As more and more players have been able to (finally) clear Too Kyo Games’ story-dense TRPG The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy, data shows that it will take you an average of 180 hours to complete the game and all of its 100 endings. According to data collected so far on Howlongtobeat, the average time to complete the main story is 31h 19m, 72 hours for main story and extras, and 180h 30m for completing all of the routes. While this is already quite crazy for a story-based game this time could be significantly longer or shorter depending on how you approach the game.
It’s only been around a month since The Hundred Line’s official release, so it makes sense that, so far, only 4 people on the website have completed the game and all its possible endings. There is also a considerable gap in playtime among them, ranging from around 145 hours to 220 hours. This comes to no surprise though, as the story of The Hundred Line itself was written in a way that vastly changes based on the players choices and creates an almost personalized experience depending on the order in which you clear the endings (assuming you’re ready to go through the emotional turmoil of playing all 100 of them). The reading speed of players also plays a big part in determining how long the overall playtime will end up being, as the game’s original script is, according to director Kazutaka Kodaka, as long as 60 paperback novels.
Another factor to consider may be the tactical RPG portion of the game – depending on your playstyle, the combat may take longer or shorter to complete. If the character you feel most comfortable with using in combat ends up meeting their fate in the story, it might take you a bit more time to rethink your battle strategies. Furthermore, even though the combat ends once you complete the goal (usually beating the Boss), some people prefer clearing all of the low-level enemy minions before moving on to completing the goal. With each branching storyline, some combats may get retriggered as you go back to reconsider your choices and reach the ending you’re most satisfied with.
In that case, the game gives you two options – to play through the combat again, or to skip it completely with a perfect score. If your playstyle is more story-focused, you might want to skip the combat and go right into the next world-shattering plot twist, but if you prefer the TRPG genre, you can replay those portions of the game as many times as you want, honing your skills in the process, and getting more Battle Points to further upgrade the characters abilities and make your defense strategies go even more smoothly.
There’s also the “Free Time” segment in the game where you can send gifts to your favorite characters, go exploring the outside world, or just wander around the school and upgrade your weapons and items for future battles. You can focus on any of these based on the kind of gameplay you prefer, and of course, this segment can always be skipped if you’re more into the story or the combat.
However, it’s important to note Too Kyo Games’ advice to players – you don’t have to go through all of the endings. While the “true ending” written by Kodaka technically exists, he explains that it would be the best if you find the ending that sits right with you. You can also ask your friends for ending recommendations and only clear the ones that sound interesting to you. Having played the Hundred Line myself, I can confirm that it has quite a mixed bag of endings – there are some routes that are full of lore and information, and take time to complete, while the other ones are more straight-to-the-point and can be completed more quickly.
Interestingly enough, Howlongtobeat shows that it only takes around 30 hours to complete the main story of the game. However, players have been debating on what is considered the “main story” of the game, as, due to the convoluted branching plot, it’s difficult to pinpoint what it exactly is. To avoid spoilers, let’s just say that it is important to go through what could be considered new game+ in order to actually experience the “true ending” Kodaka wrote. So, regardless of the playstyle you choose, we advise you to take the Howlongtobeat stats with a pinch of salt.
The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy is out now on Steam and for the Nintendo Switch.
