Subverse is essentially an adventure game set in a futuristic science fiction world where the galaxy is controlled by a puritanical organization called The Veil. In the game you play as a former military pilot who is working with a rebel group in a plot to try and overthrow The Veil. In order to succeed in this plan though you will need to recruit a team (Harem) of highly skilled specialists (Waifus).

The story in the game keeps an overall lighthearted tone throughout, with constant jokes, gags, and references parodying other major media and celebrities. Subverse is often very well aware of what type of game it is and often pokes fun at itself. Despite this though, the game also has a few more serious and endearing moments as well. The game definitely has a strong story focus to it and a lot of your time in the game will be spent in visual novel story segments and cut scenes. It has a very cinematic feel to it and often feels like you are watching a full on space adventure movie.

This is only further enhanced by the fantastic sound design and visuals as well. When thinking of games with great voice acting work, it's doubtful you would normally think of an H game, but Subverse shatters these expectations with some truly outstanding voice work that really brings these characters to life. Combing that along with the triple A quality fully rendered cut scenes, Subverse offers a high quality narrative experience rarely scene in this field of gaming. Occasionally the story scenes can go on for quite some time though, so you may want to keep this in mind if you are looking for a more strictly game play focused experience.

If you are more interested in game play over story, then fear not as the game does have a decent amount to offer in that department as well. The game play in Subverse is broken down into two main distinct missions types. The first is combat battle type missions that take the form of tactical turn based battles. You can select one of your "waifu" crew members to lead your team, along with 3 different mutants which you unlock as you progress. Each unit has their own passive abilities, actions, and ultimate abilities that can be used during battle. Some units will focus on getting in close to do melee damage, while others specialize in staying back and attacking with range. There is a decent amount of unit variety, but I will be honest in saying that most battles do feel like they play out pretty much the same no matter what you choose. While the combat system isn't terrible, there is a noticeable lack of depth to it and it does get to feel quite repetitive towards the end of your play through. The fights usually go quick and easily enough where advanced tactics or planning rarely feels necessary. Occasionally in the later segments of the game there are a few more creative and unique fights that implement some new and interesting mechanics, but these feel a bit too far and few in between.

Aside from the combat battles the other main type of mission is space combat. These missions play out more like a bullet hell arcade game where you pilot your ship around and shoot down enemies. You can select one of your waifu crewmates to be your co-pilot before each mission, with each waifu giving you a different secondary ability to use. These are a nice touch and offer a bit of flexibility in customization to suit your preferred play style, but similar to the turn based combat missions, the space combat also becomes quite repetitive rather quickly. Most of these missions will play out pretty much the same as well, without really much in the way of strategy required. The majority of these missions will just be dodging and shooting down enemies for three waves without any real major evolution of mechanics throughout the game. Some of the later space combat missions do get a bit more interesting and involve exploring unique maps to either stealth around and destroy specific targets, or scan and collect different items, but It would have been nice to see these types of missions more frequently spread out throughout the game.

Ultimately both main types of game play unfortunately feel like watered down versions of their respective genres. They are decent enough for an H game though and the game at least nails it with the main story missions, with the majority of the unique and more interesting missions being the story related ones.

Perhaps where the games shines the most though is with the real content of this game...the H content. The game provides this content in a multitude of ways, whether it be through cinematic story cut scenes, cute and creative unlockable CGs, custom outfits, dozens of fully animated 3D scenes for each waifus, and even an extensive photo shoot mode where you can take pictures of your favorite waifus with tons of different poses, backgrounds, and filters. There is a lot oh H content with a good amount of variety in themes and scenarios with a little something for everyone.

With that being said though, even without any of the H content, I do think Subverse provides a truly fantastic, cinematic, and enjoyable experience. While some of the game play may feel a bit repetitive at times, it does offer a decent enough experience to keep you entertained throughout it's wacky and comical plot. It's a very ambitious game overall and definitely contains some of the most impressive visuals and voice acting I've ever seen in an H game. While it may have some areas rough around the edges, it is well worth checking out if you are at all interested.

If you'd like to see a closer look at what this game has to offer I have an extended video review over on YouTube.

https://youtu.be/wclL0aHBWV0?si=dXMFpZ78Ma_75rB7

Better than Zombeer, worse than a video game.

Not worth the price. Wait for a 80% discount or more.