LogFAQs > #951461605

#4 - 428: Shibuya Scramble (PS4, 2018)

Along with Steins;Gate and Muv Luv Alternative, 428: Shibuya Scramble are the three visual novels that I've given a 10/10 rating on vndb.org, suggesting that all three of these visual novels are among the best in their genre. Of the three, I feel 428: Shibuya Scramble stands over the other two pretty easily.

Instead of focusing on a single protagonist in 428, the game focuses on five protagonists that you follow through a single day in Shibuya: rookie detective Shinya Kano, former gang member Achi Endo, freelance writer Minoru Minorikawa, virus researcher Kenji Osawa, and Tama, a girl trapped in a cat mascot costume. The game begins by explaining that one of Kenji Osawa's twin daughters was kidnapped for ransom, and the kidnappers asked for her twin sister to bring the ransom to the statue of Hachiko near the Shibuya Scramble Crossing. Shinya Kano is assigned to the case and is staking out in the area, while Achi Endo ends up in the area by pure circumstance. The other protagonist eventually get their stories started and intertwined with the others, frequently appearing throughout each other's stories all the way to the end. 428 is a crime thriller from the get go, but some of the different storylines in the game crossover into other genres, like Tama's being more comedic than the others. Unlike most visual novels which use drawings for backgrounds and character art, 428 is completely live action throughout the entire game (except for a post-story unlockable), shot in Shibuya itself. The game is shown through still images, so there's no voice acting or character movement.

The purpose of the game is to get all the protagonists to the end of each hour of the game through their interactions with the other protagonists - one protagonist will get some red text in their stories references someone else, which allows you to jump over to another protagonist's story, which is usually locked until this is fulfilled. Sometimes, decisions made in the early parts of one character's route can lead to a bad ending in another route. For example, one character is asked for directions from a number of shady men. If you give them the correct directions, they cause a bad ending in another character's route - so you only want to do this if you're collecting all the bad endings!

I mentioned I played through most of Steins;Gate within a week. This game is much longer and I played through almost the entire game in a single weekend - clearing the last six in-game hours, all the bad endings, and all the post-game content as well. By noon in-game I was pretty much hooked and had to know what happened next. All the characters seem believable and the story really has no flaws - besides the character of Canaan, but I blame that on the Fate series writer. The game also has a mini dungeon adventure added as an easter egg in one route, which is a nice diversion from the main plot if you choose to go through it.

The producer, Koichi Nakamura, has pretty much said that 428: Shibuya Scramble was not a financial success considering how much the original game cost to produce, though he has the framework for a sequel to 428 in his mind if it ever seems feasible. Which is kind of a shame because it was not exactly a genre that sells well over here, and it's only available for PS4/Steam with no handheld release, which it would be perfect for (Japan had PSP and mobile versions at some point).

If you like visual novels at all, 428: Shibuya Scramble is a game not to be missed.

Soundtrack Links
Sekai wa Sore demo Kawari wa Shinai
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6X_qh1hWUu8
Main Theme
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKQIRaAsFMw

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