Natsuiro No Kowaremono After |best| -

Without spoiling the exact horror, let me just say that Natsuiro no Kowaremono plays with the concept of "Save Scumming" in a way that Undertale and Doki Doki Literature Club! would popularize nearly two decades later. When you reload a save file, the girls know you left them.

The "Kowaremono" (broken thing) of the title isn't a metaphor. It’s a literal something living in the town’s server room (yes, the rural town has a strange, underground data facility—stay with me). As you pursue a romantic route, the "system" starts to break down. Yukino’s dialogue will suddenly repeat a single syllable for three text boxes. Mizuki will turn her back to the screen and never turn around again. The summer sky will flicker between daylight and a starless void. natsuiro no kowaremono after

Have you played this obscure gem? Or did you think I was making this up until you Googled it? Let me know in the comments below. And for the love of god, don't date Yukino first. Without spoiling the exact horror, let me just

But then you notice the glitches.

You play as Takumi, a jaded city boy forced to spend his vacation in a rural coastal village. The "heroines" are exactly who you expect: the shy childhood friend (Yukino), the energetic foreigner (Erica), and the mysterious shrine maiden (Mizuki). The art is typical for the era—big eyes, soft pastels, and a UI that looks like a scrapbook. The "Kowaremono" (broken thing) of the title isn't

I am talking about Natsuiro no Kowaremono (夏色の壊れもの), or The Broken Thing of Summer Colors .