Ever17: The Out of Infinity (0)

Overview

Ever17: The Out of Infinity is a sci-fi mystery visual novel that was developed by the now defunct , who was known for creating the popular series and even the cult classic . The North American release of Ever17 was distributed by who have since bowed out of publishing visual novels. The US release was a port of the Japanese "Premium Edition" of Ever 17, which contained various extras that can be unlocked or are available from the outset. These include system sound files, wallpapers, and screensavers.

Story

As the player you take the role of one of two characters as determined by an early-game choice. One is a Japanese teenager named Takeshi Kuranari and the other is a young amnesiac boy that the group simply call "the Kid." As one of these two you watch as the undersea theme park known as LeMU floods, trapping six people inside. However, with water pressure continuing to press in on the depressurized walls of LeMU, time is short. The choices you make will build relationships, change events, and ultimately determine the fate of the survivors within LeMU.

Ever 17 consists of five separate scenarios, two of which are exclusive to each of the main characters, and the final scenario which can be accessed with either after completing the other four. Each of the five scenarios are themed around a different female character in the game while offering more clues, hints, and mysteries for the player.

In total Ever 17 has 11 endings, 126 scenes, and an estimated 100 hours of gameplay.

During the prologue, the perspective of the player shifts between the two protagonists Takeshi Kuranari and “the Kid.” Takeshi and the Kid meet several characters in the prologue who each have their own story route. At the end of the prologue, the player makes a choice to continue the rest of the story solely as either Takeshi or the Kid. The routes that can be played as Takeshi are for Tsugumi Komachi, an antisocial young woman, and Sora Akanegasaki, the artificial intelligence of LeMMIH (LeMU’s central computer system) whose appearance is that of a 24-year-old woman. As the Kid, the story paths that can be pursued are for You Tanaka, a part-time staff member at LeMU trying to learn the truth behind her father’s disappearance, and Sara Matsunaga, a high school student, skilled hacker, and You's friend. Lastly, there’s Coco Yagami, a happy, outgoing middle school student who has a dog named Pipi. The player must reach the “good” endings of the four main routes of the story before Coco’s route and the subsequent “true” ending can be accessed. Coco’s route can be started by either protagonist.

While the overall events of the story unfold comparably regardless of whether they’re being shown from Takeshi or the Kid’s point of view, there are several noticeable inconsistencies. Sara is completely absent from the story when playing as Takeshi. Similarly, Coco is mostly absent when playing as the Kid, only making a few brief, enigmatic appearances, and is not seen by anyone except the Kid. Also, in Takeshi’s storyline, You claims her full name is Yubiseiharukana while she tells the Kid her name is Yubiseiakikana.

LeMU was created by a German pharmaceutical company called Leiblich Pharmaceutical as a front for IBF, their underwater research laboratory. It was there that Leiblich developed a deadly virus known as Tief Blau (TB). While the cast is visiting LeMU on May 1, 2017, an accident causes TB to escape IBF starting a contagion. Coco contracts TB while visiting her father, an IBF researcher, not long before the disaster at LeMU begins. She is then placed into a high-pressure oxygen treatment pod to fight off the illness. The other characters except for Tsugumi later show signs of TB. Tsugumi has been a carrier of the Cure virus since she was 12 which not only grants her immunity against TB, but caused her body to cease aging past age 17. The rest of the group decides to inject themselves with Tsugumi’s antibodies in hopes that they too will be spared from TB.

While waiting for a rescue team, Tsugumi returns to LeMU from IBF in order to rescue her pet hamster Chami. Takeshi goes back as well to save Tsugumi and preserves Sora’s data on a disk, effectively saving her too. Upon returning to IBF, Takeshi and Tsugumi discover that You, the Kid, and Coco are no longer there and also find Coco’s dog Pipi underneath the pod she was in. A rescuer informs Takeshi over the communications system that they extracted three people while he and Tsugumi were away. Takeshi and Tsugumi attempt to take an emergency submersible to the safety but the batteries die on the way up. With the submarine beginning to sink, Takeshi leaves so as to give it enough buoyancy to float up to the surface and save Tsugumi. Takeshi consequently ends up drowning. It turns out that Coco was not in fact saved by the rescue team as she left her pod beforehand to search for Pipi and died when LeMU imploded. The third person mentioned by the rescuer was an IBF researcher named Yoichi Tanaka, You’s father, who was already deceased not long before the rescue team arrived. On Insel null (a man-made island off the coast of Japan where LeMU is situated), after escaping LeMU, You retrieves the disk from Pipi containing Sora’s data and footage of Coco trapped in LeMU.

The final route is the only part of the game outside of the prologue in which perspectives jump between Takeshi and the Kid. It’s here that the truths behind the incident at LeMU as well as the cast’s backgrounds come to light. It is revealed in Coco’s route that the events in Takeshi’s storyline occur in the year 2017 while the Kid’s storyline is set in 2034. Also, the Kid who appears in 2017 and the Takeshi in 2034 is actually one character named Ryogo Kaburaki. The Takeshi controlled by the player in 2017 is the real Takeshi Kuranari while the Kid in 2034 is a boy named Hokuto. At LeMU in 2017, Takeshi and Tsugumi conceived a pair of twins. Tsugumi, however, gave her children up to an orphanage as she was still being pursued by Leiblich Pharmaceutical which she was a test subject for and escaped from at a young age. It is all for naught in the end as the twins are eventually captured by Leiblich. She is later reunited with her daughter Sara and son Hokuto at LeMU in 2034. Due to a life-threatening heart condition leaving her with only three to four more years to live, Yubiseiharukana (You‘haru’) cloned herself through artificial impregnation in 2015, giving birth to Yubiseiakikana (You‘aki’). You‘haru’ is the “You” of 2017 while You‘aki’ is the “You” of 2034. The reason for Tsugumi’s appearance remaining unchanged across both storylines is because of the Cure virus which caused her body to perpetually remain 17 years old.

A year after being destroyed, LeMU is rebuilt. Sora is given an android body by You‘haru’ and has her memories of the 2017 incident erased. In 2022, You‘haru’ and Kaburaki stop aging at 23 and 20 respectively due to the Cure virus contracted from Tsugumi. The two devise a plan to trap You‘aki,’ Sara, Hokuto, Sora, Tsugumi, and Kaburaki disguised as Takeshi in LeMU and replicate the events of 2017 to ultimately save Takeshi and Coco. Their plan is put into effect in on May 1, 2034.

With 2017’s disaster appearing to repeat itself, a fourth-dimensional entity known as Blick Winkel (German for “perspective”) is awakened. Blick Winkel is, in essence, the player and has been observing the events of the entire story. After everyone escapes LeMU in 2034, You‘haru’ summons Blick Winkel to go back in time and save Takeshi and Coco. However, Blick Winkel warns You‘haru’ to not save the two in 2017. Doing so would cause there to not be a second incident in 2034 in which Blick Winkel appears, thus causing a time paradox. Instead, Blick Winkel goes back to 2017 and places Takeshi and Coco in cryogenic suspension. He then returns to 2034, wakes Takeshi and Coco up, and brings them to safety. You‘haru’ and Kaburaki’s plan, 17 years in the making, is now complete.

Epilogue

In the epilogue, it’s revealed that thanks to an information leak from You‘haru,’ Leiblich Pharmaceutical has been exposed as the group responsible for the TB outbreak in 2017. The game ends with the cast on a boat heading back to the mainland from Insel null as Blick Winkel watches from above.