I have one message to GFL2 CN Playerbase - go touch grass, ffs.

Here's one more to the pile, and obligatory "filter reviews by >1-2 hours playtime" unless you want to lose IQ reading CN trolls trying to compete in mental gymnastics.

TLDR: fun game would recommend, buy standard edition + soundtrack for best bang for your buck
Edit: revising this review after I finished the game, they weren't kidding when the playtime is 100h ish for the first playthrough, I got love and hope'd and my heart hurts bad, Mica pls Operation Kindle[Tinder] DLC or a sequel...

Reverse Collapse is just fun as hell - if you are a fan of the old X-COMs, RC has a lot more in common with that than Fire Emblem, but still has its own identity: a focus on item usage and management (on hard mode the game straight up becomes survival horror), small number of player controlled characters versus an overwhelming enemy numerical superiority (and you will feel it), old school turn units/action points system allowing for a lot of tactical flexibility, and stealth mechanics that are fun, digestible and not atrociously tedious like the 2013 original. (Ask the vets how they feel about stealth mode costing double AP instead of the remake's +1 AP cost.)
Add.: the stealth missions are truly the best and worst of Mica puzzle design - I absolutely do not recommend playing this game the first time on ironman mode unless you want to tear your hair out reloading half the mission constantly, otherwise it's sometimes a bit trial and error but not too obtuse - it's certainly not for everyone

For the story, you don't need to have played Girls' Frontline 1/2 nor Project Neural Cloud, but the game has collectible secrets and lore items that delve deeper into the world for both the old fans and new - otherwise it's a standalone story that stands on its own merits. And it's pretty good at that - people meme a lot about how GFL and related games are all depression and "love and hope", but it is absolutely not a grimdark story like you might expect from something like Warhammer 40k. It's hardly the best SRPG plot ever written, but it is competent, confident, and far above what you might expect from a Chinese gacha game dev.
Add. 2: they made me feel emotionally invested, and then yuzhong ripped my heart out, it's the same feeling as you have just finished a really good book and it's just so empty when it finally ended, though mindful of somewhat inconsistent TL quality in the latter half of the game and minor typos throughout

The music goes hard. The composers made the music for the original 2013 game and had been involved in making music for GFL as part of Vanguard Sound Studio (you are going to see this name a lot making soundtrack for Chinese games) and this is a massive glowup compared to 10 years ago. VGS full version of Tacenda pls I beg you

Addendum re: the review bombing issue, certain folks in the Chinese community for Girls Frontline 2 got so salty over their waifu Type 95/Daiyan talking to a male that they managed to get RC into top 25 trending games, because god forbid a side character gets her own story and displays her own agency without being completely subservient to some weebs' self-insert fantasy. Yes, this is a deep rabbithole and it's more complex than that, so don't dive into it unless you have the brainworms like the rest of us. Just buy the game and see if it's to your liking.

Before I get into the details, some important clarification if it hasn't already been said enough:

Don't be fooled by the "Mixed" reviews of this game, especially from the people who played less than a few hours.

The Girls Frontline 2 Chinese playerbase decided to take their baby tantrums over to here and review bomb this page for reasons I definitely don't have the will or patience to look further into than "implied cuckoldry of their 2D gacha waifu" in one of its recent events where a character talked with another character that happened to be a guy. Unfortunately (and hilariously) I am not kidding.

This is an entirely separate game and experience and they can genuinely keep crying about it until they decide to go touch grass.

Anyways:

I've been waiting for this one for a while and was impressed by the demo. But since the demo there is a whole lot more to talk about!

If you're a fan of Girls Frontline and got super sucked into its story like I am, you will LOVE this game. I'm about 3/4ths of the way through and I've been really pleased with how seamlessly it fits into the world of it. And some unexpected names and references from GFL pop up here and there and catch you off guard (DA NYA). I like Jefuty's progression from being super impatient to being more trusting as the story goes on.

I love the cast of characters and the unique roles they play in combat. It's a bit like fire emblem mixed with GFL1's tactics to me in a way (I would say GFL2 is more accurate but that has yet to be released globally, so I have no reference point on that :P ). Yes, you're outgunned and outnumbered for almost every mission, but that forces you to play smart! And as you progress the game gives you new equipment and terrain effects to play around with and will give you plenty of options for tackling each objective.

I was also really impressed with the quality of life work put into it with their chibi animations, cutscenes, the ability to save each turn (which I definitely abused because this game is an actual challenge), and recaps of the story from where you left off when you load a save upon booting up the game.

It's an all around great game with so much attention and appreciation for the little details that you know it's a passion project for these devs. I never played the original version of Codename Bakery, but I'm happy that their original vision is fully realized this time.

I can't wait to see what happens in the end, especially if we finally, FINALLY get to take down a certain someone fans know from GFL1 in this game.

TL;DR
Enjoy the story, use your brain cells, ignore the toxic CN fanbase, and have fun!

- Cheap
- No Denuvo
- No performance drops
- Fully offline single-player game
- Can create new saves
- No microtransaction style dlcs
Yep, I think I made the right choice on 22/03

Take the negative reviews with a grain of salt... (...actually with how many negative spam reviews, its probably more accurate that the grain of salt you will need is enough to make another Dead Sea), as some could be bot reviews from angry folk upset because another game by the same developer. For those out of the loop, people are mad about Girls Frontline 2 so they are dragging complaints over to here)

don't forget: out of all the dolls that could be here, it is the funny meme cat has lived for almost 40 years now.

Hey guys your boy Raymond here checking out this game recommended by my wife Type 95. Well at a glance the game is about Jefuty White looking to Break into the baking market with her assistant Mendo Pinkman and let's say things end up Bad. She proceeded to Bake while selling her goods to Betty Dya nyan cat until the Rossarts showed up and T posed on the whole operation Jefuty had to enlist in a lawyer called Carl Goodman to save them.

10/10 would bang Type 95 again.

On a serious note game is good China is just mad about a fabricated Girls Frontline 2 drama and like China being China fashion had to go out of there way to break the law to come across the great fire wall of China just to complain about it.

Don't let the mixed reviews fool you. Most of the negative reviews are from Girls Frontline players coming to review bomb this game because of disagreements they're having with another game the devs are working on.

Speaking of the game itself, I found it really enjoyable. There's a clear polish to the animations and art and sound design. The gameplay was very reminiscent of Fire Emblem or Advance Wars. Having played one of this dev's other games, Girls Frontline, in the past, the inspiration for the UI is clear here, and it's done well. The story is very stock anime, so take that how you will, but the English translation is solid.

Overall, I think it's a good game, and worth the time and money.

Reverse Collapse: Codename Bakery has a lot of ups and downs but ultimately an unforgettable experience. If you see in the Q&A the devs say it has about 100 hours of content and think “ah probably multiple playthroughs or something” no, the campaign is THAT long, and it’s one hell of a ride.


Diving into the history of how this game came into being made me appreciate it even more. It all started with a doujin kinetic visual novel made by 3 people in 2008 called Girl of the Bakehouse, which eventually became a niche TRPG title called Codename: Bakery Girl in 2013. Then finally, 11 years later we get this full-fledged "extended" remake (I put extended in quotes because the game is like 10 times longer). This game just radiates the "passion project made in university now turned into a full game" energy and I ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ love that kind of stuff.


Right off the bat I'd say the gameplay is not for everyone. Not just because it is a TRPG, which is already a genre that is notorious for gatekeeping lots of people, but rather because it is a very hardcore one that has a very peculiar design philosophy. If games like XCOM and Tactics Ogre feel like you are playing chess with an AI, this game feels more like solving chess board puzzles deliberately laid out for you. That means if you expect customizing your army and have a lot of freedom you would be disappointed, but this by no means undermine the game's quality as a tactical RPG. There's still quite a lot of flexibility to be had with character skills and item management, especially the latter. This game has an unique emphasis on using item, and there are a whole lot of items at your disposal, which is where the fun comes from.


There are over 60 stages in total spanning over 5 chapters and the game more than makes up for the lack of versatility with its incredible variety in level design. Each map feels nothing like another, and I don’t just mean as in them setting up unique situations via enemy placement, I mean mechanically you always have something new every time you step into a new stage, up until the very end. The levels are quite simple at first but they get insanely complex very fast with how many things you have to manage at the same time, with the S-rank requirements requiring even further calculations and it just feels great as a challenge. On its highest difficulty, the levels always feel nigh impossible at first until I finally crack it and it is so fair, I always have so many items unused at the end of a battle where I thought I would have to squeeze the last bit out of my inventory to survive.


If you have decided to gaze upon the reviews of this game, it is almost guaranteed you would see complaints about the campaign’s various stealth missions and… yeah the complaints are right. These stages are basically linear puzzles where you have to figure out the right path to take in order to reach your goal and theoretically it serves as deviations to break away from the normal combat loop to rack your brains a bit but the they messed up the execution. What kills it is the obsession with fog-of-war that obscures vital information required for you to plan your next moves correctly, along with the tendency to make an early mistake reveal its cost way later in the stage, forcing frustrating resets. There were even 2 stealth missions near the end of the game that I straight up just watched a guide to beat because they make you do so many things while providing so little visual information that planning ahead is impossible (yes I’m talking about you Midnight Stratagem!).

As of now the developers have rolled out a patch that add loud method to various stealth missions in the game but I would honestly rather have a button to skip them entirely. It makes me sad that in such a great overall package there is still a bit part of it that I just want gone.


I did not expect much going into this game plot-wise because I am nothing but an outlier regarding this whole Girls’ Frontline expansive universe, but it got me absolutely hooked.

The plot revolves around Operation Bakery, a campaign to retrieve a valuable test subject who’s also the protagonist of the game, a silver-haired girl named Jefuty. At least that was what it was at the beginning. It soon turned into a tragic time loop story where she has to find a way to save the world and it gets extremely engaging. The constant tension is suffocating at times, you genuinely feel her struggle as you play the game and overcome these daunting challenges. Not just her but also all the other characters who will all grow on you as you fight through multiple timelines with them.

And all this is translated super well into the gameplay. Timeline shifts would make changes to previously done levels that simultaneous create new potentials and new dilemmas. Everytime you feel like things are going well, something messes up your plan and you have to improvise to overcome it, just like Jefuty and her constant struggle to outwit fate’s cruel twists and turns.


This is where the game has to compromise for the sake of its richness in gameplay and story content. The entire game takes place in snowy mountains so expect to see the same textures over and over. A lot of the game is unvoiced, particularly most things said during battles. Many parts you would be reading descriptions of what is happening rather than actual seeing it. But for me it is all sufficient because what is there is still very beautiful. Animations on the chibi are done with care (you can even see bread pieces actually leaving the bread as the characters eat them… revolutionary!!) and the CGs as well as character arts are all fantastic.


There is absolutely nothing like Reverse Collapse: Codename Bakery. Whatever expectation you have about this game in your head when you see its promotional material would likely be shattered when you actually play it. Both in gameplay and story, despite its obvious flaws, it is admirably ambitious and breaks all types of boundary for a game of its scale.

I rarely write reviews, but this time i feel like a have to do it, since crazy chineese fan base mad about some stupid drama about their imagenery waifu and now review bomb this game that have NOTHING to do with said drama. (and drama it self is actually very stupid and if i was a part of chineese fan base, i would be ashamed),
Game is fun, story is engaging, characters deep enough for me to care and gameplay while simple, is fun as well.
Check the game out, it worth it's price.