Emergency sirens blare outside the arena. Your friend’s text messages turn cryptic. A shadowy darkness blankets your sight, and suddenly, you’re reliving your workday all over again.
In “Replay Boys,” you step into the shoes of Hannah, a video editor at a small record label. With everyone else calling in sick, you’re left to manage the four members of the Replay Boys. You’re the one tasked with shepherding them to their concert, prepping them for soundcheck, and navigating their breakdowns. On the surface, this might sound like your typical lighthearted visual novel about a quirky boy band, but there’s an undercurrent of something far more menacing beneath it all.
The magic of “Replay Boys,” fittingly true to its name, is revealed through living the same day over and over. You’ll encounter a ghost, battle bizarrely brainwashed fans, confront a dangerous cult, and deal with more conventional threats like kidnapping and gun-related crimes. The twist? The mysterious reason why each day plays on repeat.
Curious about the story’s genesis, I spoke with Bell, the game’s writer. “The story evolved naturally as I wrote it,” she shared. “I’m drawn to games that make you question the reliability of your own senses. Visual novels are especially haunting since their stories come alive in your imagination where fear can easily thrive.”
One distinct charm of “Replay Boys” is how it marries the visual novel’s storytelling techniques with horror. In the realm of visual novels, players often revisit the same scenes to unlock branching storylines, and this repetition has been cleverly woven into a time loop central to the plot. Horror movies and games also thrive on unsettling repetition, taking something once familiar and transforming it into a nightmare.
On the first day, “Replay Boys” embraces the expected patterns of its genre. Suddenly, there’s a loop. The day restarts, seemingly unchanged at first, but soon the pace quickens, and creepy anomalies begin to surface. You may overhear strange noises, or find you can now explore dim, hidden rooms. With each loop, the story bends and twists further from its original form, evolving into something shockingly eerie and fantastical.
While the narrative pivots around these surprise elements, Bell’s intention was to craft an authentic otome dating simulator. “I wanted each band member to come alive, forming genuine relationships with the protagonist. By the story’s end, I hope players feel they’ve truly earned the characters’ trust,” she explained.
So, if you’re up for a mix of romance and thrills, why not spend Valentine’s Day with this peculiar band? “Replay Boys” is now available on Xbox One, Series X|S, and the Xbox app on PC. Dive in and see where your choices will take you!
