As someone who has reviewed more visual novels than he’d care to admit, there isn’t much I haven’t seen in terms of gameplay or mechanics. I’ve dealt with time travel in STEINS;GATE, beaten Zero at his own Nonary Games, and conducted an outer space rescue mission in Tacoma. None of those adventures, however, prepped me for the insanity that is 428: Shibuya Scramble. It was immediately apparent after watching the trailer that this game was going to be different than any other visual novel I’d played thus far. First, the creators did not animate or draw the art. The graphics include real, live-action video clips and photographs. I loved it. That in and of itself was enough to make 428 something special, but its developers, Spike Chunsoft, didn’t stop there. 428: Shibuya Scramble manages to successfully smoosh the lives of five individuals from various walks of life into a story as random as they are. There’s a young, up-and-coming police detective, an eccentric journalist/bike enthusiast, a street thug with a heart of gold, the director of a pharmaceutical company, and a girl stuck in her part-time job’s mascot outfit. It’s a rather unique tale of love, abductions, lethal diseases, gangsters, and cat costumes. Truly a soon-to-be classic.
The aforementioned trailer for Shibuya Scramble does an excellent job of showcasing the vibe and energy of the game. And it features music that is hype AF.

The Fab Five
The heart and s...