Review: Ever 17 – The Out of Infinity (Nintendo Switch)

It’s hard for me to shake the stereotype that visual novels tend to be romances. Take a look at the eShop screens for this game, and you can see why that would be the case. But believe me, the HD remake of Ever 17 – The Out of Infinity is much more than a romance.

I say this despite multiple similarities with James Cameron’s Titanic. A young fellow named Takeshi gets his hands on a highly-coveted ticket to a futuristic, underwater theme park called LeMU. He visits with his friends, but they become separated. Disaster strikes the park, and Takeshi finds himself in a race to survive. The differences? Unlike in Titanic, things get interesting immediately, not 2-1/2 hours in. Also, there’s no Rose, there’s…a raccoon?

I don’t want to go too deep into the story here. It gets so weird so quickly that any attempt to summarize it would be a disservice. Also, I’m not entirely sure I could even explain some elements…or the science behind them.

But the gist, as mentioned, is that there’s an explosion somewhere in the park. The exits are closed off, and the facilities are slowly flooding. Takeshi learns he has about five days before the park collapses. Thankfully, he’s not alone. Takeshi quickly teams up with a few others, including the park’s AI tour guide and a kid with amnesia. Together, they’ll all have to explore the still accessible areas of LeMU in an attempt to repair what can be fixed and eventually locate an escape pod to get to safety.

Of course, a lot is standing in their way. In addition to navigating the slowly crumbling facility, the characters will have to work through their own personal and trust issues…and is there something more sinister going on here? Who knows more than they’re letting on?

It’s a solid premise that’s well-served by solid writing. The five-day timetable gives the characters time to develop nicely; not every conversation has to be about their predicament. So, we get to know and like them in a way that feels authentic, not forced. That, then, adds to the urgency as the story draws to a close. It also allows them to be funny. These are mostly young adults who speak and behave accordingly.

Well…sometimes. Honestly, if Ever 17 was a standard book with no interactivity, I likely would’ve enjoyed it just as much.

But it’s a game, so the player gets to make some decisions along the way. The first of these kind of sets the tone; you’re asked whether you want to placate a little kid by listening to her joke or pay attention to the important park safety announcements. Your choices will range from immediate impact decisions about the escape process to smaller choices that help curry favor with the lady you like. Or maybe those are heavy decisions, too. Regardless, there’s no real right or wrong. You’re never punished for your answers; you just live with them.

Note, however, that multiple save slots mean you can bounce back to a previous point if you’re not happy with the immediate results of your decisions.

This, of course, means you’ll have access to multiple endings. After completing your first run, you’re able to play again as the kid with amnesia. No matter who you’re controlling, information is fed in bits, and you’re going to have to work through the story multiple times to get everything. Whether you’ll want to, I can’t say. There are numerous prolonged sections with no interactivity, and having to read those multiple times would be a deterrent. I’m satisfied enough with my ending (open as it was) that I’m not immediately compelled to press through again. I’ll save that for a future date when some of the details of my first run have been forgotten.

As for the other aspects of the game, Ever 17 is well-served by bright, friendly artwork that belies the urgent and claustrophobic situation of its characters. Those characters are heavily anime-influenced, which also gives the game a very specific feel.

So does the music, which does a great job of setting the tone for the various scenes throughout the game.

I credit Ever 17 – The Out of Infinity with changing my perspective on the diversity of visual novels. By design, they’re still a somewhat choppy method of telling a story. You can’t effectively guide a reader to a conclusion if that reader is making decisions for you. Tonal shifts add to the disjointed pacing, but they don’t ultimately detract from the experience. Ever 17 starts strong and never really lets up, and that means I’m sure to revisit LeMU.

Eventually. Not right now. I need some time to decompress.

Editor’s Note: Ever 17 – The Out of Infinity is also available in a double pack with Never 7 – The End of Infinity (see our review). The games are not related narratively, however, and don’t need to be played in tandem.