PC - Ever 17: The Out of Infinity – One of the Best Sci-Fi Visual Novels, but Not Without Weaknesses

After finishing Lost Soul Aside on stream, I ended up completing another game shortly after. This one, took me nearly 70 hours and about two months to get through.

Originally released in 2002, Ever 17 has been remastered once again for Switch, PS4, and PC. It’s part of the Infinity series, known for its deep storytelling and philosophical sci-fi themes. The 2025 edition improves the visuals, updates the interface, and finally brings a global release. While the story is still brilliant, each route takes a very long time to finish. Fans had already fixed this pacing issue in the original with the popular Himmel Edition mod, which really should have been included here, as it was a common complaint in the community.

The story takes place in the underwater theme park LeMU. After a sudden accident floods parts of the park, two main characters, Takeshi Kuranari and a boy known only as “the Kid,” become trapped with a small group of survivors. With only 119 hours before the facility collapses, they must find a way to escape. Each playthrough reveals new layers of the mystery, mixing survival, science, and emotional storytelling in a way few visual novels manage.

Like most games in the genre, your dialogue choices affect relationships and one of nine endings. Unfortunately, even with skip and fast-forward options, you still end up rereading a lot of dialogue.

After unlocking every ending, I completely understand why this game is so highly praised. As a Steins;Gate fan, this kind of sci-fi mystery is exactly what I enjoy. If you can look past its pacing problems, you’ll find a story full of surprising twists and emotional depth.

A funny side note: the game uses quite a bit of German vocabulary, but the grammar is often wrong. It made me laugh a few times, though it never ruined the experience.

If you’re into sci-fi visual novels like Zero Escape or the Science Adventure series, I definitely recommend giving Ever 17 a try. It’s now available on most modern platforms and even got a physical twin-pack release in Japan with Never 7, though unfortunately only for Switch.

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Ever 17: The Out of Infinity

Platform: PC / PS4 / Switch

Developer: 5pb. and Cyberfront

Publisher: 5pb.

Genre: Visual Novel

Release Year: 2025

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Wiki:

Ever 17: The Out of Infinity is a visual novel video game developed by KID. It is the second entry in the Infinity series; it is preceded by Never 7: The End of Infinity, and followed by Remember 11: The Age of Infinity, the spin-off 12Riven: The Psi-Climinal of Integral, and the reboot Code_18. It was originally released in Japan on August 29, 2002, for the PlayStation 2 and Dreamcast, and was later ported to Microsoft Windows, PlayStation Portable, Android, and iOS. A localization of the Microsoft Windows version was released by Hirameki International in North America in 2005.

The game follows Takeshi Kuranari and a boy with amnesia who is referred to as "the Kid", who are trapped inside an underwater theme park together with a group of other people after a leak has flooded parts of the park; they cannot contact people on the surface, and due to high water pressure, the park is estimated to implode after 119 hours. The gameplay consists of the player reading the game's story, at certain points making choices that affect its direction, leading to one of several possible endings.

The development team included director Takumi Nakazawa, writer and planner Kotaro Uchikoshi, character designer Yuu Takigawa, and composer Takeshi Abo. Because the science fiction aspects of Never 7 had been positively received, Ever 17 was made with a larger focus on science fiction. The game has been positively received, with reviewers calling it one of the best in its genre, citing its story, characters, music, and graphics.

A remake, simply titled Ever 17, was developed by 5pb. and Cyberfront for Xbox 360 in 2011. It features various changes to the story and the characters, additional illustrations by Takigawa, and new music arrangements by Abo. The original visual novel's 2D sprites were replaced by 3D models; this change was done as 3D models were seen as being easier to animate. A remaster that uses the remake as the basis, but brings back the 2D visuals, released worldwide for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Windows on March 6, 2025, again with The Out of Infinity subtitle.