Info about CHAOS;CHILD:

Official game description:
It's been six years since a massive earthquake leveled the city of Shibuya. Now, in October 2015, while researching a number of recent murders, Takuru Miyashiro realizes a horrible truth. These murders are the return of a series of killings that plunged Shibuya into terror six years ago. And at the same time, people called gigalomaniacs, with the powers to make their delusions real, are beginning to awaken...  
**GAME FEATURES**  
*   **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.  
*   **Unravel The Mystery**  
    Investigate gruesome, supernatural murders with a team of uniquely talented friends.  
*   **Pick Your Delusions**  
    Choose to explore disturbing nightmares or pleasurable daydreams to affect the different realities that Takuru perceives, and change your story.  
*   **See The Bigger Picture**  
    Unlock SIX endings by changing the course of your team's investigations and relationships, and understand the characters and plot in depth.  
*   **Outstanding Artistic Value**  
    Enjoy beautiful and ethereal art work in this stunning visual novel from the Science Adventure series.  
*   **From The Creators Of STEINS;GATE**  
    A stand-alone story with a brand new cast, extensive replayability and ties to the Steins;Gate universe!

Release date: Jan 22, 2019

Categories: Visual Novel, Mystery, Psychological Horror, Choice-based Narrative, Multiple Endings, Character Interaction, Narrative-driven Gameplay

Feature scans:
- Wiki: score 50; verdict: Needs Improvement; summary: The user feedback highlights significant issues with the game's complex mechanics, hidden secrets, and localization. Players frequently mention the need for external guides to understand the game's systems and uncover hidden content, which detracts from the overall experience. Localization issues also pose a barrier for non-native speakers, requiring additional patches or translations.
- Steam Deck: score 85; verdict: Broken; summary: The Steam Deck experience for this game is marred by frequent crashes, complex setup processes, and UI navigation issues. These technical barriers significantly impact the user experience, making the game less enjoyable and more frustrating to play.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Engaging and well-written story (weight 0.97): The story is praised for its strong sense of suspense, well-paced narrative, and compelling characters. It features a series of twists and a climactic reveal, with a strong focus on character development and emotional growth.
- Well-developed characters (weight 0.49): The characters are noted for their depth, complexity, and engaging interactions. The protagonist's relationships and the character arcs are particularly well-developed and emotionally resonant.
- Thought-provoking themes (weight 0.27): The game explores profound and ambitious themes, including future science, social issues, redemption, and human connection. These themes are integrated into the narrative and character development.
- Positive overall experience (weight 0.24): Players generally enjoyed the game and found it to be a good and enjoyable experience, with solid gameplay and a well-made narrative.
- High-quality voice acting and music (weight 0.22): The voice acting is highly praised for its excellence and emotional depth. The soundtrack is also noted for its quality and how well it fits the game's atmosphere.
- Satisfying true ending (weight 0.17): The true ending is described as impressive, well-written, emotionally impactful, and philosophically resonant. It provides a unique and satisfying conclusion to the story.
- Atmospheric and immersive (weight 0.17): The game is noted for its atmospheric and immersive qualities, with a strong sense of suspense and well-crafted scenes that draw players in.
- Emotional impact (weight 0.16): The game leaves a strong emotional impact on players, with powerful narrative moments and emotionally resonant endings.
- Unique gameplay mechanics (weight 0.15): The game features unique mechanics such as the Delusion Trigger system, which adds depth to the narrative and enhances the gameplay experience.
- Engaging common route (weight 0.13): The common route is well-received for its exciting and well-executed narrative, which sets a strong foundation for the rest of the story.
- Improved over previous games (weight 0.12): The game is considered an improvement over previous titles in the series, such as 'Chaos;Head,' and is praised for its story design and overall quality.

Common complaints:
- Boring and lengthy content (weight 0.17): The game is criticized for having too much boring and mundane daily life content, making the overall experience feel average and tedious. The early chapters are particularly noted for being slow and unengaging.
- Heavy and disturbing content (weight 0.16): The game contains a lot of blood, disturbing images, and graphic scenes that may be too intense or unsettling for some players. It is not suitable for those looking for lighthearted content.
- Unmet expectations and lack of balance (weight 0.16): The game did not meet the expectations set by its predecessor, lacking the same level of atmosphere and character appeal. The story also lacks a sense of balance and coherence, making it less engaging.
- Tedious personal routes (weight 0.15): Entering and progressing through personal character routes is described as tedious and cumbersome, especially for multiple playthroughs. The personal routes are also criticized for being underdeveloped and filled with mundane daily life descriptions.
- Complex and emotional storylines (weight 0.15): The game features complex storylines with a vast amount of information, particularly in the true ending route. The emotional impact of these storylines can be significant, leading to strong emotional reactions from players.
- Unsatisfying endings (weight 0.14): The endings are generally bitter and lack a satisfying conclusion, leaving players with mixed feelings. The narrative is criticized for not being engaging enough to provide emotional impact.
- Long and unengaging character routes (weight 0.14): Some character routes are criticized for being too long, tedious, and lacking meaningful content. These routes often feel rushed, poorly developed, or simply boring.
- Unlikable protagonist (weight 0.12): The protagonist is often criticized for being weak, indecisive, and poorly developed. The character's behavior is seen as repetitive and annoying, leading to a negative reception.
- Excessive plot twists (weight 0.11): The story is criticized for having too many plot twists, especially towards the end. Some of these twists feel forced or unnecessary, leading to twist fatigue.
- Poorly handled personal storylines (weight 0.11): Personal storylines are criticized for being boring, disconnected from the main plot, and poorly written. Some storylines feel rushed, underdeveloped, or disappointing.
- Character and plot criticisms (weight 0.09): The game receives criticism for its characters and plot. Main characters are criticized for their behavior and development, and the plot is seen as unrealistic and poorly explained.
- Author's questionable taste (weight 0.09): Some parts of the game are criticized for reflecting the author's questionable taste, including certain storylines and endings that players find distasteful or poorly executed.
- Slow pacing (weight 0.08): The game's pacing is described as slow and requiring patience. The slow start and pacing issues may not be suitable for all players.
- Flawed character development (weight 0.07): The game is criticized for its flawed character development, which is described as lacking, disjointed, and unrealistic.
- Requires prior knowledge (weight 0.07): The game is not recommended to be played without prior knowledge of Chaos;Head, as it requires playing that game to be fully appreciated. Some characters also feel like exact copies from Chaos;Head.
- Illogical plot points (weight 0.07): The plot is criticized for being illogical, not making sense, and having unresolved or misleading plot points.

Gameplay feedback:
- Visual novel with mystery elements (weight 0.64): The game is a visual novel that combines mystery, psychological drama, and sci-fi elements. It is part of the Science Adventure series and is compared to other games like Steins;Gate.
- Complex narrative with multiple routes (weight 0.57): The game features a strong narrative with well-integrated slice-of-life segments, multiple character routes, and a mix of mystery and suspense elements. The story involves a blend of fantasy and reality, creating a unique gaming experience with a complex narrative structure.
- Character development and arcs (weight 0.53): Character development is a central part of the game, with each route revealing different aspects of the characters. The protagonist's perspective and the heroines' roles are central to the gameplay.
- Emotional impact and resolution (weight 0.49): The game's narrative evokes strong emotional responses from the player, leaving a strong emotional impact and sense of loss. Additional content provides further emotional resolution.
- Delusion Trigger system (weight 0.22): The game includes a Delusion Trigger system that influences the protagonist's mental state and affects the story's outcome. Players can choose between positive and negative delusions, adding a unique gameplay mechanic.
- Murder mystery genre (weight 0.22): The game involves solving murder cases and features a well-structured murder mystery story. The plot includes multiple twists and revelations.
- Psychological horror and suspense (weight 0.15): The game features psychological horror elements, relying on paranoia and implication to create a suspenseful atmosphere. The narrative includes thriller elements with good pacing and reveals.
- Sequel to Chaos;Head (weight 0.14): The game is a sequel to Chaos;Head, set six years after Chaos;Head Noah. It shares a connected universe and narrative continuity with the previous game, expanding on its themes.
- Themes of growth and redemption (weight 0.1): The game explores deep themes and social commentary, focusing on human connection and redemption. The narrative themes include growth and the consequences of one's actions.
- Social commentary and themes (weight 0.08): The game delivers a brutal critique of the obsession with being 'special' and serves as sharp social commentary on how the digital age amplifies the selfishness of individuals and communities.
- Mapping Trigger system (weight 0.05): The game features a Mapping Trigger mechanic that adds an investigative layer to the gameplay. This system allows players to explore and interact with the game world in a unique way.

Performance notes:
- Frequent crashes and stability issues (weight 0.12): Many players report that the game crashes often, affecting the overall stability and gameplay experience. This includes crashes during fast-forwarding and when switching between fullscreen and windowed modes.
- Performance and optimization problems (weight 0.1): The game suffers from poor optimization, leading to frequent crashes and performance issues. Some players note that using DXVK overlays improves performance.
- Graphics card compatibility issues (weight 0.05): There are multiple reports of issues with different graphics cards, indicating potential GPU compatibility problems that need to be addressed.
- UI and translation improvements (weight 0.05): The Committee of Zero patch has been noted to fix translation and UI issues, improving the overall user experience. However, some players still report persistent UI issues.
- Data loss and saving issues (weight 0.03): Players have experienced issues with losing quicksave data, which can be frustrating and disruptive to the gaming experience.
- Text-heavy with slow skipping (weight 0.02): The game is text-heavy, and the skipping mechanism is slow, which can be tedious for some players.

Recommendations:
- Recommended for visual novel lovers (weight 0.31): The game is highly recommended for fans of visual novels, especially those who enjoy complex stories, deep narratives, and extensive reading.
- Not for the faint-hearted (weight 0.22): The game contains violent, strong themes and grotesque expressions. It is not recommended for those who are easily disturbed or looking for light-hearted content.
- Highly recommended for specific audiences (weight 0.18): The game is highly recommended for fans of psychological horror, mystery, and deep narratives. It is also suitable for college students about to enter society.
- Not for everyone (weight 0.14): The game has specific themes and pacing issues that might not appeal to everyone. It is recommended for a niche audience.
- Play Chaos;Head Noah first (weight 0.14): Many players recommend playing Chaos;Head Noah before starting this game to better understand the context and have an improved experience.
- Use fan translations if needed (weight 0.14): For those who can handle the language barrier, using fan translations is recommended to fully enjoy the game.
- Avoid spoilers and guides (weight 0.13): Players are advised not to search for guides or spoilers during their first playthrough to avoid ruining the experience.
- Play all routes for full understanding (weight 0.1): To fully understand the story and unlock the true ending, players are recommended to complete all routes.
- Worth checking out (weight 0.1): Despite its niche appeal, the game is considered worth checking out for fans of the genre and those who enjoy deep, engaging stories.
- Use improvement patches (weight 0.06): Players are recommended to use improvement patches for a better gameplay experience.

Other player notes:
- Fan-made translation available (weight 0.05): Players have created and shared a fan-made translation for the game. Instructions for installing this translation are provided by the community.
- Game merchandise and adaptations (weight 0.05): The game has various merchandise and adaptations related to its characters, indicating a strong fan base and extended universe.
- Committee of Zero patch (weight 0.03): Reviewers recommend downloading the Committee of Zero patch, which suggests that this patch is important for the game.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.13): Players are frustrated with various aspects of the game, including its poorly designed system, protagonist's weakness, and indecisiveness. The game's lack of a 'jump to next choice' feature, limited save slots, and excessive descriptive text contribute to the frustration. Additionally, technical issues such as game crashes, slow pacing, and confusing early game mechanics add to the overall dissatisfaction.
- Disappointment (weight 0.1): Players express disappointment due to the game's poor ending system and unsatisfying character arcs. Many routes feel filler-like and lack innovation, leading to a boring and monotonous experience. The story and gameplay did not meet expectations, with some characters and plot points feeling underdeveloped or poorly executed.
- Admiration (weight 0.08): Players admire the game's narrative depth and character development, highlighting the high-quality music and artwork. The complex and engaging storyline, along with thought-provoking themes, contributes to the admiration. The detailed design and artistic aspects of the game, as well as the excellent character development and impactful true ending, are also praised.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.07): Players feel satisfied with the game's unexpected twists and memorable ending. The true ending and overall game experience, including the story, characters, and themes, are well-received. The emotional resolution provided by additional content and the well-crafted common route contribute to the satisfaction.
- Sadness (weight 0.06): Players experience sadness due to the emotional impact of the true ending and the fate of the characters. The narrative's tragic elements and character development evoke strong emotional responses, leading to tears and a sense of loss.
- Excitement (weight 0.05): Players are excited by the engaging common route and character interactions. The game's continuous new clues and approaching the core truth, along with its thrilling and amazing story, contribute to the excitement. The unique and challenging experience, as well as the engaging story and mature themes, are also highlighted.
- Joy (weight 0.05): Players experience joy from liking the characters and emotional moments. The true ending and overall game experience, including the mix of genres and character development, are enjoyable. The voice acting performances and the satisfying experience provided by the character development and realistic ending contribute to the joy.
- Disappointed (weight 0.02): Players feel disappointed due to uninteresting plot progression and disconnect with characters. The game's content and character portrayal, along with the lack of expected emotional reactions at the end, contribute to the disappointment. Some personal storylines feel rushed or underdeveloped, adding to the overall dissatisfaction.
- 感动 (weight 0.02): Players are moved by the true ending and the clever plot setup. The game's ending and character descriptions, as well as the warmth and helplessness of the TE line, evoke strong emotional responses.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.02): Players enjoy the overall game experience, including the layered and intense story with strong emotional highs. The engaging story and characters, as well as the science fiction elements, contribute to the enjoyment.
- 满意 (weight 0.02): Players are satisfied with the suspense and twists in the plot, as well as the depth of the script and the convergence of foreshadowing. The development of the characters and the richness of the endings contribute to the satisfaction.
- Surprise (weight 0.02): Players are surprised by the unexpected endings of certain character routes and the intricate plotting and foreshadowing in the game's narrative. The consistent quality and depth of the story and characters also contribute to the surprise.
- Excited (weight 0.02): Players are excited by the interesting narrative structure and character development. The long and substantial gameplay content, along with the exciting and engaging story, contribute to the excitement. The contrasting endings and character development, as well as the unique and challenging experience, are also highlighted.
- Engrossed (weight 0.02): Players are engrossed by the well-written plot with emotional depth and strong voice acting performances. The beautiful character designs and high-quality music, as well as the excellent main storyline with well-placed foreshadowing and shocking revelations, contribute to the engrossment.
- 喜欢 (weight 0.02): Players like the deep narrative and psychological immersion, as well as the character development of Serika and Nanazawa Eriri. The true ending is also highlighted as a reason for their liking.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.02): Players feel nostalgia due to the connection to other games in the Science Adventure series, particularly 'Chaos;Head'. The comparison to previous games and characters, as well as the experience with the previous game in the series, contribute to the nostalgia.
- Engaged (weight 0.01): Players are engaged by the high emotional impact and genuine voice acting. The engaging story that encourages exploration of alternative endings, as well as the plot with serial murder events, contribute to the engagement.
- 遗憾 (weight 0.01): Players feel regret due to the lack of a perfect ending.
- 悲伤 (weight 0.01): Players feel sadness due to the injured world achievement of Jie Xiang and Yui, as well as the emotional expression in Nono's route.
- 惊喜 (weight 0.01): Players are pleasantly surprised by the big reveal in the common route and the twists and foreshadowing in the game.}