Ever 17 looks and feels like a videogame. It boots up on your PC and displays animated and still graphics as needed to get the story moving. But at no time does it devolve into a shoot-'em-up, platformer, or "resource management" RPG. Ever 17, you see, isn't like any videogame you've ever played. It's a "visual novel", and while these storyline driven games are HUGE... absolutely HUGE... in Japan, they are virtually unknown here.
There are no fancy 3-D graphics, animation, cut-scenes, or blowing people up. There is actually little to no animation in ever 17, not even moving mouths. If you're expecting to watch a playable anime TV show, you'll be disappointed. If you're expecting to run through tunnels and caves with a gun the size of Rhode Island blowing stuff up, you'll be disappointed.
However, if you're into the thought of a engaging story with outstanding characters, and don't mind reading text as dialogue, you'll be astounded. What this game lacks in fancy graphics it more than makes up for with a compelling storyline and interesting and likable characters.
Ever 17 sports some fantastic character designs, and some really amazing artwork. But, it's the story, stupid, that makes this game so amazingly amazing. The point of view of different characters come together offering clues to the complex web of storyline, which, as you play along, finally resolve into a mind-blowing third act.
Plots revolving around physics, time travel, and geometric perception are mixed with fairy tale imagery of Rip Van Winkle (in the localized version, at least), genetics and inheritance, deadly plagues, and just what it means to "exist", often leaving you wondering just what on earth is going on and what sort of philosophy the game is trying to get at.
Additionally, Ever 17 contains a load of unlockable extras when you finish the game's endings - and there are a lot of endings! With each ending, you get some wallpapers, screensavers, system sound sets that you can use for Windows sounds like shutting down, emptying the trash and more.
This is an absolute MUST HAVE for those of us who wonder exactly what the allure is of these games that they are such a phenomenon in Japan. Play Ever 17 and you'll understand.
Reviewed by Brian Cirulnick, September 2007
Here's a link if you wanna know more about the game: http://obscureoldgames.com/2011/06/ever17-the-out-of-infinity/
