Boku ga Tenshi ni Natta Wake launched in Japan in 2013. Shortly thereafter, MangaGamer announced their intent to officially bring the game out in English as Bokuten - Why I Became an Angel, but this project ended up taking years. While other MangaGamer releases were announced and released, this title remained in the background. After years of waiting, it’s finally available on Steam and directly from the publisher. Was the wait worth it? Fortunately, this is a lengthy visual novel with powerful storytelling. Whether or not it will actively be “worth it” to a player depends on what kind of story they’re actually looking to read.

The plot of Bokuten - Why I Became an Angel feels immediately a bit different from other visual novels centered around a high school boy. In many tales, such a guy finds himself suddenly swarmed by women and is either highly excited or awkward about these ridiculous circumstances. Our protagonist, Tomoe, couldn’t care less about affection and love. He actively rejects these emotions and wants nothing to do with them in any context. This is what makes the introduction so ironic. Tomoe manages to cross paths with an angel named Aine. Aine’s goal as an angel is to bring together people romantically -- but she needs Tomoe’s help to shoot a Cupid-style arrow into their hearts. Begrudgingly, Tomoe accepts this role as a means to an end. Once Aine brings together a few couples to regain her powers she will finally leave him alone.

Despite focusing on romance, this is not an actively happy game. The common route consists of six chapters -- each focusing on a different would-be couple with an issue that must be overcome for their love to be realized. Sometimes this issue seems rather minor, while at other times it’s a huge barrier. For example, a love triangle poses an issue -- and one that cannot be tidily solved without at least one of the people in the triangle being hurt. Things get much darker than this, however, with some scenarios being quite distressing. Expect topics covered by the game to include underage partners, incest and rape. It can be difficult to play through in a marathon session due to the heavy nature of many chapters.

The common route itself easily takes anywhere between ten and twenty hours to complete, depending on your reading speed. Each chapter offers a choice to make: will you help the couples find love or not? These decisions determine which character’s route comes up after the common one ends. There are four routes in total, each with two different potential endings. It’s not fair to classify them as traditional bad and good endings, though. In fact, many consider the game as not really having happy endings at all. Regardless, there's often one ending that is kinder than the other per route. After completing three routes, the fourth and final route unlocks. The final route is the “true” route and it is perhaps the longest of them all. Completing all endings takes anywhere from twenty to fifty hours based again on reading speed.

Writing and localization tends to make or break a visual novel. Fortunately, Bokuten - Why I Became an Angel features incredible writing. There’s also nary a typo in sight which is a huge achievement considering how long the script is. Expect to really grow to care for each of the characters. When something sad happens, expect sadness to consume you as a result. Some may even be brought to tears at multiple points throughout the storyline. Yes, it’s seriously that impactful of a story. The skillful localization makes this all possible. Without it, the game would probably feel like nothing more than a long slog.

One question that crops up often regarding visual novels is whether or not the 18+ content is required for enjoying the game. The version on Steam is an all-ages release, while the MangaGamer copy is 18+. Of course, Steam owners are entitled to a complimentary 18+ patch available from MangaGamer’s site. The sexual content does not feel frivolous in Bokuten - Why I Became an Angel and in some routes it strengthens the storytelling. Adult scenes are presented as a purposeful continuation of the narrative rather than unnecessary fanservice. Sure, you can get by without it, but if you are of age then there’s little reason not to play the complete game.

Some might worry that a 2013 visual novel won’t look great compared to today’s products. That’s not the case at all. Back at the time it featured excellent, professional anime-style artwork and it still looks great today. The only disappointment here is that the resolution is pretty small at 1024 x 576. The game can still be played in fullscreen mode despite this. All characters aside from the protagonist are voiced and put in excellent performances. Finally, the soundtrack is outstanding. The vocal songs performed by Aine and the credit tracks are especially noteworthy.

With all this praise, is there anything to criticize Bokuten - Why I Became an Angel about? Unfortunately, there is. The biggest criticism is in how the true ending chooses to wrap up this epic tale. The writers were clearly skilled enough to create an enthralling tale, yet they were unable to come up with an emotionally impactful ending that makes sense with everything that came before it. Instead, it’s an ending which comes entirely out of left field and leaves players laughing or scratching their head at the absurdity of it all. It almost feels like an insult after spending hours with the cast and caring about their plight. Given how powerful the game is up to that point, it’s a massive disappointment to see how the story concludes.

Closing Comments:

There's so much to love about Bokuten - Why I Became an Angel that makes the multi-year wait worth it. The great voice acting, music and artwork make it feel just as contemporary as modern visual novels (aside from a smaller resolution). The biggest disappointment is simply after dozens of hours of gameplay that the ending does not reach the same heights as the rest of the story. There's not even an extra scenario or two to remedy this. Regardless, expect to go through an emotional roller coaster throughout the entire experience. Bokuten - Why I Became an Angel is a game that players will be talking about for a long time to come.