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BGM: Yomi
About the Game
Raging Loop is a visual novel developed by Kemco and released for iOS and Android in 2015 under the name Rei-Jin-G-Lu-P (no, really) in Japan. After enjoying much success on those platforms, it got ports for PS4, the Switch and PC, as well as an English localisation in 2019.
It’s a horror/mystery that could be grossly described as a cross between Higurashi, Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward and the party game Werewolf. What does that mean? Stick around and find out.
What I can tell you now is that this is definitely my favorite VN of the last few years, and I very much wish it was better known over here in the West so I could find more people to discuss it with. This LP is my attempt to rectify that, just a tiny bit.
About the LP Format
This is going to be a standard screenshot LP, aided by music links.
The biggest casualty of this format is the voice acting, which does a lot to bring the characters to life. In this VN, every single line of dialogue (!) is voice acted. As a compromise, I will occasionally link to short voice clips, to give you a general impression of how each character is supposed to sound or bring across some of the emotional intent that can’t be discerned by reading the dialogue alone. So, whenever you see a line of dialogue with a link, click it and you’ll get to hear the VA!
Sometimes, we’ll come across choices in the narrative that I’ll let the thread vote on. However, keep in mind that the VN is much more linear than it may initially appear and that a lot of these choices lead straight to bad ends.
I intend to show off all the content in the game by the end of the LP, including all endings, Revelation Mode content and Extra Stories. If you played this game before and notice me miss something, please point it out, so I can go back and show it off.
About the Purpose of This Thread
The main reason I am embarking on this journey is to provide you all with a fun synchronized reading experience of this VN. The point is for you to discuss and speculate about the events of the story, one update at a time.
Therefore, there are a couple of simple rules I want to lay down:
* No spoilers. Ever. Not in the open, not in tags and not in cloy hints like “oh, I can’t wait till you get to this upcoming part 
”. I am begging you. Please.
* If you read this VN before, or know story details through some other means, don’t participate in speculation or directly comment on other’s speculation. I want people to feel comfortable bouncing ideas around without having to double guess which parts of what post are driven by future knowledge.
* Therefore, if you read this VN before/reading through it now, please state as much in your first post in this thread. Just so we know who’s on the same page here.
That’s all. Good luck to you all in solving the many mysteries of Yasumizu.
Update 0: Raging Loop is a Visual Novel
BGM: Tranquility
“I bid you welcome to the world of this visual novel, Raging Loop.”
“I am… Nobody special, honestly. Simply consider me part of the interface. You may refer to me as Rikako.”
“You are most likely playing this game for the first time, and I am here to explain a few things about it.”
“This work is quite strange, you see. It’s recommended that the uninitiated take the time to read everything here.”
“Those uploading their gameplay should at least read the 4. Videos and Sharing section.”
I am definitely doing that (sort of) so I’ll be sure to do so.
“Now, where should I begin?”
Let’s start from the top.
“Much like with regular novels, the story is told through text, and the enjoyment comes from reading it.”
“If you are familiar with the party games ‘Werewolf’ and ‘Mafia’, this visual novel bears a close resemblance to those, but keep in mind it is just that: a resemblance.”
“Sincerest apologies to those who were hoping to play an eternal game of Werewolf with twenty super AI Rikakos. I weep and bleed for you, truly. How sad.”
“Of course, this is not merely a novel. As you carry on, you will sometimes come upon choices which affect the story. It’s quite amazing.”
“The characters have lively visual depictions, as well as voices, making it easy to immerse yourself in this world.”
“This story is obscenely lengthy, as well, so please take care not to be drawn in so thoroughly that you begin losing sleep.”
She isn’t lying. Steam shows that my playtime for this VN is over 39 hours. I don’t want to think about what this means for the length of this LP given a ‘once or twice a week’ update schedule. We’re in for quite the long ride here, folks.
“Also, you may be aware of this already, but Raging Loop is based entirely around fabricated murders and horrific scenarios. It’s tailor-made for all you fans of suspense, thrillers, horror, and mystery.”
“Of course, this is a work of fiction, so it has nothing to do with real people, groups and incidents. It also includes fictional details about academic matters, such as history, religion, mythology, science, and medicine. Relying upon it during exams would get you zero points. How sad.”
“Lastly, we do not endorse replicating the crimes and cruelty depicted in this work.”
I too absolve myself of all responsibility for the inevitable remote village serial-murder crimes inspired by this LP.
There’s no real need to go through the special and standard functions sections here, since I am going to explain the relevant parts as they come up during the game. For now, if you’re familiar with other ‘branching flowchart’ VNs like Virtue’s Last Reward, you know what’s going on with the mechanics here. If not, you’ll simply have to wait a bit.
Now, about that Videos/Sharing section…
“Because of this, it would be very troubling if someone uploaded everything to the internet. I’d be sad…Very sad…”
Very troubling indeed.
“Then again, we do understand those who want to enjoy the work with many other people.”
“Because of this, we have set a guideline for how far we would like you to upload. This range covers the whole first main route and a little extra.”
“Specifically, you can only upload until the choice at ‘4. Infiltration: Q. Entering the Village.’ That’s a lot, just so you know. I’m sure you’ll have enough content for your uploads!”
“I actually think it’s a bit too much. Uploaders who read everything aloud might get a sore throat. Please don’t overdo yourselves, all right?”
She then goes on to explain about a reminder function that would stop us at the right place.
However, despite Rikako’s kind and considerate attitude here, I shall make a bold declaration - I fully intend to ignore this limit. I realize that this is where the LP gets a bit morally fraught. However, I have several convincing reasons why this wouldn’t really steal most of the value you might get from the full product:
- This is a screenshot LP, not video. As a function of that, it does not offer anywhere near the full experience the game has to offer, especially when it comes to voice acting and retaining the atmosphere.
- The upload schedule is at most 2-3 times a week. Obviously, this is not ideal for retaining the pace of the narrative, which is the unavoidable curse of all story-game LP threads.
- There is a long-established precedent in the LP subforum of long-form screenshot LPs of VNs and adventure games, such as professorprof’s unforgettable Umineko LP or Tiggum’s ongoing LP of Unavowed. I have never gotten the impression that these kinds of LPs reduced game sales. If anything, the opposite is the case.
Most importantly, I intend for this to be an entirely different experience than just reading through the VN normally. I hope that the mystery-oriented nature of the narrative, combined with the relaxed update schedule, will turn this thread into a fertile environment for speculation and book club style discussion. Basically, it’s like we’re reading through it together.
Stopping under a third of the way through would be really unfortunate. Nevertheless, if enough people think I should respect the game’s wishes, we’ll stop at the predetermined limit. But for now, I am proceeding under the assumption this LP will cover the entire game.
Now, let us proceed.
“Pheew...That sure took a while. Thank you kindly for reading this far.”
“Anyway, let’s begin the story.”
“Beyond the pockets of mist and hazes of blood, at the end of the ever-repeating despair and grief…”
