Breaker of fatalism is an awesome modern-day fantasy FMV romance game with cool visual FX, branching paths, great characters, and extensive lore that keeps the narrative interesting.
You play as Jiang Yi and learn that Earth is connected to two supernatural realms: celestial and underworld. You are also immune to magic, making you a useful tool to exploit as the realms vie for control. There is tons of good lore about world creation, deities, and the power struggle. While it initially seems like an angels and demons scenario, it is a more nuanced fantasy mix that drives the story as you uncover more.
The five potential love interests take different sides in this timeless war. Wan Qing is a badass soldier that kills zealots (underworld beings). Ke Ren has connections to the underworld, but is a damsel in distress. Two are sisters, with Wu Jin being a yandere whose devotion is irresistible, while her sister is a tsundere that seeks peace. And, finally, an ethereal lady shows up when you die and has a deeper connection. This is a great spread of personalities and each has ample back-story to uncover. Unfortunately the male lead (seen in third-person) is annoying and too silly. He’s also meant to be a fighting prodigy but only rarely does well in combat.
The cinematography is excellent, with more creative directing than usual. Exceptional visual effects, like magic particles and light bursts, are used better than in God bless or Goddess. There are some cool fights, especially those involving Wan Qing (played by Xiang Weijing, also in Vanity Fair). One blemish is that the game uses rather a lot of AI video content at the end. The ‘realistic’ ones are very inconsistent and detract from the experience. Unfortunately it also uses ADR for all voice, and the credits say the voice actors are not the character actors.
The game has many substantial branching paths. Chapter one is either set in a sanctuary or a hotel. Chapter three occurs in three different places, depending on the artifact needed. And the finale has an impressive number of permutations where one, two, or all love interests show up. While these paths are awesome, there is lots of scene overlap. Many will be seen twice or more if you 100% all chapters, although not needed for achievements. Also, thankfully the skip button is always available so you can leap repeats. It will take about 3.5 hours to play through once and around 11 to see everything, including short bonus scenes. English translation is good, including text on the phone, and likely done by a real human because there are many typos. Aside from a few small issues, there are many good reasons to play Breakers of fatalism and it is one of the best in 2025 so far.
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