Never 7: The End of Infinity

“It's great to see Never 7: The End of Infinity get a worldwide release, but playing it is a different story. It's saved with good characters and a fantastic soundtrack, but the writing tries its best to drag them down.”

“The first in a long series of games, Never 7 - The End of Infinity didn't age so well like others from the same era and delivers an outdated experience.”

“Never 7 – The End of Infinity had some conceptual issues that spilled into its construction. That doesn't make it a bad visual novel, even with limits on its visuals; in fact, enthusiasts might think it's great. But to get all its 18 endings without a "Choose your own Adventure" style approach or NG+ feels like it would take…well, an infinity. So can I score this higher than a "Good" 7? Never!”

“A relic of visual novel history, Never 7 offers a glimpse into Uchikoshi’s early work with its time-loop mechanic and sci-fi undertones. However, dated visuals, uneven writing, and a lackluster cast make it feel more like a curiosity than a must-play.”

“Once we overcame its grating romantic clichés, we found Never 7 - The End of Infinity to have an intriguing plot filled with stimulating themes that linger in our minds long after the credits roll. Combining thought-provoking concepts with a calmer and more detached setting than its successors, Never 7 retains a unique charm that keeps it captivating even 20 years later, despite being noticeably inferior in scope and memorability. However, this remaster would have benefited from a more refined English localization, deeper graphical enhancements, and the inclusion of the exclusive TIPS entries from the PSP version.”

“It was never a masterpiece to begin with, not now, not 25 years ago, but Never7 deserved more love. It's the game that started the Infinity series and gave an identity to Uchikoshi's career, and despite its core flaws it's still a shame to see it being revived with little to no effort: what we get is a mixture of low-quality assets, localization issues and technical shortcomings.”

“Never 7 is often overshadowed by the praise heaped upon its successor, Ever 17, and is considered to be the lesser of the two. It's not amazing or earth-shattering, it's simply... fine. Nevertheless, it offers a charming visual novel experience and deserves time to shine. It might be a fairly straightforward romance visual novel despite its time loop premise, but it's a fine story in its own right.”

“Never 7 - The End of Infinity is a complicated and uncomfortable reading that's only worth it for those who love visual novels (or Kotaro Uchikoshi's works) and has an interest in the genre's history: there are good things in the end of the horribly tiring line, but up to then, it's necessary to be very patient. The mistreatment of the remasterization and localization also doesn't do any favors to the material, which is already weak at many points from the start.”

“Going into Never 7, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. I knew it had a reputation as the weakest entry in the Infinity series, but I was still eager to experience it for myself. After playing through all the routes, I can see why some fans feel that way—certain aspects, particularly the pacing and some weaker romance routes, hold it back from reaching the heights of its successors.”

“Never 7, in spite of its many differences from his later titles, is still distinctly a Kotaro Uchikoshi title. Rest assured, there is a scene where someone rambles about Schrodinger’s Cat. The game’s heavier focus on romance is not an indication that it isn’t worth your time, whether you’re a fan of his or not. While I may have preferred more variety in route structure and a cleaner script, Never 7 is still a worthwhile, albeit slow, read.”

“Never 7 – The End of Infinity is a classic that kickstarted the Infinity series and, despite some caveats, it's worth checking the game out in its first official English release. Though it's a shame that the translation could have been better, the story as a whole manages to stay intriguing.”

“A niche game for a very small audience that is further reduced by the language problem. While the story is interesting, if you don't find out you don't appreciate it.”

“Never 7: The End of Infinity still has some charm all these years later, but perhaps it hasn't aged so gracefully. Messy pacing makes what would be a relaxing experience an often tedious one. Fans of classic visual novels and anime who don't mind the older aesthetic and simplistic story could have a great time, however.”

“I still had a fabulous time, don’t get me wrong, and I absolutely recommend this cornerstone visual novel to better understand the history of Uchikoshi and all of his subsequent works. Never 7: The End of Infinity sets certain ideas in motion for future works: fantastical sci-fi passed off as normal, deceptively innocent ideas that grow into massive plot points, and the darker nature of humanity when it comes to curiosity and experimentation.”