Bernd and the Mystery of Unteralterbach

Let me start by saying that Bernd and the Mystery of Unteralterbach is not a game for me at all. I have played many hentai/xxx visual novel style games over the years, but this one touches on a subject that I just cannot deal with. This is a game that deals with child molestation and that is certainly not something I feel needs to be in a game. Now granted, you are a cop trying to stop it, but it is still a subject I do not want to experience while I am playing a video game.

Officer Bernd

The story of the game is one that I feel should be played with the most serious tone, but it is not. You play as a young guy in his 20s who moves to Bavaria and he ends up working at the local police station. Bernd and the Mystery of Unteralterbach is basically a story about you trying to end a sex offender ring. In a TV show or a movie, this is the kind of plot that I can actually enjoy, but in a video game, I do feel that it is a bit much. More so because of the way the story is told.

Twin Peaks

I think had the game gone for a more serious approach I might have been able to deal with it. The thing is, Bernd and the Mystery of Unteralterbach has supernatural elements and there is this perverted demon that wants to make all of mankind demons. The whole thing is very disturbing and while you can turn the sex scenes in the game off there are still parts where there is some messed up imagery that you cannot avoid.

Trying To Be Funny In A Bad Situation

I am not for one second saying that this game is made for extreme perverts (or at least I do not think it is) however, I do think they are trying to make light of a situation that many people will not find funny at all. If you can get past this then perhaps there is something here for you. For me, personally, this is the kind of subject that you just do not joke about. I have read that the game has some kind of “political statement” going on in regards to how some countries are about sex.

The actual gameplay is not that great either in all honesty. This is your standard visual novel style game where most of the time you will be reading a lot of text. The game does give you choices to make and these choices can alter the story and result in you getting a different ending. The thing is, it is so easy to get a game over and when you do, you have to go through a ton of text you have already read again.

As you can probably tell Bernd and the Mystery of Unteralterbach is a game that simply was not for me. I do not consider myself a prude or anything like that, but this is one subject that was just too much for me. I get that it is not done in a serious style and perhaps I am completely missing the point of what was intended here, but still, I know that I will never go back and try this again.

Final Score: NA (I am not comfortable giving this a score)

Pros:

• The game is bright
• It is said to have political overtones
• Lots of choices to make
• It is free to download
• Available in many languages

Cons:

• The subject matter is not ok for me
• Too many game over screens for choices you make