Henchman Story Review – GameSpew
Who would be a henchman? Idiots, mainly. At least that’s what I thought before Henchman story, but this visual novel upset my thinking.
You’d think the goons get a rough deal, being hit by superheroes, thrown into shark tanks, and working for a boss who values ridiculous gear over practical weapons. But Stan, History of the henchman protagonist, understood everything. He masters the art of being just competent enough to do his job, but without standing out so much, he gets noticed. What could go wrong?
There is a change in direction, what is it, this is where you come in. Henchman story sees you grappling with the attention you get from both your new co-employer and a new worker. No, this is not a dating simulation, although romance does feature in a few of the endings. Stan is someone who has long shied away from big choices and now the opportunity has presented itself. How you handle it is entirely up to you.
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Surprisingly for a visual novel, every line (except Stan’s internal monologue) is voiced, which works great. The actors who speak History of the henchman villains, in particular, clearly have a hard time making it fail. Yes, this story of superheroes and questionable decisions has its tongue firmly stuck in the cheek; sound effects, for example, are used sparingly, but hearing the creak of Lord Bedlam’s stage lift made me crack every time.
In fact, if Henchman story doesn’t make you laugh, you might want to check that you still have a pulse. There is no shortage of gags, but they are rarely moved and most land. That said, you can take Stan down a dark path and the tone changes appropriately; with ten endings to explore, you can rest assured that your choices matter. you can finish Henchman story in about an hour and a half, but it never distracts you from an unwanted path.
The tale that Henchman story weave is, for the most part, excellent. You’ll notice plenty of superhero tropes, but it delivers a fully formed story, instead of just riffing on DC and Marvel characters. However, I could spot a twist at a mile and a half; Tweaking the in-game audio would have put an end to that but, as it stands, it’s all too obvious. There are also a few typos, but nothing takes you out of the game.
My biggest gripe, however, has to be that sometimes it gets a little too ironic. Since he makes fun of superhero comics and the like, he’s got more of a right to take that route than other visual novels. But there were a few moments when the dialogue seemed too contrived, too repeated; if you have ever watched Friends Where Buffy the vampire slayer (the show) and thought “Real humans don’t talk like that …” you’ll understand what I mean.
But for the most part Henchman story is a fun and rewarding ride through the often silly and sometimes dark world of supervillains and the poor neglected souls who serve them.
Henchman story Review – GameSpew’s score
