Note: This review holds a spoiler for the first chapter of Elsewhere High, if you have not played it. From Horizon Studio comes
Elsewhere High, a visual novel about a school for kids who were expelled from... everywhere else. You play as Derek, a boy expelled for writing horrible messages to another student, sent to Elsewhere High to become a better student.
In the first chapter of this visual novel, we meet Derek and play as him, whereas in chapter two, we play more as Sophie – one of the characters we meet in the first chapter. With a new boy, Mathias, and the continuation of the plot twist of the first chapter, we get to delve into a whole new world of Elsewhere High.
I really didn’t intend to buy and play the second chapter at all after finishing the first one, even with the monster twist. After I finally came around to payday, and I could buy a few games, I just stared at it in the Steam Store and wondered if it was really worth it. Eventually, I caved because I just wanted to find out what was going on with the monster, and honestly, I was kind of bored most of the way through this.
The introduction of the new character, Mathias, was really interesting, but then he disappears for the majority of the story. It was nice to see the characters from the first chapter again, and especially Ash and Toby, considering we didn’t get to see them much – and it was absolutely wonderful seeing them all develop, especially Sophie and Vincent.
However, I feel like this just had too much backstory going on, and not enough about the actual story to keep me hooked. I skipped through most of it, just to see the ending and what was going to happen about the monster, and honestly, I was really bored just trying to read through it all. I feel like I wasted £1.99 on this, considering it took me half an hour to get to the twist, only for there to be another huge twist, and I’m going to have to wait until Chapter Three to find out more.
Honestly, I have to give it to Horizon Games; they’ve made a relatively boring game rather addicting, just with their plot twists right at the end of each chapter, and I’m now waiting for Chapter Three, if that ever comes, (they have said on the Steam Store that “subsequent chapters” will be made available later).
Honestly, even as a visual novel fan, I wouldn’t recommend this one too much. Only if the genre of the game is right up your alley. This game wouldn’t even have my attention if it wasn’t for the small twists happening here and there. I don’t think it’s worth the money unless you really, really love the genre of this game as a whole.
2.5