PS4 Review: Chaos;Child

The next big visual novel game?

Discover A Darker Japan – Explore Shibuya in 2015, after an earthquake nearly levelled the city six years prior, and try to outsmart the puppet-master behind this New Generation Madness. Track Down A Serial Killer – Play as Takuru, an arrogant senior and the newspaper club president, and discover the pattern in a series of bizarre deaths around you that the police can’t seem to crack.

Steins;Gate essentially opened up the visual novel genre to the PS4 and was a masterpiece, even if it isn’t a game in the traditional sense, it was highly engaging and well worth a look if you missed out on it. But now we have a similar type of game in the form of Chaos;Child…but could this be worth your time as well?

Its story is just as interesting, in fact, I thought more so thanks to the mixture of crime fiction and sci-fi. You’ll need to go through the game multiple times to get different endings, while the game can be finished in several hours, getting the platinum trophy will take several more.

The characters and setting are brilliantly portrayed, while the pacing can be a little on the slow side…it does pick up after a while and if you loved Steins;Gate, then you’ll love Chaos;Child. The story is unique and quite dark, to say the least, but it’s memorable and will stick in your head for years to come.
The art style is typical of the genre, which is no bad thing. While voice-acting is a mixed bag, it doesn’t hold back what is one strong story.

The Verdict

Chaos;Child is a must have for visual novel fans, especially those who enjoyed Steins;Gate. The story is engaging, despite some pacing issues…it will stay with you for a long time.

Score: 8.0