428: Shibuya Scramble

First things first. Let’s get my bias out of the way. I spent a semester at a university in Tokyo and I adore the Shibuya area. I could spend all day at music stores there. I’ve been to the underground bars and to the 10th floor karaoke rooms, to the Hachiko statue and to the Sega GiGo arcade (RIP).

So when a game opens with a flyover video of Shibuya, it really hits me in the feels.

The opening chapter was a bit tedious as I came to grips with the jump mechanic and frequent dead ends, but in the second hour the game added three more protagonists to the mix and the entire experience came alive. Seemingly inconsequential choices began impacting other characters’ timelines, and the bad endings that seemed like annoying roadblocks in the first chapter became more and more entertaining.

The story and characters mostly follow the old tropes, and towards the end there are plenty of those character-building flashbacks that are all too common in manga and anime. But the characters are fun, the pacing never falters, and there are just enough twists to keep the proceedings engaging. Most of them I saw coming but the biggest one was a total surprise.

What really elevates 428 above similar VNs, though, is the decision to use real actors. It keeps the story grounded and prevents the game from drifting into the metaphysical and fan-servicey holes that occasionally derail other Spike Chunsoft VNs.

Unfortunately, there is still a handful of cringe here. For example, an important aspect of the story focuses on a character’s trip to the “Middle East” (which country?) where he/she meets a girl named Canaan. What a name, eh? (And as I writing this review, I’m realizing that another character is probably named after a Toyota minivan. Wow.) Although I’m kind of inured to the fact that Japanese media usually represents foreign people and countries in oddball, half-baked ways, I still wish they could do better.

But honestly, that’s my only real complaint. Yeah, the interface is dated. There aren’t enough female protagonists. The most interesting main character (Minorikawa!) has the weakest connection to the underlying story. I could go on, I’m sure. But when it comes down to it all the little imperfections are kind of perfect.

All that is to say I agree with Famitsu on this one. 40/40.