Bionic Heart 2 is a hard game to explain. It’s a visual novel produced by one of the Western masters of the form, Winterwolves. That means a choose-your-own-adventure with pretty pictures. Simple enough. Where it gets tough is trying to summarize the story. This is not an easy tale to describe succinctly, but the complexity is what makes it a joy to play.
In the first Bionic Heart, protagonist Luke is forced to assist a cyborg named Tanya hide from the wealthy industrialist Richard Meier IV. That story can play out in a number of different ways, but the sequel assumes that Luke, along with his girlfriend Helen and best friend Tom, have escaped to a secret colony on Mars. Tanya, meanwhile, remains on Earth to expose Meier and his nefarious schemes. Whereas the first game remained fixed on Luke’s perspective, this installment jumps between four characters on two planets. On Mars, you’ll alternate between Luke and Tom as they adjust to life there, while on Earth you’ll play as either Tanya or police officer Tina in their attempt to bring Meier down for good.
As with all visual novels, “playing” means reading through lines upon lines of dialogue. I’ll admit VNs can get tedious because of that, but Bionic Heart 2 manages to avoid the boredom in a few ways. I’ve already mentioned the first: the jumping between four characters. This happens frequently, so the pacing is broken up nicely as you’re never spending more than a few minutes in any one person’s shoes. It makes the story feel much more dynamic, which kept me engaged for longer sessions than visual novels normally do.
The second way Bionic Heart 2 promotes interest is the inclusion of “social boss fights.” These are essentially dialogue puzzles where the goal is to win over the character you are talking to. At the most basic implementation, it means filling a bar to 100% by making the right choices, but as you get further along the formula is changed, thus keeping the mechanic fresh throughout the experience. The last battle, for example, requires a much different way of thinking from the first, and provides a wonderful capstone for the adventure as a whole.
The final hook is the story itself, which starts off fairly mundane but quickly escalates into insane territory, in a good way. It twisted in a direction that took me completely by surprise, yet made perfect sense given the world and the situation. I hate using the term “mind-blowing,” but that’s the best way I can describe what I experienced while playing. I also hate not being able to explain why it’s so amazing. If I even made vague hints it could ruin the surprise, and in a game where story is everything that would be a callous thing for me to do.
Of course, whether or not you experience the same story I did depends entirely on the decisions you make. What you do and the way you treat people can have far-reaching consequences. Bionic Heart 2 is not afraid to let you make a “wrong” choice either. Luckily you can save anytime, which comes in handy when facing a difficult situation. The multiple and varied endings provide the major impetus for replaying the game. There are 26 in total, and figuring out how to unlock each turns the game into a larger meta-puzzle, perfect for those who measure a game’s value in terms of hours played.
Conclusion—Is It Worth The Money?
This is where it gets tricky. Bionic Heart 2 costs $20, in a world where the vast majority of triple-indie titles—i.e. the ones made by the darlings of the community—are priced at $15 or less. What’s more, it’s a game with static art, no voice-overs, and production values that are decent but not awesome. I do think it’s worth the price, however, simply because of how amazing the story is, and in a visual novel, the story is the only reason to play.
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