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Chaos;Child |OT| Bizarre murders. Absurd delusions. Deadly premonitions.

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Official Website | Review Thread

SPOILER-POSTING GUIDELINES:
The story of this visual novel has many twists and turns, so please be considerate and use spoiler tags when appropriate, labeling the spoilers with the chapter number or character route.

Also, not everyone might have played other games in the Science Adventure series, so tag and label any spoilers from those as well. Thank you.

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(Shout-out to MrComputerRevo, who helped translate the character descriptions from the Japanese homepage!)

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Teaser Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Av8LYoSEsKw

New Generation Madness Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pwy4kJAyGLY

Character Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLurJpnf8gk

Launch Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpPcJsZ3kfk

First Hour Gameplay (Rice Digital): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFfpRRww31k

What is Chaos;Child, and Why Should You Care? (Fan Video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbF4-DGAPf0

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How long is the game?

Most estimates put it at over 50 hours to reach the final ending. (I've heard that the pacing is much more even than Steins;Gate, so it shouldn't be as much of a slog at the start.)

Hope you like reading!

How hard is it to reach the true ending?

First of all, I'm obligated to say that you should play absolutely blind for your first playthrough. No guide. You'll thank me later.

Once you're done with that, here's how the route structure works (no story spoilers):

For your first playthrough, you're locked to the common route. In subsequent playthroughs, certain delusion and map triggers will affect story branching points.

To unlock the true ending you'll first have to reach all the other main (non-Bad) endings. The true ending will then be accessible from the title screen.

If you want a simple 100% guide with recommended route order (after you reach your first ending), here you go: https://pastebin.com/maNKVYzA

What's the difference between the PS4 and Vita versions?

PS4 is native 1080p, Vita is native 540p. That's it. (There's no cross-buy or cross-save, to my knowledge.)

Also, Vita is portable if you like that sort of thing. Or you can play it on PSTV. And Vita screenshots have no watermark, against all odds!

What's the streaming policy?

Just like with Steins;Gate 0, full-game streams are embargoed. PQube stated the first couple hours are fine to stream, and I believe the PS4 version allows streaming through Chapter 1 (same as in Japan).

However, you can still take screenshots at any point in the game (unlike a certain recent VN-like which shall remain unnamed), so I'd personally recommend that for sharing your playthroughs with others, as long as you're mindful of spoilers!

I can see why they're limiting streams, since there's not much in the way of gameplay that would provide a very different experience compared to a Let's Play, which could have a serious effect on sales for a game this niche.

Should I watch the anime first?

Absolutely not. The game came first, and the anime cuts out so much that it only serves to spoil the game while leaving out most of the plot and character development. Watch it after playing the game if you want to see key scenes animated.

If you already watched the anime and liked the concept but it left you wanting, I can definitely recommend you pick up the game to fill in the gaps and experience the alternate routes.

Are there plans to release this game on other platforms?

Currently, none announced. 5pb. Games has stated they plan to bring more existing titles to Steam soon, and since a PC port already exists in Japan, it would be a no-brainer to bring it over. The only question is when.

There are also iOS/Android ports in Japan, and I consider those possible if enough interest is shown in the console releases.

I heard Chaos;Child is the fourth main entry in the Science Adventure series. Is it really okay to start with this one?

Short answer: Yes.

Long answer:
The story takes place six years after the events of Chaos;Head, which was also set in Shibuya. However, the cast and plot of Chaos;Child are entirely new, though certain key events from Chaos;Head are used as a backdrop. Everything you'll need to know from Chaos;Head (which isn't much) is summarized in the prologue.

Playing Chaos;Head first doesn't hurt, but as it only has a bare-minimum fan translation available (and most regard it a worse game than Chaos;Child), I can't whole-heartedly recommend it. And for what it's worth, Chaos;Head can also be played after Chaos;Child as a prequel. But even more so than Chaos;Child, don't watch the anime.

And yes, Chaos;Child takes place in the same world as Steins;Gate, so those who have played it may notice some references!
 
Really well done OT.

I'm still in the middle of replaying Chaos;Head to hype myself up, but an almost two weeks wait for NA release is a struggle.

Hopefully this does well and spurs a Noah localization.
 

Ivellios

Member
Im glad the beginning of this game is not slow and boring like Stein Gate games, which for all their fault, were really good. I definetely get this game at some point.

Is there any chance this will launch on PC?
 

Theswweet

Member
Im glad the beginning of this game is not slow and boring like Stein Gate games, which for all their fault, were really good. I definetely get this game at some point.

Is there any chance this will launch on PC?

For all intents and purposes it *should* eventually, Steins;Gate sold 100k on Steam and presumably more with the JAST release. However, there isn't an "official" English release of Steins;Gate 0 on PC yet, so it would probably be a while.
 

BTA

Member
Regarding routes, I wonder if I should look at an order or not. It's something I've done for other VNs to the point of being spoiled by accident while looking, but for 0 I sorta just did whatever. Though here I'd probably need to look up how to get each ending to begin with so I might as well...

In any case, hope y'all have fun with it. I don't plan on sitting on my copy nearly as long as I did for S;G or 0 but I still probably won't get to it before November.
 

Saphirax

Member
Wow, that first scene. 🤢

The scene beforehand is far worse! A 21 year old guy is considered to be old. Everyone older than him must be a fossil.

Just a quibble, but it did ruin the flow a little. I must've spent 5 minutes looking back and going 'really??'.
 
Native 4K img bruh

There are no 3D-rendered graphics in this game, and it originally came out in Japan well before the PS4 Pro was even announced.

So, the art assets were designed in 1080p. Unless you wanted 1080p art upscaled to 4K, which is technically what you're getting already if you play on a 4K screen.
 
There are no 3D-rendered graphics in this game, and it originally came out in Japan well before the PS4 Pro was even announced.

So, the art assets were designed in 1080p. Unless you wanted 1080p art upscaled to 4K, which is technically what you're getting already if you play on a 4K screen.
Gotcha that makes sense, didn't know
 

Waji

Member
I have a lot to do on the Switch right now, don't have so much money and the rest of the year is packed enough so I'm keeping these VN, like this one or Dangan for later.
If they can release the previous entries before I get back to it, it would be a nice bonus.

I just don't really like the chara design so much here : / .
But it's good to see VN continue to work well enough (?) everywhere.
 

Dantis

Member
Loved Steins Gate, but thought Steins Gate 0 was garbage and dropped it 8 hours in.

Not sure about this one.
 

cj_iwakura

Member
Loved Steins Gate, but thought Steins Gate 0 was garbage and dropped it 8 hours in.

Not sure about this one.

I wasn't a fan of 0 either, nor were most. It had an interesting premise, but loses steam fast. Supposedly this fires on all cylinders, and this is a new story, not an unnecessary sequel.
 
Seems there's going to be a patch to fix some things, presumably some untranslated background text at least, but we don't really know the extent of it yet.

And they're going to try avoiding the issue Steins;Gate 0 had with the patch wiping existing save data, but I guess we'll see what happens.
 

BTA

Member
I still don’t get why some of y’all dislike 0 that much; I think the original was better but I still really enjoyed it.

Seems there's going to be a patch to fix some things, presumably some untranslated background text at least, but we don't really know the extent of it yet.

And they're going to try avoiding the issue Steins;Gate 0 had with the patch wiping existing save data, but I guess we'll see what happens.

Even if this doesn’t fix typos and such, I appreciate that PQube at least patches their VNs.
 

Theswweet

Member
I still don’t get why some of y’all dislike 0 that much; I think the original was better but I still really enjoyed it.

For real, I actually really liked 0. The biggest complaint I have is that Kagari could've been handled better, but the story itself was great! Especially once you get why the True Ending is what it is, and the significance of it.
 

cj_iwakura

Member
For real, I actually really liked 0. The biggest complaint I have is that Kagari could've been handled better, but the story itself was great! Especially once you get why the True Ending is what it is, and the significance of it.
For me, wasted potential. Fascinating ideas, not properly fleshed out. It's still engrossing, just not great like the original.
 

hank_tree

Member
For real, I actually really liked 0. The biggest complaint I have is that Kagari could've been handled better, but the story itself was great! Especially once you get why the True Ending is what it is, and the significance of it.

Such a weird game for me. It started off really strong but every additional ending made me like it less. The true ending in particular was terrible IMO. I’m glad some people were able to enjoy it though!

On topic, got my copy this morning but it’s instantly on the backlog behind The Evil Within 2. Looking forward to getting started Though.
 
Played Chaos Head for a bit before giving up, loved Steins Gate, bought Steins Gate Zero but didn't play it yet.

I have my copy of Chaos Child at home which should sooth the void left behind by DR V3, is there a good youtube video recap of Chaos Head ? Thanks.
 
Played Chaos Head for a bit before giving up, loved Steins Gate, bought Steins Gate Zero but didn't play it yet.

I have my copy of Chaos Child at home which should sooth the void left behind by DR V3, is there a good youtube video recap of Chaos Head ? Thanks.
Best Chaos;Head recap, if you didn't play the whole thing, would be the prologue of Chaos;Child.

From what I can tell (what I've played so far and from what I've heard), Chaos;Child does a really good job of incorporating the major effects Chaos;Head had on the city without spoiling the plot beats and major reveals of Chaos;Head's own story.
 
Aw, I had hoped that the final version would have translated the scrolling Niconiya comments in the first scene, but it's still in Japanese.
 
Aw, I had hoped that the final version would have translated the scrolling Niconiya comments in the first scene, but it's still in Japanese.
Well, depends on what you mean by "final", maybe it'll be addressed in the upcoming patch.

I'm always a bit disappointed when physical media is incomplete though, from a preservation perspective.
 

Lusankya

Member
Is there a good walkthrough for this game anywhere?

There is one for the Japanese version and you can use it by counting the number of delusion triggers. Just google for the trophy guide.

It's recommended to play the first time (until the first real end) without any guide, though.
 
There is one for the Japanese version and you can use it by counting the number of delusion triggers. Just google for the trophy guide.

It's recommended to play the first time (until the first real end) without any guide, though.

I'm more interested in the general structure of the game than a step by step guide. Is it like Chaos:Head with alternate endings for good/bad triggers or does it have character focused endings like Steins;Gate?
 
I'm more interested in the general structure of the game than a step by step guide. Is it like Chaos:Head with alternate endings for good/bad triggers or does it have character focused endings like Steins;Gate?
It's all in the FAQ in the OP.

For what it's worth, the structure is much closer to Chaos;Head Noah, which does mean (structure spoilers)
forced common ending first, then character-related endings (along with some optional bad endings), and true ending unlocked from the title screen after you complete the other endings.
 
It's all in the FAQ in the OP.

For what it's worth, the structure is much closer to Chaos;Head Noah, which does mean (structure spoilers)
forced common ending first, then character-related endings (along with some optional bad endings), and true ending unlocked from the title screen after you complete the other endings.

Thanks. And yeah, I missed that spoiled tagged part in the OP that answered all my questions here.
 
Well, depends on what you mean by "final", maybe it'll be addressed in the upcoming patch.

I'm always a bit disappointed when physical media is incomplete though, from a preservation perspective.

Hopefully that will be the case. I remember reading an interview with the translator where he said he would be taking the feedback from the anime translation and incorporating it into the game (stuff like "Those eyes...Whose eyes?" going to "Whose eyes are those eyes?"), but it doesn't seem to have made it into the game.

Actually, looking back at that interview, he also mentioned translating the scrolling comments that he spent a lot of work on those floating comments as well. Maybe all this really will be in the patch?
 

also

Banned
I bought this because I liked the Steins Gate anime and this video but it's been a real struggle finishing the first 2 chapters.

The game starts off strong but then you meet the MC and it's all downhill from there. He's a socially inept otaku that thinks he's hot shit but is simply shit. Of course, despite being a loser with a superiority complex he has his own harem; the childhood friend, the not related by blood sister, the quiet girl obsessed with computers... Then there's also the brilliant supporting cast of the mysterious girl caught up in something huge (that will inevitably fall for the MC), the loli cafe owner, the beautiful genius scientist, the guy that wants you stop wasting the student council president's valuable time...
And the character design is just... some of characters are basically sticks with oversized heads and boobs. The background art is very nice, though.

Please tell me the plot is more than just generic bad anime #9341. Like, when you talk to Arimura in chapter 2 and she tells you,
"You're going to be killed."
I had a serious case of buyer's remorse. Such a ham-fisted attempt attempt at trying to shock and stir up suspense.
 

Jimrpg

Member
How long is the game?

Most estimates put it at over 50 hours to reach the final ending. (I've heard that the pacing is much more even than Steins;Gate, so it shouldn't be as much of a slog at the start.)

Hope you like reading!

Ah crap, I'm such a sucker for long games even though I don't have the time for them. I guess this is bought then.

I bought this because I liked the Steins Gate anime and this video but it's been a real struggle finishing the first 2 chapters.

The game starts off strong but then you meet the MC and it's all downhill from there. He's a socially inept otaku that thinks he's hot shit but is simply shit. Of course, despite being a loser with a superiority complex he has his own harem; the childhood friend, the not related by blood sister, the quiet girl obsessed with computers... Then there's also the brilliant supporting cast of the mysterious girl caught up in something huge (that will inevitably fall for the MC), the loli cafe owner, the beautiful genius scientist, the guy that wants you stop wasting the student council president's valuable time...
And the character design is just... some of characters are basically sticks with oversized heads and boobs. The background art is very nice, though.

Please tell me the plot is more than just generic bad anime #9341. Like, when you talk to Arimura in chapter 2 and she tells you,
"You're going to be killed."
I had a serious case of buyer's remorse. Such a ham-fisted attempt attempt at trying to shock and stir up suspense.

Oh dear! Still you're not very far in. Hope it gets better.
 
Please tell me the plot is more than just generic bad anime #9341. Like, when you talk to Arimura in chapter 2 and she tells you,
"You're going to be killed."
I had a serious case of buyer's remorse. Such a ham-fisted attempt attempt at trying to shock and stir up suspense.

Sorry, I can't hear you over my mind getting blown in these later chapters
 
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