I Played Ever17 and this game is Fantastic!

Originally released for PlayStation 2 and Dreamcast in 2002, the visual novel Ever17 is the second game in the Infinity series, written by Uchikoshi (the same creator behind Zero Escape and AI: The Somnium Files). Ever17 is known as one of the best visual novels ever made, and after 23 hours of gameplay, I can see why.

On March 6, a remastered version of Ever17 was released for modern platforms, making it available on PC via Steam, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 5. However, I didn’t play the remastered version—I chose the PSP version instead.

What Is Ever17 About?

Ever17 is a pure visual novel, meaning you’ll mostly read the story and character dialogues. At certain points, you’ll have to make choices.

These choices determine which character you’ll play as, which girl you’ll get involved with, and whether you’ll reach a good or bad ending.

The game has five different endings in total. There are four good endings—one for each heroine: Tsugumi, Sora, Sara, and You. After completing the good endings for these four characters, the final route unlocks, where all the mysteries of the game are revealed.

What’s the Story of Ever17?

The story is set in an underwater theme park called LeMU. The park has four levels: an artificial island on the surface and three submerged “floors” below.

Each floor has attractions where visitors can view marine life through large windows. The story begins when an accident occurs, and the park begins flooding. The escape route to the surface is cut off.

Fortunately, most people evacuate safely—but six individuals remain trapped in the lower levels of LeMU: Kuranari Takeshi, who was visiting the park with friends; a boy with amnesia referred to as “Kid”; Yagami Coco, a little girl visiting her father; Komachi Tsugumi, who’s there for her own reasons; and two staff members, You and Sora.

The story follows these six characters as they try to survive and escape—or wait for a rescue that may never come. They’re also racing against time: in a few days, the pressure from the ocean will crush the park, flooding everything.

You’ll “control” two characters throughout the game: Takeshi and the Kid. Playing as Takeshi unlocks Tsugumi and Sora’s routes, while choosing the Kid unlocks You and Sara’s routes… wait, who’s Sara? I didn’t mention her earlier.

That’s just one of the many mysteries in the game. When you choose the Kid instead of Takeshi, Coco is replaced by a girl named Sara. The game features strong sci-fi elements and layers of mysteries to unravel.

Differences Between the Ever17 Versions

Here’s where things get tricky. Ever17 was recently re-released for modern platforms with enhanced visuals and backgrounds that look far better than the older PS2 and PSP versions. Check out the comparison below:

Remastered Version

PSP Version

Despite the outdated look of the PSP version, I chose to play it. Looking at the remaster’s screenshots, I really wish I had played that one instead.

As you can see, the top image is the remaster, and the bottom one is from the PSP—both showing the same location, completely redesigned. The remaster is clearly superior.

However, there’s a catch. The Steam version is based on the Xbox 360 remake released in 2011.

To clarify: Ever17 first came out in 2002 for PS2 and Dreamcast. In 2009, it was released on PSP (the version I played) with some improvements. Then in 2011, it received a full remake for Xbox 360.

While the Xbox 360 version improved the visuals, it was heavily criticized because the script was rewritten by someone other than Uchikoshi. Many fans believe the new version altered the story negatively—cutting scenes, revealing mysteries too early, and offering too many hints, which ruined the suspense.

Because of that, I decided to stick with the original version. I didn’t notice any major issues and actually loved the original script. Since I haven’t played the remaster, I can’t say what the exact changes were.

So, What Did I Think of Ever17?

AMAZING!

The story is INCREDIBLE. The scenario of six people trapped in an underwater park is compelling in a way I can’t fully explain. The mysteries keep stacking up, and they’ll blow your mind.

There’s one scene that gave me chills and made me jump—it was something I totally didn’t expect, and it was kind of scary too. If you’ve played 999, you’ll notice that a lot of Ever17’s concepts show up there as well. Uchikoshi reused several elements from Ever17 in 999, but honestly? Even though I love 999, I think I prefer Ever17.

If you plan to play, just know you need to go through all four initial routes first. They’ll answer a few questions and let you fully understand the characters. The final route, which unlocks afterward, ties everything together and delivers a non-stop series of plot twists that’ll leave your head spinning.

It took me 23 hours to complete Ever17. I used a guide to get all the good endings right away, which I highly recommend if you’re playing the PSP version. If you’re going with the remaster, the menus might help streamline things.

Ever17 Rating: 4.5 out of 5

One of the best stories I’ve ever experienced in a game.