BUSTAFELLOWS
STORY
Arrive in New Sieg, a beautiful fictional town. Step into the shoes of a strong, smart and gifted journalist in this romantic adventure. You play the part of a young woman with the ability to leap in the past for a very short period in the bodies of others, which you use for data collection and helping people. After witnessing the murder of a crooked lawyer – she goes back in time in an attempt to save him. Thus, the journey begins as our protagonist goes back in time in the body of another person and tries to warn Limbo. It’s up to you to figure out how to save him!
FEATURES
- Unravel mysteries and solve puzzles
- Take the lead and choose your destiny
- Romance 5 dangerous fellows, each with an unlockable side story
- Unlock different endings
- Experience a unique interactive gameplay
- Meet guests characters from Side Kicks!
- Navigate through gorgeous visuals and polished animations
- Listen to a complete Japanese voice cast, including KENN, Yoshimasa Hosoya & more
Will all routes lead to romance? Which happy ending awaits you? Play to find out!
CHARACTERS
Teuta – the protagonist (the name can be changed)
A 21 years-old freelance journalist working in New Sieg. She witnessed the murder of her brother when she was younger and became a reporter for her to serve justice. She has a mysterious ability that allows her to leap in the past for a very short period in the bodies of others, and uses it to help people and collect data. She is a bright and cheerful woman with a positive personality. Although she is a reporter, she is not skilled at taking pictures.
Limbo Fitzgerald – A Crooked Lawyer
A 27 years-old Lawyer. Limbo is known for advocating in court for even the toughest criminals. Although he is called a crooked lawyer, he is extremely skilled, and he is popular in the city and is seen as a hero. He abides by the law in his own standards and serves justice. Born into an extremely wealthy family, Limbo is soft-hearted.
Shu – A hitman that silently eliminates hitmen
He is 28 years old. Shu is a heavy smoker who makes a living as a bounty killer by eliminating other hitmen. He is a top-class martial artist and specialised in long-range sniping. The best sniper in town, he has no other goals in life apart from executing those on the list left behind by his foster parents and mentor.
Helvetica – A professional in changing people’s appearance
A 26 years-old plastic surgeon. Popular in New Sieg, he loves beautiful things and constantly rates passer-by women based on their looks. Highly confident in his skills, he believes that people can be reborn by changing their natural features.
Mozu – An autopsy Specialist
At only 25 years old, Mozu is the chief of the autopsy department and work with the police forces. He is often misunderstood as apathetic and indifferent towards others. His way of thinking is usually from a medical point of view, which sometimes creates unexpectedly fun situations. Mozu talks to corpses and it is rumoured that he dissects animals as a hobby. He likes riding bicycles.
Scarecrow – A Self-proclaimed Underground Boss
A 22 years-old cyber-geek and computer hacker who is famous on the internet for hacking, money laundering, stealing, etc. Thanks to his abilities and connections, he is a self-proclaimed underground boss.
Game Discussion
Steam User 12
Mozu is the best boy. Play it for him.
I enjoyed a lot of things about Bustafellows, the production quality is great and the story is pretty exciting. Teuta is a great protagonist who takes a active role in the plot throughout and I appreciate that she's voiced.
Runs great on Steam Deck.
Steam User 12
I came for the romance, stayed for the story. Couldn’t believe that I shed a thug tear for the characters in this game because I honestly believed that this was only focused on the romance.
This is the second otome game I’ve played after Collar x Malice and I agree that this is a great first game if you’re looking to dip your toe in the pool of possibilities for this genre.
Now why is this game worth your consideration?
Found family! FOUND FAMILY!! If you’re a sucker for found family games, this is that. For every romance route that you play, you can see the love interests interact with each other outside of the main character, Teuta. I like how they have relationships that have been built in the past and that they’re solid friendships.
When you / Teuta join the gang, you’re treated equally by all of them regardless of whether you fall in love with any of the love interests. Of the two games I’ve played so far – both of which are great – this aspect stood out to me the most.
I also loved the characterization of Teuta, who you play as. You could definitely see her personality alone or with a love interest; she has a backbone and a sense of humor. I also like that she has friends outside of the ones she meets on any of the routes. Her personality doesn’t dissolve when she finds love and that is something noteworthy in a love story driven game.
The voice acting is superb. SUPERB. I usually speed read the lines but the fact that the main character has a voice responding to the characters helped bring the world to life. It kind of spoiled me for other games because now, I kind of wish that Collar x Malice had fully voice acted roles including the main character.
The other characters felt above and beyond the caricatures they were presented as in the first part of the game. The further you progress in a route and in the story, the more you uncover their true motivations and traumas which shape the way that they interact with you and the world at large. I loved that the game helped me change my perspective on the characters that I originally overlooked or disliked at the start. The fact that I game can make me questions my initial thoughts and first impressions means that the story was written with care and consideration.
Now there are a few points that go against this game so if you’re looking for reasons NOT to buy, here they are!
The controls are wonky and have no guide. I had to Google them before finding it in the options. I played with an Xbox controller which I recommend since there’s no key remapping in this game.
The actual romance plotlines are quite short compared to the main part of the game. As a completionist, that’s not the worst thing since this took me 50 - 80 hours to finish. Not to worry as the game spoils you with side stories and post-route stories so you can enjoy your favorite character a bit longer.
Without spoiling which characters and storylines, some plot developments seem a bit rushed or weren't thought out all the way through. We could’ve spent a bit more time for the conflict and the reveal to be more connected but I’ll forgive it this time around since Bustafellows 2 is coming out soon!!
If you enjoyed this in the slightest bit and wished that there was more of this, then maybe you should consider playing other games. Give Collar x Malice a try if you liked the darker bent for each route and story.
My favorite here is definitely Limbo and Shu but I grew to love all the other characters. Yes, even Helvetica.
Steam User 9
Shu is love. Shu is life. But really, wow. What an amazing game! The first playthrough I went in totally blind and ended up with Mozu, which was a great story. But then Shu came in like a wrecking ball. I got this game on sale because I couldn't pull the trigger on full price. Now, I think it's worth full price. I've only done those two routes so far and feel like I got my money's worth just with Shus route. Chef's kiss, no notes. We've got the drama, we've got the comedy bits, and we've got the sweet angsty romance. I love Teuta as the MC. She's so good! She's got ambition and heart, and she is her own person. I can't wait to play season 2!
Steam User 4
Every single LI is likable, the finale is insane, I loved every single NPC and it felt like i was playing an actual anime season in terms of pacing. 10/10 I'd do Shu's laundry
Steam User 4
I think some of the routes change the characters just to create romance scenes, rather than writing a natural romance and dynamic for each of them. Otherwise, it's a really fun game
Steam User 3
The story is decent and fun to read
However when it come to bond with Heroine and Boys, it is MID
not recommend for people that want to enjoy Romance
but for people who want to read good story i do recommend
+heroine is voiced (mc)
8/10
Steam User 6
I would recommend this if you like mystery / detective stories. The build up is pretty good, the way they separate each chapter and I like how we can just start from a specific chapter after reading first time. The characters and setting is written very well. I like the teaser they are doing in the beginning of the chapter, it really feels like watching a TV shows.
I have only finished one route, so will play more for other routes, and the extra stories. I wanted to finish at least once before they released the sequel.
I have just finished Crow's route, I was very curious at the beginning of the route, but it is not disappointing. I like how they are actually discussing everything and trying to solve the problem instead of brushing it aside. I like how they finally able to be honest with each other eventually.
I like Teuta, need more voiced MC tbh.