Approx. Length: 35-40 hours (it will vary based on how well you make your choices)
Language: English
Played on: PS4
Also Available for: PC (also for Wii, PS3, PSP, iOS/Android in Japan only)
Type of Game: Visual novel
Overall Impression: This game is often noted as being one of the best visual novels out there. I wholeheartedly agree! :) <3
SPOILER ALERT WARNING!!
This review will contain some spoilers -- or rather, there will be a "Spoilers" section at the end of the review to go into further detail about certain things. There may still be slight spoilers throughout the review, but I've tried my best to keep them at a minimum.
PERSONAL STANDING (Pre-exposures, thoughts, etc.)
I don't exactly remember how long ago I was exposed to this title or even how. I just remember coming across the title 428 and telling myself to keep this in mind for if it would ever get localized... and I remember telling myself to keep this in mind for a long, long time. So long that I thought I was waiting for this since the PS2 days, hahaha.Well, about 428, I actually didn't know anything about it. I didn't look up anything during my years of waiting (like what I usually do for games I want to play). I didn't even know that it was a visual novel until more recently. I just knew -- based off the title -- for whatever reason -- I wanted to play this game.
STORY
Maria Osawa is kidnapped. Hitomi, Maria's sister, has to deliver the ransom exchange to the kidnapper. Kano, a rookie detective, is tasked to be part of a stakeout for the ransom exchange. Then things go horribly wrong. I could say more, but... I think part of the fun in playing visual novels is finding out what happens next, and believe me, a lot of things happen!
The story to 428 is just... simply amazing. I was very surprised and impressed. After starting up the game and watching the intense and serious introduction video, I never imagined there could be so much... lightness and humour. There is a perfect blend of light, dark, funny, creepy, and absurd moments and a really nice amount of depth and character development.
For me, the story is A++!
STORY STRUCTURE
One thing that I really like about 428 is its story-telling structure. The story for 428 is told in one-hour blocks, and the story does NOT advance until you reach the end of that hour block for each character (you can control more than one character in this game). I like this method (as opposed to playing to the end for one character and then changing to another character) because I think it allows for more engagement from the player -- to be able to come up with more theories of what's going on in the story based on the limited information that's revealed in each hour. It also does a pretty good job of creating cliffhangers, driving the player to find out more.
I'll mention some of my theories and some story developments I was surprised about in the "Spoilers" section.
Also... if you plan to play the PS4 version, do not be misled by the non-hidden trophies as I was. Although... maybe being misled suits the nature of 428. I'll explain what I mean in the "Spoilers" section. And in case you are wondering, non-hidden PS4 trophies have the correct description to them. That is not what I mean by being "misled".
GAMEPLAY
I think the gameplay for 428 is pretty unique for a visual novel. For those who don't know, a visual novel is a story with visuals and music. Sometimes you can make choices which can affect the story or character responses. Other times there is no interaction at all and it is straight up reading.As mentioned before, you can control more than one character in 428. For each character, you can make choices, but here is the catch: sometimes a choice you make will not only affect the story for your current character, but for another character that you control. Sometimes your choices won't affect another character's story, but other times they will -- and not always in a good way.
This is where the unique element comes in: switching between characters to "fix up" their timelines by making choices that ensure they all reach the end of their one-hour blocks safely.
This game demonstrates the idea of "cause and effect" very well.
Overall, I really enjoyed enjoyed making choices and seeing the outcomes. I'll mention some of my favourite, unexpected outcomes in the "Spoilers" section.
Making choices in 428.
THE BAD ENDINGS
Well, going with the idea that various choices can lead to not-the-best outcomes (sometimes for the current character and another character), there are a lot of bad endings in 428. There are even PS4 trophies for getting all the bad endings in each hour block. I have to say... since there are a lot of bad endings in the game, some times I was really surprised / shocked when I reached the end of an hour block and it wasn't a bad ending. One time I exclaimed out loud, "No way -- That's canon?!"
While some of the bad endings may be predictable from the choices you make, other bad endings are completely unexpected and are really absurd and funny. I'll mention one of my favourite bad endings in the "Spoilers" section.
One piece of advice when trying to get all the bad endings: if you reach a bad ending for one character and they are interacting with another character, switch to the other character to see the bad ending from their perspective as well.
THE TIPS
Tips are blue-coloured text in the story that can be selected for more information. Some of these tips are very amusing and just hilarious. I'll show some of my favourite tips in the "Spoilers" section.
GAME AESTHETICS
I just have to mention how much I enjoy the game aesthetics of using real life actors / actresses to create the visuals and video sequences. I'm not sure if this is a common thing for visual novels, but I think this adds a lot of realism to the game. It also makes me want to go back to Japan and explore Shibuya! Hahaha. <3
CHARACTERS
I LOVE the main characters in 428. Each one is relatable and goes through their own path and development. Many of the secondary characters are likeable as well. Congratulations, 428! You made me care about your characters.
I'll say something about each of the main characters in the "Spoilers" section.
MUSIC
The music is great. Except for one track, they are all instrumental pieces that enhance the atmosphere very well (the creepy tracks make my spine curl). The instrumental pieces also vary between genres and tones, with each main character having their own theme and I think a few tracks unique to each character's story. Below are a few instrumental tracks that I like:
"Main Theme". I love the edgy and chaotic sounds.
I think it's super-appropriate for this game.
"Minoru Minorikawa". It's so upbeat and energetic!
"Devotion". I love the emotion. It sounds like wistful nostalgia, hahaha.
REPLAYABILITY
I think this one is up each player. If you are aiming to see all the bad endings, experience everything, and / or re-watch/read certain scenes, then there is replay value. Some extra content does gets unlocked after completing the game.For me, after I experience everything (I haven't done the extra stuff yet and I still have PS4 trophies to get), I know I'll be re-watching certain scenes and stories every now and then.
EDIT: May 11, 2019 -- I've since played through all the extra stuff and will note my impressions of them in the "Spoilers" section.
MY NITPICKS
So I do have a few nitpicks with 428. They are all minor, but I figure I should still mention them.-I personally don't like the style of text going over the visuals. Sometimes the text is hard to read against the background visual. This nitpick is for all visual novels where text is laid out against the background visual.
-There were a couple instances where selecting specific Tips caused an issue:
-One tip (something about a "flyer") just wasn't translated properly, and the game stopped saving any progress after looking at it. When I noticed that I closed the game and went back in and didn't select that tip.
-Another tip (something about "Tabasco sauce") caused some error where the tip text was showing in the regular narration and then the game couldn't advance. I closed the game and didn't select that tip.
EDIT: May 11, 2019 -- Since then, the above issues I mentioned in the Tips should have been resolved. If you are playing 428 on the PS4, check if there are any updates.
-The localization has some spelling/grammatical errors unfortunately. I can't be totally mad about that since I know 428 has a lot of text to translate... but it does jump out at me at times.
428 VS. CANAAN (ANIME)
So Canaan actually takes place 2 years after the events in 428. I'm not exactly sure if this is canon, either.
I watched this years ago before playing 428, and I have to say: without any knowledge of Canaan being related to 428, Canaan is just, well... just okay. I only really cared about two of the characters, and neither of them was Canaan.
I am going to have to re-visit this series sometime in the future to see if watching it after playing 428 would change my impression of Canaan in any way.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Play it. If you enjoy a good story, wonderful characters, and great music, play it. Hahahaha. This game -- is definitely worth the experience. Thanks for reading! If you have any comments, feel free. :)
So I'll do the scrolly thing and the "Spoilers" section will appear after that. Then I'll add some more scrolly things after the "Spoilers" section in case anybody wants to comment, but not see the spoilers.
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SPOILERS
I'll mention some of my theories and some story developments I was surprised about.
So here were some of my thoughts while playing the game:
-I had a feeling that Leland and Tanaka would be involved with the syndicate somehow
-I first thought that the lady Achi helped in the beginning was in the cat suit. A few hour blocks later I thought it could be Maria
-When I saw the minivan carrying the dry ice machine, I knew it would somehow be used against the bomb. It was just way too ridiculous of an element to not use!
-I had a feeling the man with the cane (before I knew him as Tateno) was after Hitomi's heart when Achi talked about Suzune
-I had a feeling the man with the cane was using the surveillance cameras around Shibuya to find Achi and Hitomi
And here were some things I was surprised about:
-Sasayama getting stabbed and then seeing the "To be continued" message. I was hoping he wouldn't get hurt in the story! :(
-Minoru being really close to that minivan explosion.
-The news about Maria being infected with the Ua virus. Such an intense plot development.
-Canaan really being Alphard. I did not see that one coming at all!
If you plan to play the PS4 version, do not be misled by the non-hidden trophies as I was.
So... the non-hidden PS4 trophies are for getting all the bad endings and completing the story to block 17:00. This led me to believe that the game ends at block 17:00 when there is actually a block 18:00! I was genuinely surprised and shocked when I reached a "To be continued" at the end of Minoru's story at 17:00.
I have a feeling this was intentional, since getting all bad endings for block 18:00 was a hidden trophy.
This shocked feeling also led to greater shock and surprise when I found out that I could play as Tateno and Stanley in block 18:00.
Good job, Chunsoft. You really pulled one over me! *tips hat*
I'll mention some of my favourite, unexpected outcomes.
Well, I will only mention two, 'cuz I only remember two right now:
1. When Tama hands Sasayama the Burning Hammer drink, which leads to Sasayama giving the drink to Kano. I find this so funny.
2. This one is my absolute favourite unexpected outcome. Maria deciding to leave her cat costume at the knickknack shop which results in Sasayama wearing the cat costume to try foiling... that foreign guy. Kano's reaction and then cutting to what he sees -- it is the most hilarious thing!
Sasayama in the cat costume! I love the magical sound effect
that plays when this visual is shown.
I'll mention one of my favourite bad endings.
The very first bad ending is actually my favourite one. For me, it was completely unexpected. The change from intense, super-serious questioning to Kano interpreting Achi's sleepy head slump as a confession... and then acting on that... it's just too, too hilarious!
Kano showing his "rookie-ness".
Also... the cockroach bad ending was also very funny! :3
I'll show some of my favourite tips.
Click to enlarge! :3
This one is my favourite so far. It's just so ridiculous and random!
This is a description of a cockroach.
I just find this funny.
I feel I have many of these modes myself, hahaha.
I wonder if this is a real thing, hahaha.
This is just great.
I really like the last two sentences of this tip.
I'll say something about each of the main characters.
I still haven't played through the bonus content so I'll only talk about the characters I did play with. For each one, as I said before, I really loved their growth and development. I think it's pretty amazing when I think of any of these characters in the later hour blocks and then think of them in the earlier hour blocks and I can feel a difference. :)
Kano: He is hot when he is serious, hahahaha. I love his conviction and his strong admiration for Tateno. That conversation he had with Shizuo was really sweet.
Achi: I like his sweetness and loyalty to Hitomi.
Tama/Maria: I was surprised by how light and funny Tama's story was. When I found out Maria was inside the cat costume, I wasn't completely sure how to feel in the beginning. I didn't like that Hitomi felt so inferior to her. Maria grew on me by the end, though.
Minoru: What a confrontational guy. Despite his... button-pushing interview tactics and tactlessness in coffee shops, I really respected his desire to write his best.
Kenji: At first I thought his story was very heavy and a bit draining emotionally. By the end, though, I'd often choose his story first. His emotional growth was so heartfelt. I can kinda relate in some ways. Not about being a father (of course), but about other aspects.
Tateno: It was only a short time playing his story, but I was super-stoked to play him. I really wish he had a happy ending with Kotone.
Stanley: It was a relief to find out that Stanley was really on our side and not working with Alphard.
I've since played through all the extra stuff and will note my impressions on them.
Suzune's story: This was, by far, THE BEST extra in 428. The story was really sweet and sad. I liked getting to see things from Suzune's perspective, as well as getting acquainted with Takuya. When Suzune found out that Takuya died, but he was struggling to reach his 15th birthday just so he could become a registered donor to give his heart... I was bawling like crazy. The music was great as well.
Mr. Clean's story: This was okay. It got better by the end. I really enjoyed the end credits to this story, though! I loved seeing the actors in 428 goof off and speak with each other.
Canaan's story: I wish I could say that I enjoyed this extra... but I didn't... and it was the longest extra to go. When I started this story, it was around 7 PM. I thought I would be done with it by maybe 9 PM at the latest. But... I finished around 11 PM. Canaan's story, unfortunately, was very long and boring for me. The only good thing to come out of this long and boring extra was this music track: Parting. Sadly, I was quite disappointed. I wanted to like Canaan, since she was so important to Maria.
If you read my spoilers, thank for reading them! Now to finish with more scrolly things. Feel free to comment :D
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