5/5 ★ – Lammy's review of Date A Live: Rio Reincarnation.

Date A Live: Rio Reincarnation post-100% review: In the 16 hours since my last review I have not read or watched Date A Live, and yet here I am playing a third visual novel based on the series and boy am I glad I did. Rio Reincarnation is a shorter affair than Rinne Utopia or Arusu Install, functioning as an epilogue to both and tying their narratives together. Original characters Rinne, Maria and Marina return as Shido Itsuka is thrown into yet another time loop... but this time none of them know what's causing it. All they know is, everyone's finally together again, even those whose existence was cut short by the ending of their games. Shido, then, is offered a choice: does he go back to normal, or does he do what he can to let these girls live out the miracle they've been granted? This is a wonderful epilogue, profoundly melancholic and deeply touching in a way that the previous games weren't. By focusing all the routes on the game original characters that you've already come to know from the previous games, you truly step into Shido's shoes, asking if you really have to say goodbye, and if it's even fair that you have to make the choice. This is masterful writing, some of the best I've seen in a VN in a good while, and it came from a freaking Date A Live tie-in. If you like Date A Live, or the genre of visual novels, or just good writing, give these three games a spin. Rio Reincarnation gets a 10/10 from me. Route Ranking: TRUE ENDING Rinne Sonogami Marina Arusu Maria Arusu