The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy, a narrative-driven tactical RPG from Too Kyo Games, has had a strong debut since its release on April 24th for Nintendo Switch and PC. Developed by industry veterans Kazutaka Kodaka and Kotaro Uchikoshi, known for Danganronpa and Zero Escape, the game has garnered praise and achieved significant success on Steam, reaching a peak of 10,026 concurrent players.
Set in a dystopian Tokyo residential complex, The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy follows Takumi Sumino, an ordinary teenager thrust into chaos when monstrous “School Invaders” attack his city. Guided by the mysterious mascot Sirei, Takumi and 14 other students are enrolled in the last defense academy, tasked with defending the school for 100 days. The game blends visual novel storytelling with turn-based tactical RPG battles and offers 100 unique endings shaped by player decisions.
The anime-inspired art by Rui Komatsuzaki, the atmospheric music by Masafumi Takada, and the mix of dark humor, psychological horror, and sci-fi conspiracies have drawn comparisons to the earlier works of Kodaka and Uchikoshi. The depth of the story, with branching routes encompassing genres like mystery, romance, and the occult, has captivated players seeking a complex gaming experience.
The peak of 10,026 concurrent players, according to SteamDB, is a significant success. It surpasses the previous records of Kodaka and Uchikoshi’s Steam titles, such as Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony (4,691) and Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE Plus (527). Only Tribe Nine, a free-to-play game from Too Kyo Games, came close with 9,680 players, but The Hundred Line’s paid model clearly stands out.
The game’s success is a major victory for Too Kyo Games, a studio that invested everything in this project. In an interview with Noisy Pixel in December 2024, Kodaka admitted that the team was prepared to “go bankrupt and retire” if The Hundred Line failed, a sentiment reiterated in March 2025 posts about the studio’s financial risks. Developed over six years with loan financing, the game was a massive gamble that may have finally paid off.
