Blast Damage Days was not made for me, but I enjoyed it well enough.
This project is yet another one with a good emotional core that suffers with its execution. Its most noticeable issue in that regard comes in the form of it coming off as the “poor adaptation” into an interactive medium. Speech tags make an appearance and they look very awkward in textboxes; not to mention, the info contained in many of them is made redundant by the fact this game has voice acting. Something similar happens with visual descriptions of characters readers can already see thanks to the sprites. And finally, long blocks of text that would perhaps come off inconspicuous in regular story, just looking awkward and bulky here, an effect strengthened by the use of NVL.
Other minor issues plague this VN. The writing includes some repetition that makes the prose a little tiring. How the project uses NVL and ADV formats makes for a disorienting experience. And an overuse of namedrops that serve to take the reader away from the story.
Now, there’s another matter here that curbed my enjoyment of BDD. This project was clearly made by and for a specific parcel of the internet, for someone who isn’t there, the experience really soured. This VN uses an abundance of “terminally online” lingo that probably sounds normal to the aforementioned in-group, but made me cringe and uncomfortable. As for those aforementioned namedrops, again, they probably make for this in-group, they alienated me more than anything. I tried not let these reactions colour too much of my review, however, it is a pretty big part of BDD’s identity and must be mentioned.
Even so, this project has a lot to enjoy. The emotional core and the journey the characters go through are grounded, relatable and feel natural. The VAs, especially Kritine’s and Ada’s, did and excellent job on matching these characters’ vibes and everyone aced their deliveries.
Blast Damage Days gave me more to think about then I thought it would. I stand by my opinions while assuring you this project is worth your time. But, do I think it would be better if it “cast a larger net?” I cannot say. I speak of my experience and when it comes to this project, I had a good time.