Buddy Mission Bond
A visual novel adventure about bonds and undercover investigation.
Buddy Mission Bond is an adventure video game for the Nintendo Switch, developed by Ruby Party and published by Nintendo. It launched in Japan on January 29, 2021, and later in Korea and Taiwan on August 20, 2021, after being announced during a Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase on October 28.
The gameplay alternates between two phases. In the first, players choose two of four main characters to investigate and interview citizens in a visual novel style. The second phase shifts to a third-person perspective as the pair infiltrates a villain’s base. The route taken during infiltration depends on clues gathered earlier. A “Hero Gauge” tracks performance, rising or falling based on dialogue, investigation methods, and infiltration choices, with a final rank displayed after each mission.
Set on Mikagura Island, the international hub for show business, the story follows police officer Luke Williams, who dreams of becoming a hero like his late father. After a video of a woman’s kidnapping arrives at his station, Luke disobeys orders and investigates, only to encounter “Phantom Thief Beast” Aaron, a man accused of causing hundreds of billions in property damage. They join forces, eventually uncovering a secret criminal syndicate called DISCARD. To stop it, Luke and Aaron recruit ninja Mokuma and conman Chesley, forming the undercover team BOND. As the mission progresses, Luke begins to unravel the truth behind his father’s death.
Development began when Nintendo, seeking new genres for the Switch, approached Ruby Party to create an otome game. Ruby Party, inexperienced with home console development, initially pitched a romance title, which Nintendo greenlit around 2016. The project later expanded to focus on multiple types of bonds. Mei Erikawa noted the challenge of catering to male gamers, as most staff had previously worked on *Touken Ranbu Warriors*. The game’s official Twitter account launched on January 29, 2021, and character designs were handled by Yusuke Murata.
Critics gave the game fairly positive reviews. Famitsu praised the balance between the adventure and action segments, calling both high quality.
- developer
- Ruby Party
- publisher
- Nintendo
- platform
- Nintendo Switch
- release_date_Japan
- January 29, 2021
- release_date_Korea_Taiwan
- August 20, 2021
- genre
- Adventure visual novel
- character_designer
- Yusuke Murata
Lore & Background
Buddy Mission Bond takes place on Mikagura Island, the international center for show business. The protagonist Luke Williams is a police officer who dreams of becoming a hero like his late father, a policeman who died in the line of duty. After a video showing a woman's kidnapping is sent to his station, Luke disobeys orders and infiltrates the kidnapper's hideout, where he meets 'Phantom Thief Beast' Aaron, a man alleged to have caused several hundred billion dollars' worth of public property damage. The two team up to track the kidnappers and eventually learn of a secret criminal syndicate called DISCARD. To stop DISCARD, Luke and Aaron team up with the ninja Mokuma and conman Chesley to form the undercover investigation team BOND. Along the way, Luke slowly uncovers the truth behind his father's death.
Reader's Guide
Buddy Mission Bond is significant as a collaboration between Nintendo and Ruby Party, a developer known for otome games, marking Ruby Party's first home console development. The project originally began as a romance game around 2016 but grew to focus on multiple kinds of bonds. According to Mei Erikawa of Ruby Party, the development was a challenge because most staff lacked experience creating games for male gamers, and many had previously worked on Touken Ranbu Warriors. The game received fairly positive reviews; Famitsu noted a good balance between the adventure and action parts, both of high quality. Its character designs by Yusuke Murata and its hybrid gameplay—alternating between visual novel investigation and third-person infiltration—distinguish it within the adventure genre. The game's official Twitter account went online on January 29, 2021.
Did You Know?
- Buddy Mission Bond was developed by Ruby Party, a studio known for otome games, and published by Nintendo.
- The game's character designs were illustrated by Yusuke Murata.
- The project was greenlit around 2016 as a romance game but later expanded to focus on multiple kinds of bonds.
- The game was released in Japan on January 29, 2021, and in Korea and Taiwan on August 20, 2021.
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