It’s been almost four years since I last stepped into the shoes of the dysfunctional Gallo family, so when the opportunity to check out Crime Opera II: The Floodgate Effect came about, I jumped at it. I enjoyed the first novel, so I had fairly high hopes going into the sequel.
What Is Crime Opera?
The short answer is that it is a six-part series of visual novels centred around the Gallo Crime Syndicate. The first entry is told from the perspective of the Gallo children. Floodgate takes place nine years after the events of the first novel, featuring the same cast of protagonists, with the exception of Shana being swapped out for Maya.
As a direct sequel to Crime Opera: The Butterfly Effect, I recommend reading that one first. While Floodgate includes a recap, it’s limited—meant more to refresh the memory of someone who has already read it rather than to provide context for a new reader.
The first novel ends with Xander Gallo succeeding his brother, Gerald, as the head of the family, and Floodgate picks up the story nine years later. Xander had always been an abusive father and husband, but he is even more unhinged this time around. He has his youngest son working for him and his nephew acting as his second-in-command. His eldest son and daughter have moved away to distance themselves from the family business while his youngest daughter and nieces still live at home.
When conflict arises between Xander and his nephew, Kevin, the family is forced to choose sides whilst also contending with external threats.
Gameplay and Presentation
I use the term gameplay for lack of a better alternative, but you know what I mean. Visual novels are known for branching decisions and multiple endings. Crime Opera can either be played through as a standard kinetic novel or as a visual novel with choices. I opted for the visual novel route, but if I am being completely honest, I was a little disappointed. There were only a few choices to make, and they were limited. It took several chapters before I encountered my first decision, and when it did come up, there were only two options—the correct one and the wrong one, which led to one of the novel’s false endings. The other decisions followed a similar pattern.
In terms of presentation, Crime Opera II has a lot going for it. The artwork is good—both the character sprites and the backgrounds. One thing that irritated me in the first novel was how the character sprites of the younger and smaller characters would jump up to remain in view, but this did not seem to be an issue in Floodgate Effect. There was also more variation in the characters’ facial expressions, which was a welcome improvement.
A recurring issue, however, was that, much like the first novel, there were too many instances where there was either no background to accompany the text or the same blue sky or bloodstained backdrop being reused. Additionally, there were sections with no background music, which broke my immersion.
For the most part, I did like the music though. The track that accompanied the opening intro movie was particularly good and was contributed by the lead writer’s band, which was a nice personal touch.
Narration
The story is told primarily through first-person narration with six key narrators: Kevin, Ron, Burtie, Izzy, Amy, and Maya. Each character has a different level of involvement in the family business, so it is interesting to see the story unfold from their unique perspectives. There could have been more detail at times—the writing was a little simplistic—but it fits the style of this type of visual novel. It reads like a frantic stream of consciousness, which is quite effective. There are also instances of unreliable narration, especially where Amy is concerned, leading to some shocking plot twists.
In addition to the six narrators, most chapters end with an optional TIPS section that provides additional context and insight into events happening outside the Gallos, specifically the police investigation surrounding them. You don’t have to read them, but I can’t see why you wouldn’t.
Themes
The Crime Opera series doesn’t shy away from dark and problematic themes, and while I think they are handled well, it’s not going to be for everyone. Steam banned the first game for that very reason. Having played it though, I believe that was an overreaction considering some of the disturbing games that still make it onto the platform.
The theme of mental health is heavily explored, particularly through Xander’s children, Burtie and Amy. There is also the sexual assault of a minor, though this is implied and talked about in passing rather than being directly shown. So, yes, the narrative covers some heavy topics, but I think it handles them well, for the most part (though I did find some of the mental health depictions to be a little exaggerated). They didn’t feel like they were included just for shock value.
Final Thoughts
Crime Opera II: The Floodgate Effect is by no means a perfect visual novel, but considering the size of the team behind it and its reasonable price point, I think it is worth checking out. I would have liked it to be more interactive, and the sections without background art and music made it feel a little unpolished at times, but I enjoyed the characters and story enough that I am looking forward to seeing what awaits the Gallo family next.
Developer: eastasiasoft, Crime Opera Studios, Ratalaika Games
Publisher: eastasiasoft
Platforms: PlayStation 4/5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One/Series X|S
Release Date: 26 February 2025
Gaming Respawn’s copy of Crime Opera II: The Floodgate Effect was provided by the publisher.
