How Replay Boys Infuses Darkness into a Boy Band Dating Sim

Emergency vehicles line the street outside the arena, lights flashing ominously. Your friend’s texts are getting weirder, and suddenly, a menacing darkness clouds your vision as your workday begins anew.

In Replay Boys, you’ll step into the shoes of Hannah, a video editor working for a small record label. With everyone else out sick, the challenge of managing the four-member boy band, the Replay Boys, falls squarely on your shoulders. From ensuring they make it to the concert on time to soothing their meltdowns, your day is jam-packed with chaos. While it might sound like a typical visual novel, bubbling with humorous band drama, there’s a shadow lurking beneath its cheerful exterior.

The game’s title, Replay Boys, is more significant than it first seems, hinting at the dark mysteries that you’ll unravel by reliving the same day multiple times. As you navigate ghostly encounters, brainwashed fans, and confront a dangerous cult, you’ll find yourself enmeshed in a web of crime, ordinariness juxtaposed against the bizarre occurrence of time loops.

I had a chat with Bell, the mastermind behind Replay Boys, about how this thrilling plot came to life. Bell shared, “The story naturally evolved that way. I love games that make you doubt your own perceptions. In visual novels, a lot of the narrative occurs in your head, and that’s fertile ground for a distinct kind of eeriness, one that feeds off imagination’s power.”

Creating tension by repeating scenes, Replay Boys cleverly blends visual novel traditions with horror elements. Generally, visual novels have fixed routes and storylines you can replay to find divergent endings, but Replay Boys transforms this repetition into a central time-looping narrative. Meanwhile, familiar horror tropes tiptoe in, such as revisiting what once seemed ‘safe,’ only for it to turn nightmarish.

At first glance, Replay Boys seems like any visual novel. However, as the first day loops back on itself, small details shift—the pace quickens, and eerie happenings seep into the plot. Expect to hear unsettling noises or find yourself exploring places that were previously inaccessible. Each loop slowly morphs the initially predictable story into a dreamy, unsettling experience.

Though Replay Boys thrives on subverting expectations, Bell remains faithful to its otome roots. “I wanted each band member to feel real, capable of forming genuine relationships with Hannah. By the end, players should feel they’ve truly earned the character’s trust.”

Celebrate this Valentine’s Day with an unusual twist, joining a quirky boy band in a mix of romance and the unexpected. Replay Boys launches today, February 14, available on Xbox One, Series X|S, and PC via the Xbox app.

Replay Boys, created by Split Narrative Inc., offers a dynamic visual novel experience with various endings—be they romantic or friendly. Dive into the lively world of memorable characters and vivid CGs, where your choices steer the story’s direction. As Hannah, step up when the band’s manager can’t and guide The Replay Boys through their first major gig, navigating their inner conflicts while tackling extreme fans, a mysterious cult, and those intriguing time loops!