I know I always have a soft spot for Rewrite. I love Rewrite, to the point that I am biased towards it. It holds a special place in my heart. It teaches me important life lessons that I otherwise would have disregard.

But that, was almost 10 years ago...

Everything I knew about this game, was nothing but a nostalgia memory lane. I was both excited and anxious with the news about a Steam release by Sekai Project. Excited, because I finally have an excuse to dive back into what once considered to be my childhood. Anxious, because I was unsure if things were holding as well as I remembered.

As they say, nostalgia can be a dangerous drug after all...

Rewrite is possibly the most adventurous work by Key to this date. It tries to tackle different themes and areas that were least explored, issues that are progressively more alarming in this day and age.


... but does it still warrants a recommendation? Absolutely.


This is without a doubt an area Rewrite excels at, having an amazing cast of characters. Most if not all of the characters (that includes the side characters) are very much likeable throughout the whole run. They all have a distinct personality that compliments one to the other between interactions.

Kotarou is also not your atypical aka { self-insert here } main protagonist. He is an easy-going individual that would take matters into his own hands whenever necessary. That is not to say that he is your average “I help because I am good” stereotype like most VNs protagonist tend to be. He has layers, his own struggles to face along the way. Questions that he may not have an answer for. All and all, a well-written character with a mind of his own.

To me, the interactions between the casts are always the highlight in the game. It is fun, and engaging. By the end, you will have a hard time picking your favorite.


In my opinion, this is where Rewrite starts to show its cracks, particularly in the heroine routes. To say that the game lacks consistency in its writing would be an UNDERSTATEMENT. Players would constantly find themselves jumping from one genre to the next; depending who is the scenario writer namely Romeo Tanaka, Yuto Tonokawa, and Ryukishi07 of 7th Expansion (the creator of the "When They Cry" series).

Common:
As any romance based visual novels, Common route has a combination of both slice of life / comedy into the mix. It is fun, light-hearted and full of hilarious moments (albeit some jokes did not aged quite as well).

Interestingly, Romeo Tanaka (the main scenario writer) was able to capture the essence from previous Key games while simultaneously adding in his own flair onto it. It is in many ways humorous in its delivery, choke full of references and all and all just a good fun time to read.

However I do have to note that, the total length in Common route is long. Roughly 15-20 hours long in fact, before getting into any of the heroine routes. If you don't have the patience to stomach, I would probably suggest you to drop it from here. It is not for everyone after all.


Kotori:
Kotori route is the go-to route to read first after finishing the Common route. Period. It serves as an entry point to the story, giving players a good introduction to the lore without revealing too much of the meat and bone in it. For example, the conflict between Gaia and Guardian.

The sense of helplessness that one would feel in her route is truly captivating, especially when paired with the excellent writing by Romeo Tanaka, giving both Kotarou and Kotori plenty to shine throughout the journey. An all-around solid storytelling.


Chihaya:
Chihaya route is by far the weakest route among all the heroines. It does not offer much onto the table in terms of the lore, instead the route has a strong emphasis on action, much more akin to your atypical Shounen genre. So expect ridiculous fights and lots of training arcs in the process.

Also, Chihaya suffers from lacking presence as the main heroine. Don't get me wrong, she is likeable as a character, but to constantly getting outshined by the likes of Sakuya is a sin in a heroine route. Maybe the best girl are the ones we made along the way?

That being said, it is still very much enjoyable. The route mostly retains the light-hearted mood from the Common route. Seeing how ridiculously strong Kotarou gets by the end can also be a satisfaction by itself.


Lucia:
Lucia route by far gave me the most mixed reception, as it did both the right and wrong in parallel. I have to give credits where its due, I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of the route. I love the horror and mystery surrounding the curse of Haruka Asahi. I was constantly on the edge wanting to know what comes next as more questions are raised instead of answers. As expected, from Ryukishi07 of 7th Expansion.

Also to top off, Lucia has the best romance out of all the heroines. To put it simply, the gap moe is strong on this one. She is by far the sweetest of them all, easily.

The problem lies within the second half of the route, where the story tries so hard in tying the lore together to what felt like padding over padding without any conclusion whatsoever. The irony is that, I would have been fine if the story just cuts off after the first half because the later parts only did her character dirty. Because of it, she pretty much got away with the consequences caused by her own actions, which is utterly unjustifiable.


Shizuru:
Ah, the one that broke me into pieces…

Shizuru route is undoubtedly the closest thing that resembles to an older Key title. A heart-warming story, followed by a tragic separation and finally an emotional reunion. Basically, the game just wants you to cry like a dimwit by the end.

The word "appreciation" is not something one would find out of reach. Rather, a realization we came to understand that, the little things we once took for granted is already long disappeared. Personally, I do not find the storytelling to come off as strong when compared to other heroine routes. However, it is at least very consistent with its narrative, making the delivery ultimately paid off by the end.

Also, why does every loli character created by Key had the worst possible outcome ever? I am not imagining things right?


Akane:
If Kotori route is the go-to route to read first then Akane is the opposite to that end. It is highly recommended to read this route by the very last, as it is jam packed with information and lore to which heavily relates to the true route (yes those exist).

Fate can be an inevitable despair to one’s end. Will Kotarou continue to resist against that inevitability, or accept the madness that is Akane herself? After all, fate itself is a tragedy that one cannot change. Romeo Tanaka once again proves to be the best in class in his writing. As opposed to the more personal and granular approach in Kotori route, the overall presentation in display here are much grimmer, the stakes are also much higher. Truly the pinnacle in storytelling.


Moon & Terra:
Opinions? None.
Just read it. It’s a masterpiece.


(Read order: Kotori - Chihaya - Lucia - Shizuru - Akane - Moon - Terra)


Even with its flaws in regard to the storytelling, Rewrite still paints an important message to our environment; To rethink our actions as human beings. After all, we as "♥♥♥♥ sapiens" can be too short sighted to care about our surroundings.