Platform: PC

Developer: YandereDev

Publisher: YanderDev

Release Date: April 17th, 2015

Genre: Stealth

Score: 6.0 / 10

Reviewed by Rhutsczar

This review is based off of the most recent build that was released on April 17th, 2015.

Hello everyone! I discovered this game while browsing one of my favorite YouTubers and I fell absolutely in love with it.  Sometimes I get in one of those moods to just play the most ridiculous game I can find at the time… Welcome to Yandere Simulator.

Let’s start with a nice simple definition. For those who don’t know, a Yandere is any anime character (while
typically a woman) that is violent and aggressive  yet still is incredibly affectionate to the main character. A Yandere is the exact opposite of a Tsundere, who are much less violent toward their loved ones. The most notable examples that come to mind is Ryuuguu Rena from Higarashi No Naku Koro Ni or Lucy from Elfen Lied.

Senpai will never love a murderer

Anyway, in Yandere Simulator you play as the nameless main character, who attends a nondescript Japanese school with generic anime-inspired classmates. Your character, who we will now refer to as Kaede, is in love with a boy that attends her school only known to the player as “Senpai.”  Your job is to have Senpai notice you and start to fall in love. If you do that though, you are going to miss out on all of the ridiculous fun activities you could be having! Plus if you fail, which can be done in a variety of ways, you could end up heartbroken and Senpai will never love you.

Unfortunately, since the game in its debug release state, its only 5% completed and has no winning objective programmed in just yet. At this current stage in the development process, Yandere Simulator is more like a Japanese school girl killing simulator than anything. Not that I have any problem with that.

Why are there giant naked titans here?

My favorite feature in Yandere Simulator by far are all of the Easter Eggs! You can change many features with just a simple press of a key on the keyboard. These tidbits are wildly different, as some keys change hair design or add an eye patch and some toast. Then there are the hidden modes. I have found three so far and I severely hope that the developers add more.

• Pressing the J Key will trigger Hatred mode. The screen will become dark and your Yandere will become insane, allowing you to kill everyone while Japanese death metal plays.
• Pressing the K Key will trigger Big Boss mode. Your Yandere will don Big Boss’s appearance from Metal Gear Solid V, and promotional music will play.
• Pressing the L key will trigger Attack on Titan mode. All of the NPC’s will become titan size. If you are able to kill them then they will glitch in a contorted mess around the school.

Clean up, clean up, everybody do your share!

I do want to make a quick note regarding Yandere Simulator’s graphics. For a game that is only 5% complete, the character models (as well as their blood) is actually quite well done.  All of the various character models are inspired by anime, ridiculous hair styles and all. I mean one girl actually has her hair in two small tornadoes around her head. The backdrop and school definitely needs some work, but it is obviously low priority right now. Not that it is a problem, but I would like to see the final result.

They didn’t want to #selfie

Control-wise, the basic scheme is pretty easy to pick up and play. Yandere Simulator follows the now traditional WASD keys for movement, as well as one key to do most actions like talk and attack. Using the right mouse button allows you to take pictures, which is another nifty feature added to the game. This can allow you to document your kills, just please don’t take any up-skirt shots, Yandere Simulator already has enough fan service.

When you are on a Japanese school girl murdering rampage you need a great soundtrack right? Initially the music is very calming, setting the stage for a beautiful day. When you start in with all of the murdering though, the peaceful track distorts into a giant confused mess of music, almost inaudible in some moments. Why does it do this? The music is in tune with your sanity meter, so the more insane you become the more distorted the track becomes. This is just one feature, as many of the Easter Eggs I spoke about above have their own soundtracks per each mode. The Attack on Titan mode plays the series opening theme, Big Boss mode plays the Metal Gear Solid V promotion song “Nuclear” by Mike Oldfield, and hatred mode plays Japanese death metal. I can’t wait to see what other tweaks will be made by the game’s feature release.

Alright, lets move on to some of the less appealing features of the game. The game right out of the gate takes the creepiness factor up to 11; the first customization option allows you to change what type of panties she wears. Seriously. Different panties will give you different advantages, such as falling in love more easily or smaller pools of blood. I don’t really care what kind of panties she is wearing, thank you very much.

I love you senpai!

Not creepy enough for you? Let me take you on a little tour of Kaede’s Senpai shrine. If you are going to have a Senpai, of course you have to have a shrine. The items on the sign are what worries me. On the shrine there is a picture of Senpai, a toothbrush, a bandage, and an apple. Seems harmless enough right? Until you highlight each of the items’ descriptions. I’m just going to leave them here.

• “This is a toothbrush that I stole from Senpai’s home! Brushing my teeth is such a wonderful feeling!”
• “This is a bandage that Senpai threw away. Some of his delicious blood is still on it!”
• “This is an apple that Senpai took a bite out of! Licking the teeth marks is so much fun!”

WTF Japan?

Muhahahahaha!

Despite the games severely incomplete state, there is quite a bit of promise for a fun filled game. The graphics right now are a solid B and if the game ends up even remotely as fun as it is in its current state, it will be able to sell well with at least a certain niche of gamers. Stay tuned for more quirky and weird games like this one in the future.