While not seen as games by many, visual novels—or VN for short—are in our minds, games with a focus on narrative over gameplay. One of our favorite VN series is the science adventure series which many of you readers might be familiar with if you love Steins;Gate, Robotics;Notes and or Chaos;Head. The later VN—Chaos;Head—was a particularly interesting story that had a sequel release called Chaos;Child. Back in 2017, we here at Honey’s Anime reviewed Chaos;Child when it finally hit stateside and found ourselves loving this psychological thriller tale. Now in 2019, PC owners can try out Chaos;Child as its finally hit the PC for download as of January 22, 2019! If you want to know if Chaos;Child is worth your time—and cash—then we ask you to simply scroll on down for our full review of the PC version of Chaos;Child!

Two years ago—in terms of western release—Chaos;Child released on both the PS4 and PS Vita and now it has finally made its way to the PC. Once more, players will enter the world of the science adventure series—a world that shares boundaries with Steins;Gate—taking the roll of Takuru Miyashiro. When a series of murders begins in his city, Takuru ends up trying to uncover the realities behind these strange killings but finds himself in a world he wasn’t prepared for. Now Takuru must try to keep his sanity as delusions begin to seamlessly blend with reality leaving him questioning his very existence. With several endings, multiple roots and dialogue options to choose from and an extensive amount of mystery, Chaos;Child delivers a truly immersive visual novel experience.

Sometime in 2015, Shibuya met a horrific incident that was caused by an earthquake of earth-shattering proportions. Several students defied the odds though and survived this incident including a man named Takuru Miyashiro. Ever since that dark day, Takuru has enjoyed a peaceful existence going to school and attending club sessions with the newspaper club. However, those nice days shatter around Takuru when a series of horrible murders reminiscent of the famed “New Generation Murders” appear in his city. The newspaper club decides to try and piece together these strings of bizarre murders but their involvement will cause the students to endure a series of trials and tribulations unlike any other. Can Takuru hone in on the cause of these murders and save his friends or will his delusions become reality and ruin their lives forever? Welcome to Chaos;Child where reality isn’t always the only way to see the world.

We won’t assume that many of you played the PS4 or PS Vita versions of Chaos;Child but if you did, then we will say you can skip ahead a bit. Nothing has changed outside a few minor updates and such that make the PC version of Chaos;Child any different than those prior ones released back in 2017. For those who are new to Chaos;Child or VNs though, be sure to keep reading. While Chaos;Child might play like most VNs, there are some key gameplay features that make this title slightly unique.

Chaos;Child has players taking control of Takuru as he joins his club at school to try and piece together a slew of murders that seem to mirror incidents not long ago. However, Takuru isn’t your ordinary protagonist—who is though in a VN—and has a rather unique power/curse. Takuru can alter his situation by deluding himself into believing something else has occurred. These moments allow players to choose between either making a positive action occur or a negative one. Depending on your choice, Takuru’s reality changes and this is where the different routes begin to appear in Chaos;Child. Some characters might respond strongly to positive actions, but equally, just like in life, positive comments or actions might have an improper reaction. Players will need to play close attention to how characters see Takuru and equally what will keep them closest to sanity.

This system is what we loved originally about Chaos;Child as choices can truly affect a character’s tale and change their course of life within the story. Flirting or hitting on a girl might raise Takuru’s friendship or chances of being with said girl but equally it might cause their life to be in danger later when a critical moment occurs and love becomes the guiding factor. Playing through Chaos;Child several times might seem like a chore but due to its impressive level of detail in narrative and endings, Chaos;Child is a game you can replay many times and still see something new almost every time.

What also helps make Chaos;Child so playable is the wonderful voice cast that accompany each character, the superb visuals and the noteworthy soundtrack. Visually, Chaos;Child looks terrific with some truly detailed character models and CGI scenes. The music helps illustrate each scene fitting the mood to a T. When a murder or horrific incident occurs, the OST plays somber tunes that make you grip your mouse in anticipation for what the next scene will offer you. Likewise, the voice cast truly hits the mark perfectly as you feel their raw emotions when their wills are tested. For an older visual novel—seeing as how we in the west actually got Chaos;Child years after its initial Japanese release—there’s a true level of detail that isn’t seen in every ordinary visual novel.

Chaos;Child on the PC plays pretty much exactly like the original PS4 and PS Vita versions which is both a blessing and curse in disguise. While newcomers will get to experience a truly awesome VN that is jam packed with neat mystery and psychological horror elements—and maybe some romance thrown in—those who played the original versions will find nothing new to grasp. That isn’t to say replaying this great title isn’t worth it, but we just can’t see many fans wanting to return to Chaos;Child so soon after its original release back in 2017. That’s why we recommend Chaos;Child strongly to those unfamiliar with the original game or are just fans of the anime that released not too long ago, but you might not want to rebuy it if you own it on the PS4 or PS Vita.

We loved our return to Chaos;Child even though we spent quite some time with the original versions. Chaos;Child still has a wonderful tale that keeps players intrigued and questioning what is real and what is just a grand delusion from the main character’s point of view. Are you planning to enter—or reenter—the world of Chaos;Child? Comment your thoughts down below! For more game reviews and anime reviews/articles, be sure to keep stuck to our hive here at Honey’s Anime.