YOU and ME and HER: A Love Story

YOU and ME and HER: A Love Story is one of the most amazing visual novels I have ever played. That right there I know is a lot of praise, but I went into this knowing it had a fantastic reputation and I was completely blown away by what I experienced. It is a game that after I played through it the first time (which was late at night) I could not sleep as the game was so fresh in my mind. This is truly an outstanding game and one I cannot recommend highly enough. Now, there is the “Steam” version and there is also a XXX rated patch which I have not had the pleasure to try out yet.

Three Is A Crowd

The story is the most amazing aspect of YOU and ME and HER: A Love Story so I am not going to spoil it for you. Our main character is called Shinichi and he is just trying to get by and live his best life at high school He was once good friends with Miyuki who is the popular girl at school, but they have drifted apart. One day, Shinichi has a random and interesting encounter with a girl called Aoi, Aoi is a bit of an outsider, but he sees something special in her. He asks Miyuki to help him bring Aoi out of her shell and soon a love triangle starts.

Two Great Choices

As you have figured out YOU and ME and HER: A Love Story is a visual novel and there are three paths that the story can take. Ultimately, you are going to have to decide which one of the ladies you want to be with. The first playthrough is super tough as both girls have great qualities about them. It is so hard to pick one to grow closer to, the writing is so good, that is what makes it a hard choice. The first playthrough is something truly special and really the way you feel. However, you will want to play it again to see the other outcomes.

Beautiful In Every Sense Of The Word

The first thing that you notice about YOU and ME and HER: A Love Story is the amazing visuals. This game was drawn by Tsuji Santa who is insanely talented. The main characters in this game are so well designed that it is impossible not to fall in love with them.

The way the characters look, the way they are animated, and the amazingly detailed game world all add up to make this one of the best looking visual novel games that I have ever played. The game also has a great soundtrack too which also features some great Japanese voice acting. I really think that some English voice acting would have made this a 10/10 for me.

Pros:

• The story being told here is great
• There are three routes that you can go down
• Both girls are great in their own way
• The presentation here is off the charts!

Cons:

• The only thing that would improve this would be some English voice acting
• I cannot think of another con!

Let me start by saying that this YOU and ME and HER: A Love Story review is spoiler free. I am saying this because there are many visual novels out there, but this is one where I hand on heart believe that you need to come into this as spoiler free as you possibly can. This is a dark and emotional rollercoaster that I had heard nothing, but good things about. However, by the time I got to the end, about 20 hours after I started playing it, I realized why this is one of the most beloved visual novels of all time.

An Everyday Kind Of Guy

The protagonist in YOU and ME and HER: A Love Story is a guy called Shinichi and he is a pretty normal guy. He is not mean, not pushy, not arrogant, just a normal guy. I liked him as the protagonist, he was very easy to picture myself as and I liked how he was not some kind of super nerd and awkward kind of character or at the other end of the spectrum where he is this “super cool” loud, obnoxious jerk that thinks everyone in the world should love him and think that he is the greatest guy in the world.

Three Is A Crowd!

One day at school Shinichi notices he has a strange call on his phone… from God! YOU and ME and HER: A Love Story is a very interesting game let me tell you that. He sees a strange visual novel on his phone and then he sees a strange girl called Aoi who has her hand in the air. She jumps on him and tells him that she needs to have sex in order to charge! Before things can get weirder, his best friend, the rather shy and awkward Miyuki shows up and she puts a stop to whatever the heck is going on. This brings our three main characters together for the first time and let me tell you, things start to get very strange. I love the way that the story plays with many of the tropes that we just roll with in visual novels like making these massive life changing decisions on a whim. The story has many different ways that it can go and they all offer a unique way for things to go with these three characters.

So Is This Lewd?

You may have noticed that I have not called YOU and ME and HER: A Love Story a “lewd” visual novel, but that is because I think the story here is so good and so well done I do not want to pigeonhole it into just being about boobs, butt, and vag! Do not get me wrong, there are certainly lewd parts to the story and full nudity, but that is not what this is all about. However, this is a great looking game, the hand drawn art is fantastic and the characters are so uniquely designed and have their own distinct look that lets their personalities shine through. I also love the way this is a very bright and colorful game, it makes it something that is very easy to look at.

Going Your Own Way

YOU and ME and HER: A Love Story is a visual novel and that means you read the story and make the choices you feel are right. The first play through you have where you make the choices based on what you know at the time and what your gut tells you is such a special moment. It feels like a real and raw authentic playthrough and it truly does make you feel like you are in this story. There are several different endings that you can get depending on the choices you make and while I certainly wanted to see the other ways it played out. Nothing felt as real as that initial playthrough did.

Pros:

• Each of the three main characters are interesting
• The story is incredible
• The visuals are amazing
• Your first playthrough will be such an emotional and impactful experience

Cons:

• The two girls are voice acted, but the main character is not
• The lewd stuff does have some pixelation