Described as “A basic Sci-fi visible novel,” By no means 7 – The Finish of Infinity appears extra like a courting sim, not less than judging by its odd screenshots. This confused state evidently is an correct reflection of some conceptual points. Whereas the director needed to lean closely into science fiction, his superiors insisted that “cute women” have been wanted to promote the sport. They need to’ve trusted the director, because the vn didn’t promote nicely again then—however 25 years later, it has a shot at redemption. Will By no means 7 – The Finish of Infinity develop its viewers past VN fanatics?
I believe the reply leans no, though that’s not a mirrored image on the sport’s writing however moderately its multi-ending development. However I’m getting forward of myself. The story finds you taking part in as Makoto, a third-year college scholar. He (and a small handful of different college students) are on a division of psychology preparatory seminar retreat. Issues begin along with his nightmare of loss of life, and all through, Makoto (and by extension the participant) wonders if it actually was a dream. Seeming situations of clairvoyance and premonition give pause, although the best way a token effort tries to tie these into native superstition of a “god of time” looks like it may very well be one other occasion of higher-up interference. In any case, after a sluggish begin, the plot does become one thing of a page-turner.
Makoto has three different classmates in his group, and your selections decide which fellow scholar turns into a narrative focus. On my first playthrough, I ended up primarily alongside Yuka, the group chief with a keenness for alcohol. I used to be mildly stunned as I’d spent a very good period of time fishing with the socially awkward Haruka. Outdoors of classmates, you additionally spend time with a pair of siblings working the cafe close to your retreat lodge and island resident Saki, coincidently a childhood good friend of Yuka. The general roster of seven permits you to get to know the quirks of every particular person and develop connected to them (some greater than others) regardless of their flaws, with out feeling overwhelmed.
When you might very nicely begin to really feel overwhelmed is as soon as the story ends. Whereas I can’t be too particular for concern of spoilers, there was a fake-out sort conclusion. That is tremendous because it launched extra gameplay with a butterfly impact angle replaying the week. However once I received a nonsensical “dangerous ending,” I used to be a bit confused. With 18 complete, nevertheless, I suspected it wouldn’t take lengthy to get a superior finish that tied up unfastened ends.
I used to be mistaken. Relatively than have a “New Recreation Plus” sort method, By no means 7 – The Finish of Infinity makes you replay from the very starting. There isn’t any leaping to prior selections ala “Select your individual Journey.” I suppose you can save earlier than each alternative (two to 4 choices every time), however that’s hardly sensible, even with dozens of save slots. Put together to endure redundancy should you hope to see even a fraction of this title’s endings.
In fact, in an effort to have a extra full assessment, I did simply that. It took over seven hours simply to hit my first finish, so I button-mashed previous a lot of the already-read writing to achieve a brand new alternative. Some led to near-identical outcomes, however others opened new character exchanges and areas. There’s no assure that unfastened threads will probably be addressed to satisfaction, although, and sure plot threads appear to go nowhere. Twenty-five years after its preliminary launch, I’d have hoped By no means 7 – The Finish of Infinity would’ve added choices for individuals who want to play the title the identical approach they’d learn a novel.
By no means 7 – The Finish of Infinity had some conceptual points that spilled into its development. That doesn’t make it a foul visible novel, even with limits on its visuals; in actual fact, fanatics would possibly suppose it’s nice. However to get all its 18 endings with no “Select your individual Journey” type method or NG+ seems like it might take…nicely, an infinity. So can I rating this increased than a “Good” 7? By no means!
[Editor’s Note: Never 7 – The End of Infinity is also available as part of a “Double Pack,” bundled with another visual novel by the same author, Ever 17 – The Out of Infinity.]
