Game Link: https://passwordvn.itch.io/password
Password gracefully blends horror and relationships together without falling victim to either one.
Now this is a vn I have wanted to review for quite awhile as it is a personal favorite of mine. It was probably one of the first three gfvn's that I ever played, so I can't help being a little biased towards it.
That said, what is Password about? Well it is a murder mystery and romance fusion that stars a young hyena named Dave as he and his friends go on one last vacation together at an aloof mansion before parting ways afterwards.
Password has many strong suits, but the first of which I would consider is just how much personality and background they gave to the main character, Dave. Typically these vn's will just have sort of a goofball self-insert character who has no personality besides being clumsy and "innocent" when it comes to sex.
Password however was one of the first vn's I played where the MC himself was actually a person. This fact alone makes it stand out from most of these vn's , but it also helps that Dave was entertaining the entire time I was playing.
While I will do a fuller analysis of Dave, what I will say here is that he fits the story well, as his caring nature makes him the glue that holds the group of friends together as well as the fact that he has a past with these characters.
He just fits this story and a self-insert would not have worked as good as Dave has. Just wait until you hear his backstory with his family, you will be as invested in Dave as you would be in any of the other characters.
And speaking of the other characters, that is also where Password shines through. Other than Dave there are six characters: Tyson, Dean, Sal, Roswell, Orlando, and Hoss. I feel that the developer does an excellent job at making you feel that you already know these people, and this makes their friend group and relationship with Dave feel more real.
Sometimes I would find myself playing characters I initially didn't care much for because I knew each route would reveal more of Dave and the complexities of the other characters. These characters just really worked for me, not just romantically, but also as tight-knit friends, which can be hard to say for most vn's and is tricky to pull of in general.
However this isn't even Password's best feature, as that would go to how well it pulls off horror without being too cynical.
A common problem with most horror-themed vn's is that they often go overboard with the horror elements to the detriment of everything else, especially at the expense of romance, or a complete story (cough cough Echo).
What I love about Password however is that it doesn't fall into this trap of thinking that the horror must overtake the story. It balances the horror elements and romance in a very satisfying way that both leaves you tense for a character's life in one moment, and makes you feel happy in another.
Password accomplishes this through a pretty meta gameplay element, the very title of the game itself. You use passwords you get from the bad endings and put them into a vault to prevent that ending in the future. This lets the writers kill off any character they want to, but just not have the death be permanent.
Don't worry, these deaths do still impact the story, just not directly like if they actually died. That way the writers can continually build the romances and relationships between the characters and keep the horror tense as well. This was a much more welcome style of horror for me, and Password deserves praise for being able to cater to both genres in a unique way.
Password is definitely ranked among the highest of these vn's in my book. It presents a compelling narrative, a wonderful cast of characters, and an understanding of both what makes for good horror and good romance.
The biggest mistake you can make is to look at it and assume it is just another horror or another romance, because Password has proven that it can do all of this and more, so I can't wait to see how this romance thriller concludes and how many pile of bodies and kisses that it takes to get there.
Phenomenal job Grizz. 4.3/5