Code_18 | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Cyberfront |
Publisher(s) | Cyberfront |
Director(s) | Ken Wakabayashi |
Producer(s) | Ken Wakabayashi |
Artist(s) | Yutaka Akatsu |
Writer(s) | Chabou Higurashi |
Series | Infinity |
Platform(s) | |
Release | PSP, Xbox 360
|
Genre(s) | Visual novel |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Code_18 is a visual novel video game developed by Cyberfront and released on September 29, 2011, for the PlayStation Portable and Xbox 360, and later for Microsoft Windows. It is a reboot of the Infinity series, which also includes Never 7: The End of Infinity , Ever 17: The Out of Infinity , Remember 11: The Age of Infinity , and the spin-off 12Riven: The Psi-Climinal of Integral . The story follows Hayato Hino, a high school student who receives voice messages from the future on his phone, and is stuck in a loop, repeating a month of his life over and over again. The gameplay involves advancing the story through conversations with characters, with dialogue choices influencing the story's path.
Cyberfront bought the rights to the Infinity series after its previous developer, KID, closed down. The game's writing was done by the group Run & Gun, while the sound production was handled by the band Milktub. While the development team had originally planned to use a theme of "escape from an enclosed space" similarly to previous Infinity games, it was changed due to concerns of the size of the game's audience, and was seen as a reboot of the series. Western journalists were optimistic, while Famitsu 360 gave it an average score. Sales of the title were low, with both console versions reaching a combined total of over 11,000 units.
As with the rest of the Infinity series, Code_18 is a visual novel in which the player makes progress through the linear story by talking to characters and listening to dialogue. [1] Disposing of the escape scenarios of earlier Infinity games, the core gameplay features the player character Hayato Hino exploring his school environment and interacting with five female characters with whom he can develop relationships. [1] [2] The state of Hayato's romantic relationships, together with choices made during the story, can alter the flow of events to a degree; some options can trigger alternative bad endings for characters, and the game's full ending is altered depending on whom Hayato has formed a romantic relationship with. [1]
In Code_18, the player takes the role of Hayato Hino, a high school student at Ryuusei Academy in Tokyo, and a member of the school's Second Science Club. Among other characters are Hikari Haruna, a friend of Hayato's, who often visits the club despite not being a member; Tamaki Tatekawa, a wealthy girl with otaku hobbies; Yuzu Soraki, a tomboy who is an acquaintance of Hayato's; Nanari Torikura, a quiet girl who often reads alone; Arika Tokitou, who appears to dislike Hayato.
The game opens on September 11, 2018. When Hayato is about to test his "Dragon Unit" flight pack on the school's roof, a girl falls from the sky, wearing a similar device. He tries to save her, but falls to his death; after this, he is transported back in time without any memory of the event, and manages to save her. Her name turns out to be Arika Tokitou. Ryuusei Academy and the Second Science Club prepare for a school festival that is scheduled for a month later, when Hayato's science professor, Genkuro Kanbara, gives him a smartphone chip composed of an "Agastia Stone", which theoretically would allow him to receive voice messages from the future. He installs it and does receive messages from the future, but is unable to tell what they are saying.
At one point, due to an accident with the Dragon Unit, Hayato's house blows up, forcing him to sleep in the science clubroom. He and the rest of the club decide that for the festival, they should put on a live performance for Hikari. During the month, Hayato and Hikari get closer, and he moves in with her. He helps her overcome issues with self-confidence and to succeed at the live performance, and they become a couple. At the end of the festival, time moves backwards to September 11 again; the same month loops several times, with Hayato being unaware of it and having no memory of past loops. During each loop, he gets closely involved with one of the game's female characters, helps them with the festival, and with resolving their personal problems. While Arika is distant at first, she starts to lighten up to Hayato the more loops he goes through.
After going through several loops, Hayato returns to September 11 with his memories intact, and realizes that Arika is the only one who appears to have a connection to the looping. He confronts her, and while she admits to have a connection, she does not trust him to help her. When Hayato realizes that his house is about to explode, with Hikari and Arika inside, he gets them out instead of saving the Dragon Unit; this earns him Arika's trust, and she tells him that she is a time traveler from 2040. Learning that her presence caused a time loop, she wanted to return to her time, but was unable to as her time machine had broken. Hayato gathers parts to repair it with, and again gets close to Hikari. He learns that Arika's true identity is Akari Hino, and that she is Hayato and Hikari's daughter from the future. In the future, Hayato had become a workaholic, building a time machine while neglecting Hikari and Akira; in anger, Akira had stolen the time machine and traveled to 2018. As the time machine only works in a zero-gravity environment, they combine it with the Dragon Unit and take it to the 1,200 feet Sky Tower; their way there is hindered by an earthquake, however they are able to reach it with the help of Hikari, Tamaki, Yuzu, Nanari, and professor Kanbara.
The sender of the voice messages from the future is revealed to be the Hayato of 2040; as the future versions of Hayato and Hikari had seen Akari in 2018, they knew that they needed to recreate the events in order to avoid a time paradox that would cause Akari to cease existing. Because of this, Hayato had spent all of his time on creating a time machine by 2040, while he acted cold to Akari on purpose to give her incentive to travel back in time. The Hayato of 2040 then sent voice messages to his 2018 self to offer guidance and to cause an ontological paradox, ensuring Akari's continued existence. Akari travels back to 2040, breaking the loop, and makes up with her parents.
After KID – the developer of previous Infinity games – closed down, Cyberfront bought the rights to all of their projects. [3] Ken Wakabayashi, who worked on 12Riven: The Psi-Climinal of Integral as director, returned for Code_18 as director and producer, in addition to creating the basic scenario with Chabou Higurashi. [2] [4] The writing group Run & Gun, mostly known for working on otome games such as Skip Beat! , wrote the game's scenario, [3] while the character design was done by comic book artist Yutaka Akatsu. [5] The game was seen as a reboot of the Infinity series. [6] The theme of "an escape from an enclosed space" from the previous three games in the series was not used in Code_18; instead, it was set in a school with romance themes. Initially, the development team had planned to use the "escape" theme, but had to change it due to concerns about the size of the audience for the game. [2] The game's sound production was done by members of the band Milktub, [7] who also performed the game's opening and ending themes: [8] the opening theme, "Agastia Stone" (アガスティアストーン) was composed and arranged by Kyoura Miyazuki, and written and sung by Airi. [6]
The game was showcased at Cyberfront's booth at the DreamParty Tokyo 2011 spring event on May 1. [9] In September of the same year, the PlayStation Portable version of the game was playable at Konami's booth at Tokyo Game Show. [10] A mobile game titled Code_18: Another Side was made to promote Code_18, and was released for free via Mobage on June 8, 2011. In it, the player spends time with the game's female characters, and makes progress by getting more intimate with them. [11]
Code_18 was published by Cyberfront on September 29, 2011, for PlayStation Portable and Xbox 360 in Japan In addition to the standard edition, a limited edition which included an artbook, an audio drama, and a soundtrack CD, was made available. [8] Certain stores also offered telephone cards, pre-paid cards for book stores, and postcards, with "seductive" illustrations of the game's female characters in a negligee, in underwear, or naked, for people who bought the game. [5] A Microsoft Windows version was released on December 21, 2012, both separately and in a bundle with Ever 17: The Out of Infinity . [12]
Prior to the game's release, some video game journalists wondered about the game's tone: Spencer at Siliconera said that he was curious about it since KID mostly made bishoujo games, while Run & Gun was best known for otome games; [3] and Andrew Barker at RPGFan thought it would be interesting to see if the game would have a different feeling to it compared to previous Infinity games. [14] Derek Heemsbergen, also writing for RPGFan, thought that a new Infinity game was "welcome news". [15]
At the game's release, the video game magazine Famitsu gave the game a score of 26/40 in their cross-review, with individual reviewers giving it the scores 7, 7, 6, and 6. [13] At the end of 2011, the PlayStation Portable version was the 809th best selling video game of the year in Japan, with 5,766 copies sold; the Xbox 360 version was on 847th place, with 5,311 copies sold, adding up to a total of 11,077 copies across both platforms during the debut year. [16]
Enchanted Arms is a 2006 role-playing video game developed by FromSoftware and published by Ubisoft. It was released for the Xbox 360 in 2006 and for the PlayStation 3 in 2007.
Tetris: The Grand Master is a series of puzzle arcade video games created by Arika.
Arika is a Japanese video game developer and publisher. It was formed in 1995 by former Capcom employees. It was originally known as ARMtech K.K, but was later named Arika. The name of the company is the reverse of the name of the company's founder, Akira Nishitani, who along with Akira Yasuda, created Street Fighter II. Arika's first game was Street Fighter EX. It was successful and was followed up with two updates, and its two sequels Street Fighter EX2 and Street Fighter EX3. In 2018, they released a spiritual successor to both Street Fighter EX and Fighting Layer, titled Fighting EX Layer. From 2019 to 2021, Arika collaborated with Nintendo to create the battle royale games Tetris 99, Super Mario Bros. 35, and with Bandai Namco for Pac-Man 99. Arika is also known for the Tetris: The Grand Master series, the Dr. Mario series, and the Endless Ocean series.
Ever 17: The Out of Infinity is a visual novel video game developed by KID. It is the second entry in the Infinity series; it is preceded by Never 7: The End of Infinity, and followed by Remember 11: The Age of Infinity, the spin-off 12Riven: The Psi-Climinal of Integral, and the reboot Code_18. It was originally released in Japan on August 29, 2002, for the PlayStation 2 and Dreamcast, and was later ported to Microsoft Windows, PlayStation Portable, Android, and iOS. A localization of the Microsoft Windows version was released by Hirameki International in North America in 2005.
Bullet Witch is a third-person shooter developed by Cavia for the Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. It was released in Japan in 2006, and in Western regions in 2007; AQ Interactive published the game in Japan, while Atari Europe was the publisher for other regions. The Windows version was released by Xseed Games in April 2018. Set on a post-apocalyptic Earth, the story follows the witch Alicia Claus as she hunts a powerful demon. Players control Alicia through linear levels, using her gun to fire multiple types of ammunition at humanoid and demonic enemies.
Remember 11: The Age of Infinity is a visual novel video game developed by KID. It was originally released on March 18, 2004 for the PlayStation 2, and has later been ported to Microsoft Windows, PlayStation Portable, iOS, and Android. The game is the third entry in the Infinity series; it is preceded by Never 7 and Ever 17, and followed by the spin-off 12Riven and the reboot Code_18.
Shin Megami Tensei NINE is a Japanese role-playing video game developed by Atlus and NexTech for the Xbox, and published by Atlus on December 5, 2002.
Tales of Vesperia is an action role-playing game developed by Namco Tales Studio. The tenth mainline entry in the Tales series, it was released for the Xbox 360 and published in Japan and North America by Namco Bandai Games in 2008, and in European territories by Atari in 2009. An expanded port of the game for the PlayStation 3 was released in 2009 in Japan. An enhanced version, subtitled Definitive Edition, was released for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in January 2019. The gameplay is similar to previous Tales games, featuring a new version of the series' trademark action-based "Linear Motion Battle System", while also introducing new elements such as online leaderboards.
Nier is an action role-playing video game developed by Cavia and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in April 2010. In Japan, the game was released as Nier Replicant for the PlayStation 3 with a younger main character, while an alternative version titled Nier Gestalt with an older main character was released for the Xbox 360; Gestalt was released outside of Japan as Nier for both platforms. A remaster of the PlayStation 3 version of the game, Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139... was released worldwide for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows on April 23, 2021.
W.L.O. Sekai Renai Kikō is a Japanese adult visual novel developed and published by Akabeisoft2 on March 26, 2009. The game was ported to Xbox 360 by 5pb. on June 3, 2010. The Xbox 360 version removed sexual content, but the graphics were increased to 1280x720 resolution and 5.1 surround sound was added. The gameplay in W.L.O. Sekai Renai Kikō is typical of a visual novel, following a plotline which offers pre-determined scenarios with courses of interaction.
Final Fantasy XIII-2 is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It was released in 2011 in Japan and 2012 in North America and PAL regions, and was ported to Windows in 2014 and Android and iOS through cloud gaming in 2015 in Japan. XIII-2 is a direct sequel to the 2009 role-playing game Final Fantasy XIII and part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis subseries. It includes modified features from the previous game, including fast-paced combat and a customizable "Paradigm" system to control which abilities are used by the characters, and adds a new system that allows monsters to be captured and used in battle. The game's plot features a heavy time travel element, allowing the player to jump between different times at the same location or different places at the same time. Lightning, the protagonist of the original game, has disappeared into an unknown world. Her younger sister Serah Farron and Noel Kreiss journey through time in an attempt to find her.
Never 7: The End of Infinity is a visual novel video game developed by KID. It was originally published by KID on March 23, 2000, for the PlayStation as Infinity, and has since been released on multiple platforms. It is the first entry in the Infinity series, and is followed by Ever 17, Remember 11, the spin-off 12Riven, and the reboot Code_18.
The Idolmaster is a Japanese media franchise that began in 2005 with a raising simulation and rhythm video game series created by Bandai Namco Entertainment. The series primarily centers on the career of a producer who works with a group of prospective pop idols at the talent agency 765 Production. Originally released as an arcade game, the franchise has grown to numerous ports, sequels and spin-offs across multiple video game consoles, including several social network games. The series includes a variety of other media such as an anime with the same name, printed media, audio dramas, a Korean drama, and radio shows.
Science Adventure is a multimedia series consisting of interconnected science fiction stories, created mainly by Mages, Nitroplus, and Chiyomaru Studio. The main entries mostly take the form of visual novel video games, but side entries span across several different mediums.
Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd. is a Japanese video game development and localization company specializing in role-playing video games, visual novels and adventure games. The company was founded in 1984 as Chunsoft Co., Ltd. and merged with Spike in 2012. It is owned by Dwango.
Infinity is a series of visual novel video games mainly developed by KID. The first game in the series, Never 7: The End of Infinity, was originally released as Infinity for PlayStation in 2000, and was later ported to other platforms. Since then, four more games have been developed, as well as a remake of the second game. The first three games were directed by Takumi Nakazawa, and the first four were planned and written by Kotaro Uchikoshi and composed for by Takeshi Abo. The fifth was written by the otome writing group Run & Gun, and featured sound production by the band Milktub. Alongside Memories Off, Infinity was KID's flagship series.
Steins;Gate: Linear Bounded Phenogram is a visual novel video game developed and published by 5pb. for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PlayStation Vita in 2013, and later ported to iOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Microsoft Windows; the PlayStation 4 and Windows versions were released internationally by Spike Chunsoft in 2019. The game is part of the Science Adventure series, and a spin-off from the 2009 game Steins;Gate. It consists of ten side stories set in different realities, and follow different Steins;Gate characters. Unlike previous entries in the Steins;Gate series, the game is nearly devoid of interactive narrative.
Kinu Nishimura is a Japanese video game and anime concept artist and illustrator. Currently freelance, she is best known for her character design and promotional art for Capcom's fighting games during the 1990s.
Yo-kai Sangokushi is a turn-based tactical role-playing game developed by Koei Tecmo and published by Level-5 for the Nintendo 3DS in 2016 exclusively in Japan. The game is a collaboration between Koei Tecmo's video game series Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Level-5's multi-media franchise Yo-kai Watch and sees the player controlling military commanders who aim to unify the world.