due to her focus on learning programming skills. She is dressed and depicted as a child, no older than early adolescence. Despite this, the character is sexualized in her art style, as well as her actual dialogue. I don’t wish to share any of it here. I don’t wish anyone to play Our World is Ended particularly for the character’s role in the game. She is meant to fulfill a fantasy that is punishable by law if acted upon, and deplorable no matter what.

I’m not here to say that visual novels and dating sims are wrong, they’re just not for me. What I will say is the sexualization of children, especially those who are listed in the game as being developmentally slow, is not okay. If games like this are your thing, I’d suggest rethinking the line that we draw behind the depiction of young women in all media, but especially games that are so overtly sexual. I didn’t finish Our World is Ended, and don’t recommend it to anyone.

A Nintendo Switch review copy of Our World is Ended was provided by PQube for this review.

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Our World is Ended

1

Score

1.0/10

Pros

• Fine Premise

Cons

• Sexualizes Young Women
• Fetishizes Children
• Overtly Objectifying
• Unapologetically Sexist