Our next podcast recording (4.5.24) - 618: 428: Shibuya Scramble

[JaySevenZero]

Here's where you can contribute your thoughts and opinions for 428: Shibuya Scramble for potential inclusion in the forthcoming podcast.

A friendly reminder that where the feedback for the podcast is concerned, we love it - but keeping it brief is appreciated. We do want to include a breadth of opinions where appropriate, but no-one wants a discussion podcast that’s mostly reading out essays. Better to save yourself time and cut to the chase if you can.

[Seph]

I'm so happy the team are finally tackling this one as it's a game that I think is worthy of discussion and attention. I finally bought this game on PS4 during lockdown and when I was technically out of work; and I'd place it very high on my best ever list, maybe even top 10. If you are a fan of visual novel games, wacky Japanese conspiracy-type stories, fractured narratives, and crazy but lovable characters then seriously give this a go. Basically, if you like Danganronpa, Zero Escape and the usual Spike Chunsoft fare, then this game is for you.

Well, I say game, I mean "experience" really, as visual novels always ride that line between interactive and passive experience, and the enjoyment relies solely on good plotting and strong characters. Thankfully, 428: Shibuya Scramble has these in buckets, especially the latter. In terms of actual gameplay, the choose-your-own-adventure presentation is executed well and it's always fun when the characters interact or impact on each other's stories.

When I first saw screenshots of this game, the real world imagery just jarred with me. I didn't understand how this would work, especially how "live action" games are almost always trash and packed full of awful actors. But I was impressed and floored by how well it comes together, to the point that this experience would not have had the same impact if I was just looking at some over designed anime caricatures. I never heard any of these characters speak, yet I felt like I knew them; based solely on the writing and the great visuals. When the game ended, it brought me down when I realised I would never see these characters again, at least not like this.

I'm not going to go through the story and plot bit-by-bit, but I'll list some of my highlights:

• The main villain reveal, especially the way the actor/model changed their entire body language to appear evil.

• Achi being surprisingly likeable throughout, despite easily being a one-note creep.

• The banana obsessed cop in Osawa's story.

• I grinned like an idiot every time I heard Yanagashita's ridiculous Disco Stu music. He is easily one of my favourite side characters ever, I wish I had just a speck of his enthusiasm.

• The Tama reveal, despite being obvious, was very well done.

• Minorikawa getting his arse handed to him by Miku.

• Seeing the cast having a lot of fun in the behind the scenes videos in the credits.

It's because of this game that the first place I visited in Japan when I arrived was Shibuya. Sure, so does everyone I guess, but I went there with the sole reason of trying to spot the locations that were used. It's then I realised just how crowded this area is and the huge amount of effort that went into gathering the images and short videos that make up a large part of the experience. I read that the team didn't ask for permission to do so, meaning large sections of this game were made while evading police and security; which somewhat makes me enjoy and appreciate it even more.

While I got all the trophies and unlocked the endings, I didn't really like a lot of the additional scenarios. The Canaan story, in particular, was dull and put me off watching the sequel anime series. If anyone on the panel has seen it and can vouch for it, I might give it a go, but I have to admit I didn't really care for her story based on what was presented here.

Three-word review: Stupid sexy Achi.