A lot of games that we see these days, tend to be violent. Not all, but there are a number that do. Which is why this is game is so heart warming. 1bitHeart is a game that focuses on making friends. In the game, you play Nanashi, who has left his hometown after experiencing some intense bullying. He moves in with his cousin, Mikado. Nanashi spends a lot of time staying inside – sleeping and playing video games. The world that Nanashi lives in is controlled and monitored by computer programs. Mikado made the lastest “Master Pogram”, which surveils citizen’s ideas and their phones. As a result of this, a mysterious girl named Misane shows up and pushes Nanashi to make some friends.
While on this adventure, the two discover that someone is hacking the Master Program and interfering with citizen’s phones. Which is causing them to be controlled by someone else from afar and they end up losing their memories. Your goal, in the game, is to solve the mystery behind who is hacking the Master Program, while attempting to make new friends. What’s interesting about this game is that the more you progress through, the more complex and mysterious the game becomes.
The game itself is split between detective and conversation mode. In detective mode, you get to explore the town and gather clues by talking to the locals in order to progress the story. In conversation mode, you have to piece together the clues. But if you don’t ask the right questions at the right time you take a hit to your HP. And if your HP reaches 0, you lose.
To me, this sounds incredibly difficult. I mean, what are you basing your questions on? You start out with a high HP, so there’s room for error. And the game also gives you some clues as to what you’re supposed to be doing. But as the game progresses, you get fewer and fewer clues. Which means, you have to think wisely about how you’re going to interrogate your subjects. Will you remember what you’ve already asked? Maybe you should keep a pen and paper beside you while you play this game?
In between chapters, you can focus on the cultivating friendships and exploring the town. Which is actually you buying them presents based on their interests. If you get to know these people, and buy them enough presents, they will talk to you and help you with the information you need. To earn money to buy these gifts, you can play minigames like Tetris. Which sounds kind of fun, if you ask me.
I think this is a different kind of game than we normally see. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The game exhibits themes about love, friendship and self-esteem. Which are things we could all use a refresher on. Even if we are adults. The game looks super cute, to be honest. It is a game, so it’s something fun. It might be good for kids who find themselves in new environments. This might also urge them to go out and make new friends. Maybe you should suggest that they don’t buy gifts and interrogate people in their town, but I think you can see where I’m going with this. Over all, this game looks adorable, and is something you should check out.