SECOND CHANCE

Memory loss is a very common theme in video games, mainly because it gives the writers a lot of freedom when it comes to plot holes. Hence, it’s a lot easier to avoid difficult explanations when you can toss it all in the “cannot remember” basket. Even so, that doesn’t mean you cannot have a good time with such a story, especially if the characters are interesting.

SECOND CHANCE is an interactive visual novel driven by choice and romance, in which you play the role of a girl by the name of Aria, who is suffering from memory loss. Unlike most visual novels that play themselves for most of the time, SECOND CHANCE allows you to make decisions that affect the story, especially since you can choose a romantic partner as well.

Although Aria has lost her memories over two years prior to the start of the in-game story, her past is just starting to catch up with her, and it would appear that it is not very pleasant. Hence, she must learn to deal with her past mistakes and somehow fix them by talking to the people she wronged. Other things affect the course of the plot as well, including your romantic choices.

As mentioned before, romance plays a major role in the story, since Aria has four different characters to choose from in this regard. Naturally, they all have to be approached in a certain way, depending on their personalities. Your love interest also changes the plot as a whole, so you can play through the game multiple times and get different experiences based on the choices you make.

Lastly, the artwork is probably the weakest part of the game, because it looks very sketchy and disappointing most of the time, regardless of whether we are talking about character design or the backgrounds. On the other hand, this side can be easily ignored if you manage to concentrate on the story instead, especially since the music is quite relaxing too.

SECOND CHANCE has its fair share of flaws, especially in terms of graphics, but the story and the plethora of choices are enough to keep you busy for a few hours. It’s always fun to go back and make different decisions in order to change the story.