428: Shibuya Scramble

Impressive efforts with a few noticeable problems holding them back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash.

92%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

grinding, replayability

95% User Score Based on 535 reviews

Critic Score 85%Based on 3 reviews

Platforms

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About

428: Shibuya Scramble is a single player action game with drama and mystery themes. It was developed by Abstraction Games and was released on September 4, 2018. It received positive reviews from critics and very positive reviews from players.

"428: Shibuya Scramble" is a visual novel adventure game that features live-action footage and still photography of real actors and locations in Tokyo. The game presents five interconnected stories that unfold in parallel, with choices made by one character affecting the others. With multiple endings, bonus modes, and hidden scenarios, players can explore the chaotic aftermath of a kidnapping in Shibuya and unravel the tangled fates of five individuals.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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95%

Audience ScoreBased on 535 reviews

story199 positive mentions

grinding13 negative mentions

The story is fun and well-written, keeping players hooked until the end with its twists and turns.
The characters are great and evolve throughout the story, making them more relatable and enjoyable.
The unique use of live-action photography adds a refreshing realism to the narrative, enhancing the overall experience.

The lack of a fast-forward option makes replaying sections tedious, especially after making wrong choices.
Some gameplay mechanics, like jumping between timelines, can feel confusing and disrupt the flow of the story.
The ending may feel rushed or unsatisfying for some players, leaving them wanting more closure.

story
778 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
71%
3%
The story of "428: Shibuya Scramble" is a complex and engaging 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 deeper conspiracy. Players navigate through multiple perspectives, making choices that significantly impact the outcomes of each character's storyline, leading to a variety of twists and turns that keep the experience fresh and exciting. While the writing is praised for its humor and emotional depth, some players note issues with pacing and the lack of a skip function for previously read text, which can detract from the overall flow of the story.
- “The story is complex and intriguing, highly recommended for anyone who loves great stories.”
- “The story is really engaging, has twists and turns you might not see coming, and ultimately is a lot of fun to experience.”
- “The plot twists feel earned and make sense in retrospect, and I never got stuck on the main game which makes me think the branching choices to unstuck all the characters also make sense.”
- “The story has too much pointless fluff in it and the humor doesn't do it for me.”
- “The story feels dragged out, filled with exposition; it's just not rewarding enough for the time you put into it.”
- “The game also has a 'keep out' function that acts like a temporary roadblock in one character's story, forcing you to get that far into another character's story as to avoid temporary spoilers from another character's arc, or to provide a temporary cliffhanger.”
gameplay
144 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
73%
3%
The gameplay of this visual novel is primarily centered around reading text and making choices that influence the outcomes of multiple character storylines, often leading to various endings, including humorous bad ones. While some players appreciate the unique mechanics, such as the timeline and character-switching features that create a puzzle-like experience, others find the gameplay simplistic and frustrating due to its reliance on trial and error and the lack of traditional gameplay elements. Overall, it appeals mainly to visual novel enthusiasts who enjoy intricate narratives and character interactions, but may disappoint those seeking more complex gameplay akin to titles like Danganronpa or Ace Attorney.
- “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.”
- “With a compelling plot, intriguing characters, meaningful and easily navigable gameplay, great atmosphere setup, wonderful arts (stills taken from live action), amazing music, and smart humor, 428 is a game and a story everyone can relate to and enjoy.”
- “The entire gameplay revolves around you reading a bunch of characters' stories and occasionally making a decision for them.”
- “If you are trying to compare this game to other Spike Chunsoft titles, keep in mind there is practically no actual gameplay; you're basically reading an interactive book.”
- “Overall, the gameplay is the weakest aspect of the novel; having to jump to another character every 15 minutes is a pain that breaks the flow of the narrative.”
humor
106 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in this visual novel is widely praised for its clever blend of absurdity, campiness, and heartfelt moments, often resulting in hilarious bad endings that players find enjoyable to explore. Reviewers highlight the memorable characters and witty writing, which balance comedic elements with serious themes, creating a unique and engaging narrative experience. Overall, the game is described as both funny and emotionally resonant, making it a standout in the genre.
- “The characters are all ridiculous to an extent, yet they are memorable and the mix of humor and suspense just clicked with me.”
- “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
79 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
40%
4%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its ability to enhance the emotional depth and atmosphere of the story. While some noted that certain tracks can feel repetitive over long play sessions, the overall soundtrack is described as fantastic, varied, and fitting for the game's themes, contributing significantly to the immersive experience. Highlights include standout tracks like "sekai wa sore demo kawari wa shinai" by Aya Kamiki, which resonate well with players and leave a lasting impression.
- “The next thing to address is the almost movie-quality soundtrack in the game.”
- “The music is wonderful.”
- “The soundtrack is really great, and even features completely different ones depending on the character you're currently with.”
- “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.”
- “There's also potential issues for streamers since an Aya Kamiki song is played at various times throughout the game, and there are no audio controls.”
emotional
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its blend of humor, heartfelt moments, and complex character backstories, which evoke a range of feelings from laughter to tears. Players appreciate the gripping narrative that balances suspense with touching themes, resulting in a memorable experience that resonates long after completion. Despite some critiques regarding pacing and ambition, the overall consensus is that the game successfully delivers an engaging and emotionally impactful story.
- “This is truly a remarkable game that anyone will quickly grow into the tense but ultimately heartfelt story, and finish the game with a new perspective in life!”
- “I can't believe I cried after reading [spoiler] Heartbeat of Spring (Suzune end) [/spoiler] the feels, bro :'(”
- “Made me cry in a few places, which were very emotional and tied together many of the red strings of fate.”
graphics
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
70%
8%
The game's graphics are notably unique, utilizing live-action photography and video clips instead of traditional anime art, which adds a fresh and engaging visual style to the visual novel genre. While some players experienced technical issues, such as crashes and display problems at higher resolutions, many praised the originality and quality of the visuals, which effectively bring the characters and story to life. Overall, the live-action aesthetic is seen as a bold choice that enhances the game's narrative and emotional impact.
- “Using photos instead of artwork is really original, and they look awesome and really bring the characters and locations to life!”
- “The way I see it, the strongest aspect of the novel, besides its story, are the visuals.”
- “Great game, though I must agree that this port is not the best. The game had two crashes, and the best way to play is at a lower resolution that isn't 4K, and use borderless windowed mode (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 content, the effort required to unlock it is often seen as not worth the reward.
- “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 engaging audio. 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.”
- “The music matches the atmosphere and mood of the story.”
- “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.”
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.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game is criticized for lacking optimization, particularly as it is a port from the PSP, which has resulted in minimal enhancements. Despite this, the performances of the actors are noted to be strong and well-aligned with the writing.
- “This is another PSP port with no optimization made.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that the game's stability is a significant concern, with players noting it suffers from bugs and lacks polish, especially given its $50 price tag.
- “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.”

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85%Critics’ scoreBased on 3 critic reviews

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48h Median play time

45h Average play time

40-50h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

428: Shibuya Scramble is a action game with drama and mystery themes.

428: Shibuya Scramble is available on PlayStation 4, iPhone, Windows, PC and others.

On average players spend around 45 hours playing 428: Shibuya Scramble.

428: Shibuya Scramble was released on September 4, 2018.

428: Shibuya Scramble was developed by Abstraction Games.

428: Shibuya Scramble has received positive reviews from players and positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

428: Shibuya Scramble is a single player game.

Similar games include Zero Escape: The Nonary Games, The Letter, Tokyo Dark, AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES, Will: A Wonderful World and others.

428: Shibuya Scramble

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Review: 428: Shibuya Scramble