The tagline for Anonymous;Code is “Hack into god,” something that’s both hilariously absurd and somehow fitting all at once. It’s a visual novel that packs in one of the most fascinating stories the genre has ever seen, tons of personality, and some serious Easter Eggs for fans of the Science Adventure series.
For those not familiar, Science Adventure refers to a series of visual novels that are all inexplicably linked, continuously building deep lore and a massive overarching story, even while each game can, theoretically, be played individually. The best known game of the series is Steins;Gate, and its mega-successful anime adaptation, but other titles include Chaos;Head, Robotics;Notes, and Occultic;Nine.
Anonymous;Code functions as the latest piece of the overall puzzle, but interestingly flips a lot of the series’ lore and concepts on their head. This is where it feels like everything is coming together, and it’s an absolute treat for anyone that’s been along for the ride. However, if you’ve never played a Science Adventure game, you can still enjoy what’s on offer.
Anonymous;Code revolves around a young hacker named Pollon Takaoka, in the year 2037 in Japan. Pollon and his friend Cross Yumikawa run a company called Nakano Symphonies, which takes on various hacking related jobs from clients. After running into a mysterious girl dressed in a strange cat outfit, Pollon discovers he’s been given an app that allows him to “Save & Load” the world, travelling back in time to change events.
“Anonymous;Code functions as the latest piece of the overall puzzle, but interestingly flips a lot of the series’ lore and concepts on their head.”
Science Adventures games are known for being subversive, and Anonymous;Code certainly fits that bill. If you’ve played any sort of visual novel before, you’ll know what to expect here. It’s a lot of reading that’s highlighted by video and audio elements, and Anonymous;Code intersperses animation with comic book-style panels.
The Save and Load features are then integrated into the experience to create some light puzzle solving, as you’ll occasionally need to use both features to progress the story. It’s a very meta way of creating a gaming experience, and Anonymous;Code also has an interesting way of integrating the player themselves directly into the story, which I don’t want to explain too deeply because of spoiler territory.
The presentation of Anonymous;Code is honestly impressive, and there are a lot of little elements that help the game come alive. Most of the time you’re seeing things from Pollon’s perspective, and a BMI that integrates digital elements directly to his vision. This materializes as things like news tickers that might pop up while you’re going through a scene, or a forum post notification that might pop up for Pollon.
“From a writing standpoint, Anonymous;Code will also feel extremely stereotypical and trope-y at the start, but quickly opens up into something much deeper.”
The near-future setting introduces a lot of different “futuristic” ideas, like augmented avatars that people can wear, virtual reality escapes, Earth-simulator quantum computers, and more. There’s a reason this series is called “Science Adventure,” as a lot of scientific ideas, theorems, and history play a central role in the story.
Anonymous;Code in particular, however, draws heavily on ideas from past games like Steins;Gate, including the use of parallel timelines, time travel, and world lines. In this way, Anonymous;Code tackles some unanswered questions of the franchise at large.
From a writing standpoint, Anonymous;Code will also feel extremely stereotypical and trope-y at the start, but quickly opens up into something much deeper. The opening hours hold a lot of those typical anime tropes, like Pollon’s friends chastising him for getting a “GF” before them, or the enigmatic girl Momo that hides a dark secret. These trope-y elements feel entirely intentional, however, used to set up Anonymous;Code’s subversive story, and way of playing with expectations of the genre.
Where this story really shines, however, is in its pacing. Anonymous;Code lasts roughly 20 hours and only has two different endings, unlike past games, but that’s for the better. The narrative consistently keeps events moving and interesting, while still providing ample time for its cast of wacky characters to breathe and grow. There was seldom one moment where I didn’t feel engaged with Anonymous;Code’s story, eager to see where the twisty narrative would head next. The game also makes smart use of a “Tips” menu, where you’ll slowly unlock descriptions of key terms, events, and ideas, which you can read through for extra context.
Anonymous;Code is a fantastic example of what makes visual novels so compelling; an engrossing story wrapped in fantastic presentation that makes smart use of “gameplay” elements to subvert expectations. It’s an absolute must-play for anyone familiar with the Science Adventure games. It’s been 15 years since the first game in the franchise, and the way Anonymous;Code recontextualizes and expands all those years of storytelling and world building is something not often seen in video games.
Newcomers won’t get nearly as much mileage, of course, but even then Anonymous;Code is an engrossing sci-fi tale that serves as a shining example of the genre.
