Vengeful Heart

A little bit of cyborg, a critique of market-determined health insurance, student activism, a big helping of love, a dash of revenge, one doctor, a steam hammer, murder. But if you like synthwave and want a ten hour or so read, go ahead.

Vengeful Heart is worthy of your time if you are at all interested in visual novels. The overall narrative is gripping, and it’s no overstatement to say that at times, I found the visuals and soundtrack mesmerizing. The early stages undoubtedly contain some uneven writing, but it’s a small issue when contrasted with everything the game gets right. If you can look past this, and the linearity of the narrative, then Vengeful Heart is an absolute gem of a visual novel that I would encourage you to support and try out.

Vengeful Heart's tale of disobedience in the face of corporate greed is one that's dug deeper than I expected. It's not much of a looker with a pixelated style that just seems too harsh for my eyes. I spent most of my time concentrating on text scrawls that really helped portray a group of friends struggling to topple a juggernaut whilst wrestling with their own ethics. Some aspects feel undercooked but there's an interesting narrative, if you don't mind being a bystander in all of it.