428: Shibuya Scramble

About

"428: Shibuya Scramble" is a single-player Adventure game with a sensational story that will make you laugh. Experience a thrilling series of events through the perspective of five unique characters, including a detective, journalist, former gang leader, pharmaceutical researcher, and a part-timer in a cat costume, as they become entangled in a surprising and outrageous kidnapping case in the heart of Shibuya. This game combines live-action footage with engaging gameplay to create an unforgettable experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

94%

Audience ScoreBased on 579 reviews

story215 positive mentions

grinding13 negative mentions

Engaging and intricate story that intertwines the lives of five characters, keeping players hooked from start to finish.
Unique presentation using live-action photography instead of traditional anime art, adding a fresh perspective to the visual novel genre.
Humorous and heartfelt moments throughout the game, with a great balance between comedy and serious themes.

Lack of a fast-forward option for previously read text, making it tedious to replay sections after encountering bad endings.
Some plot points and character arcs feel underdeveloped or abruptly concluded, leaving players wanting more closure.
The price point is considered high for a visual novel, leading many to recommend waiting for sales.

story
838 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
71%
4%
The story of *428: Shibuya Scramble* is widely praised for its intricate narrative that intertwines the lives of five distinct characters over the course of a single day, revolving around a kidnapping plot that evolves into a complex web of suspense and humor. Players appreciate the unique storytelling mechanics, where choices made by one character can significantly impact the others, leading to a variety of outcomes, including numerous bad endings that add both challenge and comedic relief. While the pacing can be slow at times and some mechanics may frustrate players, the overall experience is described as engaging, with well-developed characters and unexpected plot twists that keep players invested throughout the lengthy narrative.
- “The story is beautifully written, plain and simple.”
- “The plot twists and the portraits of these characters are just a next-level masterpiece.”
- “The story ramps up the stakes at appropriate times and levels, the characters all have their own motivations and stories going on that sensibly crossover with one another as the main plot moves forward, and it crosses the line from deadly serious to outright silly several times as you go but it never feels inappropriate.”
- “The story has too much pointless fluff in it and the humor doesn't do it for me.”
- “The game is like a visual novel, but uses 2-4 option points to create branches and alter the story.”
- “The story feels dragged-out, filled with exposition; it's just not rewarding enough for the time you put into it.”
gameplay
154 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
74%
3%
The gameplay of 428: Shibuya Scramble is primarily choice-based, characteristic of visual novels, where players navigate through interconnected character stories using a timeline mechanic. While some players appreciate the unique perspective-switching and the puzzle-like nature of determining how choices affect outcomes, others find the gameplay simplistic and occasionally frustrating due to its reliance on trial and error and the lack of traditional gameplay elements. Overall, it offers an engaging narrative experience for visual novel fans, but may not satisfy those seeking more complex gameplay mechanics.
- “The gameplay revolves around trying to figure out how to progress through the main storyline and which character's action/decision affects which outcome of another character's story.”
- “I was obsessed from start to finish; the unique gameplay of weaving through various character sequences to obtain a certain outcome results in a chockful of content, and so many surprises along the way.”
- “The main mechanic of the game is making decisions that affect other characters - these are not always clear, but the bad endings are enjoyable in their own right, and the hints are very clear so it doesn't feel frustrating.”
- “The gameplay is simple and I know it's a visual novel, but it doesn't really feel like a game when the only thing you do is make choices.”
- “Overall, the gameplay is the weakest aspect of the novel; I don't mind having to redo my choices, but having to jump to another character every 15 minutes is a pain that breaks the flow of the narrative.”
- “If you're coming here for gameplay, this isn't it.”
humor
119 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a standout feature, blending wacky Japanese comedy with serious crime drama, creating a unique and engaging experience. Players appreciate the intentional and clever humor, particularly in the form of hilarious bad endings and memorable character antics, which provide a delightful contrast to the more intense narrative elements. Overall, the game successfully balances humor with suspense and drama, making it both entertaining and emotionally resonant.
- “Story-wise, it's a serious crime drama interspersed with loads of wacky Japanese humor.”
- “The humor is also great; I love the comedy mixed in with the serious plot; it's so good.”
- “It's hilarious, heartwarming, intriguing, and exciting all in a single package.”
music
88 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
41%
3%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its ability to enhance the narrative and atmosphere, with many reviewers praising its variety and emotional resonance. The soundtrack features a mix of genres that effectively complements the story's different moods, although some players noted moments of repetitiveness. Overall, the music is considered a standout element, contributing significantly to the immersive experience of the visual novel.
- “The music is wonderful.”
- “The soundtrack is perfectly tailored to the various story currents, and there are plenty of vintage beeps and ringtones.”
- “The music choices they made and how it expresses their emotions and what their story is about always thrills me to the core.”
- “To me, the music is below average.”
- “I looked it up before writing this and apparently it has 73 tracks, which is insane because it felt like I was listening to the same 10 songs over and over again for 20 hours. By the time I got to the end, the bad ending track was making me sick.”
- “The background music is not complicated, but it is varied and emphasizes the emotions of every scene.”
emotional
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of "428: Shibuya Scramble" is highly praised, with players noting its ability to blend humor, heartwarming moments, and intense emotional scenes. Many reviewers express being moved to tears by the characters' stories and the game's impactful narrative, which features a mix of comedy and heartfelt confessions that resonate deeply. Overall, the game is celebrated for its engaging storytelling and character development, leaving players with a lasting emotional impression.
- “It has a lot of twists and turns, some obvious, some not so much, but by the end I really enjoyed the story. I thought it was, despite the setting, an actually pretty wholesome message and I got emotional at times near the end, especially for Osawa and Mino's stories.”
- “This deeply funny, fun, intense, and emotional journey was the most fun I've had with a visual novel.”
- “428 concludes with an emotional final segment that is a complete proverbial page-turner, and will keep you in your seat until it sends you home with a heartfelt farewell.”
graphics
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
71%
7%
The game's graphics utilize a unique live-action style, featuring high-quality photographs and short video clips of actors, which sets it apart from traditional anime-inspired visual novels. While some players initially found the live-action aesthetic off-putting, many appreciated its originality and the way it enhances the storytelling experience. Overall, the visuals are praised for their creativity and ability to bring characters and scenarios to life, despite some technical issues reported in the port.
- “Fortunately, the game itself isn't entirely retro; the visuals have been brought into the modern era and the HD upgrade looks just fine.”
- “Using photos instead of artwork is really original, and they look awesome and really bring the characters and locations to life!”
- “The visuals may look weird at first, but give it time and you'll see not only that the choice to go live-action is pretty cool, but also works to make the visual novel much more dynamic than most.”
- “Great game, though I must agree that this port is not the best. The game had two crashes; the best way to play is going on a lower resolution that isn't 4K and using borderless windowed (so far it's the only way that you can actually see the full visuals without having a black screen or artifacts on them).”
- “The visuals are entirely live-action, mostly using high-quality stills of actors, but with some short video sequences.”
- “In the 'graphics' department, the game is made from (mostly) still images with real actors.”
grinding
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, primarily due to the lack of a fast-forward or skip button, which makes revisiting scenes and hunting for bad endings a slow process. The repetitive nature of navigating through text and the need to redo certain sections to unlock content contribute to a sense of inefficiency, leading some to abandon the pursuit of all endings. Overall, while the game offers additional stories, many feel that the effort required to unlock them is not sufficiently rewarding.
- “The worst part is probably grinding for all the bad endings and not having a real fast-forward button.”
- “Not being able to fast-forward with a skip button when I needed to reread a particular line later in a section made Easter egg hunting a bit more tedious than it needed to be.”
- “And this is exactly why I stopped trying to get all bad endings (which unlock bonus story episodes), because managing all of that is just infuriating, slow, inefficient, and tedious.”
replayability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The game's replayability is mixed; while it offers numerous alternate and secret endings that can enhance the experience, the linear story structure means that much of the content remains the same on subsequent playthroughs. Players may find value in exploring bad endings and unlocking bonus content, but the repetitive nature of the text and limited gameplay can detract from overall replay value.
- “You would not believe the amount of replayability that this game has when secret endings are factored in.”
- “Many hours of play also lots of replay value as many alternate endings plus bonus content to unlock.”
- “Fun game, tons of replayability.”
- “One thing to note about the game is that it has a linear story - although there are often hilarious bad ends, since you can't progress the story without hitting certain checkpoints in every time slot, the bulk of the content would remain the same on a second playthrough, so there isn't too much replayability unless you just want to read through the story again.”
- “There's not much replay value, unless you want to discover all the bad endings, which might require a lot of re-reading unskippable text.”
- “It's good, but it's not the best-written game ever, and there's so little gameplay and replay value.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The atmosphere in "428: Shibuya Scramble" is enhanced by its excellent music, which complements the complex plot and character relationships, creating an immersive experience. Players appreciate the game's ability to evoke suspense and emotional depth through its atmospheric setup, combining compelling storytelling with striking visuals and smart humor. Overall, the atmosphere is a significant strength, contributing to the game's relatability and enjoyment.
- “The plot, 428: Shibuya Scramble's main story is logical enough and extremely complex, the relationship between the characters is cleverly woven together, coupled with excellent music, immersive suspense atmosphere, and excellent characterization, bringing several unparalleled shocks that make players applaud.”
- “With a compelling plot, intriguing characters, meaningful and easily navigable gameplay, great atmosphere setup, wonderful art (stills taken from live action), amazing music, and smart humor, 428 is a game and a story everyone can relate to and enjoy.”
- “The music matches the atmosphere and mood of the story.”
- “The tracks also really help to bring out the atmosphere conveyed by the story when combined with both the writing and the photo stills.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The game faces significant optimization issues, which detract from the overall experience despite its engaging story and strong performances. Reviewers note that the lack of optimization, particularly in this PSP port, negatively impacts gameplay, leading to a lower overall rating.
- “It also has an amazing soundtrack, great CGs (shout-outs to the actors' performance), and a very neat UI (in flowchart).”
- “Even when the shots are limited to stills or limited animation, the actors' performance really shines and synchronizes well with the writing.”
- “Now on to the bad parts, the game suffers from poor optimization.”
- “I would give this game a solid 7/10 and that's because of the engaging story, enjoyable cast, and moments in the game itself, but the optimization or lack thereof definitely ruins the game for me.”
- “This is another PSP port with no optimization made.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
Character development in the game is highly praised, with players noting that even within a relatively short playtime of around 10 hours, the characters are memorable and well fleshed-out. The integration of character arcs with the overall story enhances the intrigue and quality, making it a standout aspect of the game.
- “The character development, scenarios, visuals, and sound design all come together perfectly.”
- “However, I think what shines the most is the character development.”
- “Personally, I'd say the quality of the story is top-notch; the characters are memorable, well-fleshed-out, and the character development is there in full force for all main characters.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that the game's stability is a significant concern, with players noting that it suffers from bugs and lacks the polish expected for a $50 title. This has led to frustration among users who feel the game does not meet quality standards for its price point.
- “No visual novel in the world is worth $50, and if you're going to charge that amount, then the game should at least have some polish and not be a buggy port.”