How Replay Boys Transforms a Boy Band Dating Sim into a Dark Tale

Picture this: emergency sirens wailing outside an arena, your friend’s texts growing unsettlingly cryptic, and an unsettling darkness creeping into your vision as you relive your workday yet again. This is Replay Boys, where you step into the shoes of Hannah, a video editor at a small record label. The challenge? Everyone else has called in sick, leaving you to wrangle the four chaotic members of the Replay Boys. Your mission includes getting them to the concert, prepping for soundcheck, and dealing with their inevitable meltdowns. While on the surface it may seem like a typical visual novel about managing a wildly unpredictable boy band, there’s an eerie undercurrent beneath its bright exterior.

As the title suggests, uncovering the game’s darker secrets requires playing through the same day multiple times. Alongside ghostly encounters, brainwashed fans, and a sinister cult, you’ll grapple with more earthly crimes like kidnappings and firearm offenses. The plot thickens when, for reasons unknown, the day begins to repeat itself.

In a conversation with the game’s writer, Bell, I delved into the origins of this intriguing premise. “The concept evolved naturally as the story unfolded,” she explains. “I love games that make you question your senses. Visual novels have a unique capacity for eeriness because much of the storytelling happens in your imagination—it’s a subtle creepiness that thrives there.”

Replay Boys ingeniously melds visual novel and horror genres, both of which rely on repetition. Traditional visual novels often feature story routes that must be revisited to unlock different outcomes. Here, that replayability morphs into a time loop that’s integral to the story. Horror games and films similarly play with familiar settings, only to later shatter that perceived safety with chilling twists.

Initially, Replay Boys sticks to visual novel conventions, but just as you settle in, the day abruptly resets. At first, everything seems unchanged, but then, the familiar starts to unravel. Unsettling noises echo through phone calls, doors to darkened rooms that were once locked slowly creak open. With each loop, the story gets twisted, stepping deeper into the surreal and fantastical.

The subversion of typical visual novel expectations is a key appeal, yet Bell ensured Replay Boys still fits within the otome dating sim category. “I wanted the band members to genuinely come alive, fostering unique relationships with the protagonist. By the game’s end, players should feel they’ve truly earned the characters’ trust.”

This Valentine’s Day, why not spend it with an eccentric, and slightly spooky, boy band? Replay Boys launches today, February 14, available on Xbox One, Series X|S, and the Xbox app on PC.

REPLAY BOYS

Split Narrative Inc.

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

$9.99

REPLAY BOYS, a visual novel with diverse endings, offers both romantic and platonic routes. It showcases vibrant characters, dynamic CGs depicting romance and chaos, and a fast-paced narrative. Players steer the course—choose wisely!
Step into the role of Hannah, the video editor for the rising boy band, The Replay Boys. With their manager out of action on the eve of a major concert, it’s up to Hannah to step up and keep the show on track. Help the band navigate their bickering, unveil their anxieties, confront wild fans, a cult, and time loops!