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Editor’s Note: Apologies about the test of the new system last week, Blisscast forgot to add any of the links so none of the buttons worked we had some technical difficulties, but that should be fixed now. Don’t worry, we’ve made certain that the functions actually work this week, and so we’ll once again be running the survey from last week. Sorry again, and we really hope that you enjoy this blog.
I said I was sorry! I was too caught up in my thoughts on Mother! Check it out here if you’re interested. 😭
Hello everyone, and welcome back! Did you enjoy last week’s Page about Mother? And what did you think of the new updates we made to the site that I accidentally broke, thanks for calling me out on that EmeraldDM8? I really hope that you liked them, and I also hope you’ll be looking forward to the upcoming Page 90, where we’ll be talking about Earthbound! (I… guess I should start playing it soon, huh? 👀)
During this last week, I’ve both started, and subsequently finished, the famous “noob-killer” Atelier Totori DX, which, as you may have guessed from its unofficial title, is, in fact, a noob-killer… except, it also isn’t, although that’s a story for another time; for now, all you really need to know is that it wasn’t necessarily easy to complete, but the difficulty was more from the game being needlessly harsh in one particular aspect of the series (*Cough* Time Limit *Cough*). Moreover, I’ve also been continuing to make my way through Chaos;Head Noah, which thankfully has managed to maintain its interest, at least enough for me to be happy to read some more of it (again, more on that in its proper review).
In addition, I’ve also found the time to finish Ar Tonelico’s Misha Normal Ending, and you’ll be, once again, reading about it soon enough. 🙂 Huh, looks like I have quite a few weeks’ worth of Journal Pages already ready to begin production… Hmm… perhaps I guess I now finally have the time to play something on the longer side, and so I’ve decided recently to begin playing through the first Hyperdimension Neptunia title, which is a title that I admittedly started playing about a year ago, before I then paused for… Well, to be honest, I’m not entirely certain why I paused, although it may have been because of its love for grinding… Still, December appears to be the month where I finally get around to finishing games, so why not give it another shot? After all, if I can get through Chaos;Head, I’m certain I can stomach a little grinding in Neptunia. Let’s just see if I manage to be patient enough to finish it or not.
Anyway, I’m rambling again. Sorry, these little weekly updates are something I really enjoy doing, as some of you may already know from the days of Instagram, but I hope that they aren’t too annoying to read through. So, now that we’re passed that, let’s finally talk about a topic I’ve been preparing you for throughout the previous Journal Pages…
| Anonymous;Code |
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The fact that you’ve arrived here 𑁋rather, to this save point𑁋 at this moment in your life is nothing short of a miracle. It delights me to no end.
This is a Sci-Fi meta Visual Novel developed by Mages and Chiyomaru Studio, and the latest entry in the Science Adventure series (at the time of writing this); it was released in 2022 in Japan for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Windows, before then receiving an official localization in 2023 for those same platforms. As it often goes for this kind of game, I played it on my Nintendo Switch.
The game is supposedly set in the same universe as Occultic;Nine, in the year 2037 to be precise, in a world where AR devices and AI are commonplace. It follows the adventures of Pollon, a young hacker who is a member of the Nakano Symphonies team. Whilst he’s completing one of his jobs, he suddenly meets a bizarre-looking girl wearing a pink and fluffy pajamas-like suit, whom he names Momo (Editors Note: I don’t think you’re allowed to name people…), and he gets caught up in her quest to run away from the Special Forces Group; during their escape, Momo somehow gets caught (Editors Note: Not doing a very good job of running away then, is she?), and while it might seem that all is lost, in that moment Pollon is contacted by an enigmatic being called Anon (who is ultimately the player themselves), who offers to the young hacker something extremely special; the Save and Load menu.
Pollon is in disbelief, as he never thought something like that existed, yet here it was, right in front of his eyes; in order to help him escape, Anon shows him a Save they had personally made, one that will bring Pollon back in time, earlier in that day, so that he can find another way to escape his tricky predicament. After Loading that Save File, Pollon and Momo manage to run away from the Special Forces Group safely, aided by his newfound knowledge of the future; even if Pollon is still wary of Anon, he decides to trust them for the time being.
Step through the stage’s curtain; rip off the mask of the wizard who pulls the strings.
Shortly afterward, Momo reveals that she’s looking for a certain Kent Korihisa, who appears to be a mysterious hacker, known as Cicada 3301 (who, even in this universe, already appeared in the past); this same person is now threatening to cause havoc to the entire world unless hackers solve his “quests”. Too bad that these “quests” are incredibly tricky to solve, and countless lives are at stake… Pollon and the Nakano Symphonies will have to decipher them to save everyone, aided by Anon and their Save and Load menu. Though, even then, something catastrophic for the entire universe is lurking just a little below the surface, plus… the world will end in January 2038? And let’s not forget about that same entity that tasked the Special Forces Group with finding Momo… Will Pollon make it and prevent the universe from ending? Will you be able to help him efficiently? The fate of the universe is in your hands.
Close the loop. Hack into God.
Now, you might be asking, how exactly do we help Pollon out, and what’s our relationship with Anon? First of all, Anon is effectively us, the readers and players of the game, and for once, we are fully integrated within the game’s world; in fact, we don’t actually play as Pollon or any other of his friends, but rather, we play as ourselves and interact with Pollon under the Anon alias. From time to time, Pollon will make Saves, and we’ll be tasked with recommending the most ideal points for him to Load that Save; unlike other Visual Novels, where you are promoted with a choice selection, and only then you can choose, in Anonymous;Code you will never be prompted in any visible way, and you’ll have to press a specific button (the Hacking Trigger) as the game’s text plays (for each flag there is a set of lines during which you will need to press the button). Once prompted, Pollon will reply to Anon, acknowledging that he needs to Load, and he’ll obey; on the other hand, if you press the button in moments when it’s not required, Pollon will complain and brush you aside.
So, being able to fundamentally control his life, how do we get different endings then? Sometimes, our advice of Loading will be detrimental to the story, and will lead Pollon to a Game Over, while other times, not suggesting him to Load when it’s needed will ruin everything; thus, we need to consider the situation carefully and help Pollon decide. This is particularly important to remember, as this Save and Load feature isn’t as overpowered as it may appear; in fact, Pollon won’t be able to reload back to more than just a week earlier, or else he’ll experience extreme fatigue, which leads him to pass out and sleep for several days (ultimately failing to do what he had Loaded for). Moreover, if he has two Saves and Loads the chronologically older one, he’ll lose the newest one, as the latter had yet to be made at the time the former was Saved. What is amazing about this system is that the game even attempts to explain it scientifically through quantum technology (and you can understand it even if you never studied it), so it’s not just “required gameplay” for this to actually be referred to as a game.
I thought this unique gameplay was extremely intriguing, as it’s a breath of fresh air in comparison to other regular Visual Novels, and apart from the fact you may now need a guide to complete the game (you might miss the moment where you need to activate the Hacking Trigger if you get too engrossed into your reading, and it will happen, it definitely will), I was immensely glad that they decided to go for this system instead of just having you choose from prompts on screen. If you, like me, need a guide, I recommend Kiri Kiri Basara’s, and you can find it here.
After having had a look at the brilliant gameplay, and before finally heading into the lore and the plot, let’s first examine something else that makes this title a little more different from other games of its kind; its graphics. Anonymous;Code’s characters are displayed with 3D models drawn to look 2D, although it should be noted that this is not in the same fashion as Robotics;Notes’s, as these ones really do look like they’re 2D; in addition, every character has an actual 2D portrait displayed in a corner for when they speak, which sometimes looks slightly different from their model. However, whilst I appreciate the interesting choice they made to go with this method, I can’t help but feel that the game may have looked a lot nicer if it had been 2D, a point which I feel is only made stronger by the game’s CGs, which are actually drawn in anime style, and wow, do they look stunning. Not only do the CGs themselves look amazing, but the characters also look quite different in those, and dare I say, I think they look better in them (especially Pollon and Rosario), to the point where I would always feel a small twinge of sadness whenever the game would switch back to its regular style. However, the point can also be made that, thanks to this already present art style diversity, the game is able to more easily tell its story in special comic-like cutscenes without it feeling jarring or off-putting, and just like with the CGs before, I have to say that I really like these cutscenes, as they are truly fantastic to look at and I think really help the game develop its own unique identity compared to so many other Visual Novels. Still, it’s quite unfortunate that the rest of the game chose not to follow that gorgeous art style, although in the long run, this title is filled with more than enough amazing aspects that this really isn’t a colossal issue, and can be quite easily forgiven.
Now, it’s time to look at a feature that particularly shines in this game, that being its connections and references to the other titles in the Science Adventure series; even if you could theoretically play this with no previous knowledge, you will only really get the most out of it if you have already played the other titles in the series (at the bare minimum Steins;Gate and Steins;Gate 0, although it’s recommended to play even Chaos;Head Noah and Robotics;Notes, and read or watch Occultic;Nine). In case you were thinking that its references are probably minor and not worth your time, you’d be completely wrong; aside from, of course, adding small references here and there, this game actually explains, completes, and continues on various aspects from these previous titles, to a point where even the weirdest events now suddenly “make a lot of sense”. I can’t fully delve into this outside of a spoiler drop-down, but know that this game is undoubtedly the icing on the cake to the Science Adventure series, and will leave no stone unturned.
Most importantly, this game finally helps you to actually make sense to the events of Chaos;Head Noah. Now, while you should have already read it if you’re here, I’ll make sure not to spoil it for you; just know that the protagonist’s paranoia and delusions, feelings of being constantly watched, and the Megalomaniacs’ ability to alter reality, now finally have a reason behind them. After finishing the game, I was hit with an incredible desire to go back and play Noah to give Chaos;Head another chance, as I had previously heavily disliked it due to both its pacing (no, Anonymous;Code lacks the superpowers needed to fix that bit) and its protagonist; now, with my newly found knowledge, it’s all much more readable. Plus, Anonymous;Code also made me want to finish the Occultic;Nine light novels, which I’ll maybe review at a later date; you could say that, even if you haven’t played all of the series yet, this game will make you want to do it.
Leaving this wonderful feeling aside, let’s now cover the impressive plot of this game; first of all, you’ll be glad to know that, just like Steins;Gate before it, this game also adapts real-life urban legends (instead of John Titor, we now have Cicada 3301), a fact that I always find fascinating and that, as a result, leads to me looking these up. Secondly, unlike Chaos;Head Noah (and partially Robotics;Notes), the pacing of this story is handled amazingly, and if this game doesn’t keep you glued to your chair, I don’t know what will; I finished it so fast because of that, and I even almost forgot my daily necessities as a consequence of how marvelous it all truly was.
Talking about its characters, I saw that a decently good amount of people said that some characters’ lacking development arcs is detrimental to the whole story; even if it is true that many characters stay the same, it must also be noted that every character doesn’t always need to change in order to make a plot worthwhile, and that whoever needed to improve didn’t fail to do so.
Come on, back me up here EmeraldDM8! I hereby release you from the dungeon so that you can explain Character Arcs! 🥳
Editor’s Note: Have you… forgotten that I don’t know anything about this game? 👀
I just need your general knowledge! You’ve mentioned before how characters don’t need to actually change in order to be good characters, so explain that part and prove me right.
Well… it is true that a character doesn’t actually need to change in order for it to be a compelling story, or for them to even have a Character Arc—
See? Point proven—
However!
Uh oh— 👀
These kinds of characters are usually, or, perhaps I should say, hopefully, “Flat Characters”, which is not actually what the name may imply. Basically, the point of a Flat Characters Arc isn’t for them to change, but for them to be a vehicle to help other characters develop. If we use Dragon Ball as an example—
Oh god! What have I done?! 😨
If we use Dragon Ball as an example, Goku would be considered a “Positive Flat Character”, because whilst his primary purpose isn’t to develop into a better or more interesting person, his actions and influence ultimately help other characters develop for the better. The effect of this is actually best shown through the Tournament of Power team from Dragon Ball Super, nearly the entirety of which is made up of former adversaries that Goku has ultimately helped to become better and/or deeper characters. Basically, if you find yourself being Goku’s enemy, you’ll either end up at the family barbecue next week, or you’ll be dead. There is no in-between.
I… Very interesting. 😅
So I guess the real question is; do any of the characters in this game fall into the “Flat Character” Arc?
I… Uh… 👀
Moving on! Let’s all take a moment to thank EmeraldDM8 for his input, and actually get back on topic!
Just before that, I want to link a playlist where I got this example, and where people can learn more about this topic. Please click here if you’re interested.
Alright, back into the CSS Dungeon with you! And you’re not allowed out again until you actually finish either the Harvest Moon DS, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links or Oblivion blogs!
Now then, where were we?
Thus I can say that, characters-wise, the game certainly wasn’t lacking. Unfortunately, you won’t find legends such as Okabe, Kurisu, Mayuri, or Akiho (before you comment that I forgot your favorite character, please remember that this is just my personal list), although you’ll still see a nice and colorful cast of characters, all struggling to survive until their world ends for good.
About that last point, I’d love to explain something, especially if you, like me, are knowledgeable or curious about computers and technology; the game mentions a previously happened disaster, the Year 2036 Problem, similar to the Y2K Problem. In computer history, the Y2K Problem was supposed to happen because most computers of the time registered the date in a way that, when the year 2000 would have arrived, the PCs might have ended up thinking it was the year 1900, which, as a result, would make many technology-dependant aspects of civilization stop working properly. It was partially fixed, and even then it wasn’t much of a big deal. While this specific issue is now in the past, there are still two different dates to be wary of, specifically a day in 2036 and one in 2038; these also happen because certain types of PCs will stop counting time at that moment, unless fixed beforehand. Knowing how many crucial things still use outdated hardware (I had read somewhere that in many supermarkets and other similar places, they still used Windows XP, and that Microsoft had to offer more security and updates than they intended), if left unchecked, these might actually cause havoc.
Now, knowing that the world in Anonymous;Code will end in 2038, and not for the reason you might be thinking of, what could the cause of that devastation be? The previous date, 2036, caused an event called Sad Morning, where missiles got mistakenly launched, and made millions die, but what could be happening now? Is it a coincidence that they chose 2038? Make of that what you will. I kept thinking about it for the whole game, and when I saw how it mattered, I absolutely did not see it coming, and maybe you won’t as well! It proved to be a nice reference, that shows how much this series loves to reuse trivia in an effective and fascinating manner.
Ultimately, I did not expect this game to be so wonderful; while, lately, I might not have always played games that stood out from the crowd, this one, in particular, was extremely worth my time. I am grateful that it finally came out, and that it was translated into English as well. In fact, it took many years for this title to come out, and I was worried it might have never made it out of development; I remember seeing so many Momo images on Twitter X, all of which referred to this difficult wait.
I would absolutely love to go on and on about this game, although this blog is already quite long, and we don’t want to end up like one of EmeraldDM8‘s blogs, now do we? 🤣 (Sorry EmeraldDM8, but you have an incredible knack for writing insanely long ones)
So now, it’s finally the moment to discuss whether or not you should be playing this; as I specified before, please make sure that you only play this if you have already finished Steins;Gate (the anime is okay too, but you should technically play the visual novel instead), Steins;Gate 0 (specifically the game), and know about Chaos;Head (I say “know” because, while you are theoretically required to read it first, it might have on you that same effect that it had on me, and if you really can’t stomach Chaos;Head, feel free to spoil it for yourself, play this, and only then, you might get the urge to play it). If you do meet these requirements, I have no idea why you haven’t read this yet; for real, Anonymous;Code is entirely worth every second you put into it. For whoever is new to the series, and loves time travel, urban legends, and bizarre events in their stories, please do play the rest first, and then indulge yourself in this exceptional experience.
That said, I hope you enjoyed reading this; thanks for being here and bearing with my particularly blinding and sparkling words, and I hope I’ll see you in next Thursday’s Journal Page! (and in the one about Chaos;Head Noah)
And just before we go, we’re once again running this little survey of ours. Basically, we’ve been experimenting with a new, mostly transparent bottom bar which should always be visible on the screen, through which you can hopefully easily access things such as the Home Page for the Journal, the Next and Previous Pages, as well as the Italian version of this very Page! Now, these features already existed, but they were spread throughout the Pages as individual buttons, but here is where the question comes in:
This Page will have both the new bottom bar, as well as the older button version, which can be found here and here. Basically, we’re curious which one that you, our readers, prefer? Do you prefer it all being on a single bottom bar? Or do you prefer it to be separate as buttons, where they’re generally tucked away throughout the blogs? Please let us know below, and we’re really grateful for any feedback!
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References
- Wikipedia: Anonymous;Code – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anonymous;Code
- Anonymous;Code Fandom: Anonymous;Code – https://anonymouscode.fandom.com/wiki/Anonymous;Code
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