If I weren’t playing Robotics;Notes DaSH for review, I would have thrown in the towel on my relationship with the SciADV series about an hour in. The overstuffed run time mixed with the distasteful interactions with the cast leaves me leery of continuing the series. Of course, if Mages can get back to what they do well, with mind-bending plots and intriguing characters, they might get me back. Maybe.

Robotics;Notes DaSH includes the same entertaining characters from the first game as well as an engaging plot. However, the experience is often hindered by the inclusion of annoying story beats and a convoluted progression system.

Robotics;Notes DaSH is a game that had such an incredible base, and some terrific story beats set up to resolve but is constantly at odds with its progression system and Daru’s presence within the story. This ultimately runs counter to everything that made its predecessor so fantastic. If you liked the original story, you would get some enjoyment out of the endings, and there are some fun goofy moments to be had with Kaito and the gang. Still, they are severely undercut by a new insufferable lead and the echoes of what could have been something truly great. Maybe we can delude ourselves into making the next one better, yeah?