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Years after a devastating earthquake hit Shibuya, normal life has somewhat returned. However, amidst the normal daily life, there are mysteries that cannot be explained. A group of high school students has noticed some of these mysteries and the inconsistencies that lie within them. Will these students uncover the true during their investigations or will something more shocking is discovered as a result? Find out in our review of CHAOS;CHILD.
CHAOS;CHILD
Developer: 5pb.
Publishers: JPN – 5pb. ; NA/EU – PQube
Series: Science Adventure
Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 (Reviewed), PlayStation Vita, Microsoft Windows, iOS, & Android
Release dates: Xbox One – JPN ONLY: December 18, 2014; PlayStation 3 – JPN ONLY: June 25, 2015; PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita – JPN: June 25, 2015, EU: October 13, 2017, NA: October 24, 2017; Microsoft Windows – JPN ONLY : April 28, 2016; iOS – JPN ONLY: January 31, 2017; Android – JPN ONLY: May 28, 2017
Genres: Visual novel & Mystery
Mode: Single-player
*Note the release dates, this game has been out for years. However, it just hit the US and EU Region. Despite this game is years old, it is barely hitting different regions now. After playing this title and learning all this, this review will be vague. I say vaguely because of 2 reasons. 1) It will be completely spoiler free. I know several people that anticipated this title for some time. If you notice a spoiler or think there may be a spoiler, contact me and I will alter the article if I agree. 2) This is a mystery title. Mystery titles keep the player guessing and thinking. I do not want to spoil this experience for anyone.*
*Thank you for PQube for providing a Playstation 4 review key*
Intro/Story:
From the wikipage of the game:
When a series of bizarre murder cases take place in Shibuya, Takuru notices that the dates of the murders match up with a series of murders that happened six years before. Using this knowledge, Takuru and his friends begin to investigate and find themselves embroiled in a dangerous murder mystery…
CHAOS;CHILD is the fourth entry in the Science Adventure franchise. This is a direct sequel that takes place six years after the events of the previous title CHAOS;HEAD. You are playing the title from several different characters perspectives that revolve around the mysterious events going on in Shibuya. In terms of story, the game is a pretty complex story that will take multiple playthroughs. The game will also advise the player to play the game multiple times for the full story and experience.
I recommend just the same. If you go through it once, it will not make sense. To get a true understanding, go through it multiple times. There is also a CHAOS;CHILD anime which is based on the events of this game. In anticipation of this review, I did watch most of the anime. It stays true for the most part in terms of story from the game. However, I still recommend playing the game for the authentic experience.
In terms of the story, I liked it. It took some time for everything to connect as I played. However, as I was patient as I played (I admit I had to restart the game once because I was completely lost) the story was really well done. Bravo to the game developers. This also plays into the con in terms of the story delivery. Its delivery has some issues with pacing. At times the player will find themselves fully immersed. At others, the player may zone out while the story is being delivered. There are features in the game to read what
There are features in the game to read what occurred, but if a key point like a picture comes up or map and the player missed it, the player may get lost as a result. I know I did and I had to backtrack a good 6 hours because of my error. I recommend having a notepad aside and dedicating your full attention to the game. Otherwise, you may fall into the issue In terms of story delivery pacing.
Intro/Story score: 4/5 – CHAOS;CHILD has a really great and well-written story. It is a mystery title that isn’t afraid of going certain places with the mystery and punishing the player for not paying attention. However, if the player is not paying attention or making multiple saves, they may have to start back over completely which can be a huge turn-off.
Gameplay:
Gameplay in CHAOS;CHILD is very basic. It is not really the main focus in this game, the story is. However, one of the cool elements is that the player can change the perception of the character they are using with the delusion system. This opens up new paths in the game and may build relationships with the other characters in the game (sorry this isn’t a dating sim).
With only a handful of buttons to actually use, there is also various of options to utilize gameplay. For a visual novel, CHAOS;CHILD is straight to the point with gameplay and it works. If the controls are forgotten or if the player needs a top of sorts, there are options for it as well. The developers took their time here and it works well. I had zero issue with the gameplay department.
Gameplay score: 5/5 – In CHAOS;CHILD, the gameplay is just a means of delivering the story progression and have the player choose the path they want to take when needed. It does it well.
Visual and Audio:
Visual:
Visually, CHAOS;CHILD looks like any other visual novel title out there. Notable the most recent console VN I can think of that came out was Danganronpa V3. I praised it in my review for its visuals. I am doing the same here for CHAOS;CHILD. While it may look like any visual novel out, CHAOS;CHILD is done visually well to match the entire aesthetics of the game. The player can look at the visuals as they play the game and realize it all is rather well done due to how it just matches up perfectly.
Visual score: 5/5 – In CHAOS;CHILD, the visuals are done well and serve to match the aesthetics of the entire game. While other VNs aim to do this, only a handful actually reach this level of matching up with the entire game.
Audio:
Audio-wise:
The developers for CHAOS;CHILD have outdone themselves in terms of the soundtrack. As stated visually, the music soundtracks serve to fit the entire aesthetics and feel of the game. The soundtrack is well done, there is superb atmospheric sound, and wonderful voice work (players should know that this game is Japanese dubbed, English subbed). All these elements mixed make CHAOS;CHILD one of the best audio VN games that have been released for some time.
Audio score: 5/5 – CHAOS;CHILD does well to have a wonderful audio track to match the entire game.
Replay Value:
Does this game have replay value? Yes. Without going detailed. The player can easily go 50+ hours in this game to get the full experience. It has been stated that CHAOS;CHILD has multiple endings all branching to a true ending. I won’t state how many, but there is a good amount of story to experience and a good amount of mystery to solve.
Replay Value score: 5/5 – CHAOS;CHILD has a ton to do to get the full experience. Players will need to replay it to get it all.
Fun Factor:
Is this game fun? This is a mixed bag for myself. At times I found the game fun because of the story delivery and branching paths. However, there are times where the game got boring and I mashed buttons to skip some dialogue. I then found myself having to revert back to an earlier save to regain the missed story points. This comes with the story delivery pacing I had issues with. Overall CHAOS;CHILD is fun. However, do not treat it like a conventional VN game or game in general. CHAOS;CHILD demands the player’s undivided attention. Anticipate this and be immersed. The fun will be had, but to what degree? That is for the player to dictate. I am just giving my subjective score on the matter.
Fun Factor score: 3/5 – CHAOS;CHILD is fun, and there is fun to be had during this interactive mystery. However, if not fully immersed or attentive, the game will lose its fun and charm. You may find yourself going back to repeat the same parts over and over again if you aren’t ready from the start.
Conclusion/Score-Wrap up:
CHAOS;CHILD may be an old title finally hitting other regions outside Japan. However, that does not deter from the experience. I am writing this whole hardly, CHAOS;CHILD is a one of a kind visual novel experience that can only be fully told in this type of format. The anime is just a supplement version to this true experience. If you are in the mood for a mystery game or a good visual novel title, go no farther than CHAOS;CHILD. It is easily one of the best VN experiences I had this year.
Until next time, Mgs2master2 out!
Score-Wrap up:
Intro/Story score: 4/5 – CHAOS;CHILD has a really great and well-written story. It is a mystery title that isn’t afraid of going certain places with the mystery and punishing the player for not paying attention. However, if the player is not paying attention or making multiple saves, they may have to start back over completely which can be a huge turn-off.
Gameplay score: 5/5 – In CHAOS;CHILD, the gameplay is just a means of delivering the story progression and have the player choose the path they want to take when needed. It does it well.
Visual score: 5/5 – In CHAOS;CHILD, the visuals are done well and serve to match the aesthetics of the entire game. While other VNs aim to do this, only a handful actually reach this level of matching up with the entire game.
Audio score: 5/5 – CHAOS;CHILD does well to have a wonderful audio track to match the entire game.
Replay Value score: 5/5 – CHAOS;CHILD has a ton to do to get the full experience. Players will need to replay it to get it all.
Fun Factor score: 3/5 – CHAOS;CHILD is fun, and there is fun to be had during this interactive mystery. However, if not fully immersed or attentive, the game will lose its fun and charm. You may find yourself going back to repeat the same parts over and over again if you aren’t ready from the start.
Final Score: 4.5/5
