Some games just hit right in the feels. This is one of them.
Schrödinger’s Call from developer Acrobatic Chirimenjako is a unique visual novel that puts you in the role of a limbo-laden lass named Mary. Mary’s job is being the last confidant, or someone who helps guide lost souls to their final destination via a very old rotary phone. The job she has is simple on the surface, as she must answer a call from the dead and help them sort out the issues that keep them sticking around. How those calls go, and what is at stake for Mary being in that position (and her own story) is an unfolding mystery throughout the experience.
As visual novels go, Schrödinger’s Call is phenomenal for several reasons. The first is how well the story is crafted. While most visual novels tend to lead you through the journey, this one wants to connect you with it and put your emotions through the wringer. The way the gameplay is crafted lends well to the story, as the player needs only listen to the story of the dead, write down the details, and then help them work out memories that have them stuck in limbo. Since the game is built on the player listening for the details, they have no other choice but to pay attention. It’s forced fun in a sense, sometimes in the most heartbreaking way.
The simple design of requiring the player to listen helps connect them to the short, yet tragic stories that Mary has to work through. And believe me, folks, when I say these stories can get tragic, I mean they can get really tragic. For example, the very first story out of the gate is helping a mother work through her grief and anger at losing her child because she went to prison for a heinous crime. The way the mother is presented, how she begs for her son’s voice and forgiveness, is incredibly heart-wrenching. Just waiting for the details from her forces the player to take in all that grief, which is well-written, and which the player must cognitively ingest. The game hits hard, and the player will feel every second of it.
Let me just add, there are only a handful of games that do this type of storytelling well; one of those games is Before Your Eyes, a super-tragic and sad visual novel in virtual reality, which forces the player to sit through the grief of parents as their son is dying. You don’t get that piece of the puzzle until later in the game, and then the entire story comes crashing down on top of you. Schrödinger’s Call is a game in the same vein, with the only difference being that you get the mystery and tragedy in short bursts of chapters. Having a ton of tragedy crash down on you versus short spurts of it is a bit less devastating.
While watching and reading a book full of tragedies probably doesn’t sound fun, the gameplay pushes the player a bit to get involved. Throughout the chapters, the player will have to make decisions based on information gathered from the dead soul. Occasionally, Mary will be asked a question by a dead soul, a third-party soul, or a sassy cat that is helping guide her through the process of her job. The player must choose the right answer, though there aren’t really any consequences in a typical branching narrative sort of way. Granted, the questions can be tricky at times. Such is the case with the first dead soul, the mother mourning the loss of her son she never saw. There was a moment when Mary was asked to name something that indicated that the boy still loved his mother. It wasn’t an obvious answer, but once found, it changed the conversation between Mary and the mother and made the moment feel like there was some player agency.
As typically seen in these types of games, there isn’t much player agency to drive the linear train off the tracks, but there are moments when the questions answered feel impactful to the point where the player will probably assume wrong answers might derail the conversation. There were certainly moments where I felt tasked with getting things right, even to the point where I would re-read details from the dead soul in a notebook kept by Mary. Getting it wrong felt terrible, but, again, it didn’t spring any consequences other than to try it again. Regardless, the branching narrative is a good feature for this game to be more than a campfire listening session. Getting the player more involved with the story means that the details are taken in a lot more deeply during the experience. That can only stand to benefit the visual novel experience. It certainly had me hooked, as I felt like I was participating and helping the dead soul to finally rest.
The game is also not without its stressful moments. At times, dead souls will get so out of sorts with their situation that they will freak out. Mary must go through a lightning round of questions/answers to calm them and to help them sort out the details of their demise/regret that remind the soul of why they must move on in the afterlife. This portion of the game is driven by a messy clock of sorts that is ticking away amongst a sea of trippy graphics. All high sensation value, all built to push the player’s stress levels through the roof. Much like the branching dialogue, there aren’t a lot of consequences for the player through this sequence of questions/answers should they get something wrong. The game still is a visual novel, which means it wants the player to keep unfolding its pieces and parts, but it does well in hiding those intentions. This portion of the game had me on the edge during my first go-around with it. It did a great job of pressing the right stress buttons and had me fluttering back and forth between answers to find the best solution in order to calm the situation and soul down. At the very least, it was a change of pace compared to the slow and methodical conversations with the souls. The more variety, the better when it comes to hooking players into the visual novel experience.
Overall, Schrödinger’s Call is a fantastic experience that comes with so many tiny mysteries and one giant Mary mystery underneath it all. There is enough well-written and presented content in this game to justify your time playing it. I wasn’t at all sure of what to expect with Schrödinger’s Call, as I assumed it would be another ‘press the button to progress the text’ visual novel experience. It was that and much more. It did a great job of telling stories, connecting dots, and keeping my interest firmly locked in from beginning to end. If more visual novels were like this, I suspect this genre would be much bigger than it feels.
Before I wrap up this review, I must give major kudos to the artists who worked on this game to keep it visually interesting. It’s got an innocent style on the surface with anime folks and a cute cat. When the game gets going, it’s like watching the beginning of Se7en but at fast-forward speed. It was visually stunning, trippy, and a wonderful complement to the gameplay and stories.
Anyway, let’s wrap up this review.
Conclusion
Schrödinger’s Call developer Acrobatic Chirimenjako is a well-made visual novel experience that brings tragedy, good storylines, and enough interactivity to keep the player firmly engaged with the experience.
