Review: Never 7 – The End of Infinity (Nintendo Switch)

Described as “A classic Sci-fi visual novel,” Never 7 – The End of Infinity looks more like a dating sim, at least judging by its odd screenshots. This confused state evidently is an accurate reflection of some conceptual issues. While the director wanted to lean heavily into science fiction, his superiors insisted that “cute girls” were needed to sell the game. They should’ve trusted the director, as the vn didn’t sell well back then—but 25 years later, it has a shot at redemption. Will Never 7 – The End of Infinity expand its audience beyond VN enthusiasts?

I suspect the answer leans no, although that’s not a reflection on the game’s writing but rather its multi-ending construction. But I’m getting ahead of myself. The story finds you playing as Makoto, a third-year university student. He (and a small handful of other students) are on a department of psychology preparatory seminar retreat. Things start with his nightmare of death, and throughout, Makoto (and by extension the player) wonders if it really was a dream. Seeming instances of clairvoyance and premonition give pause, though the way a token effort tries to tie these into local superstition of a “god of time” seems like it could be another instance of higher-up interference. In any case, after a slow start, the plot does develop into something of a page-turner.

Makoto has three other classmates in his group, and your choices determine which fellow student becomes a story focus. On my first playthrough, I ended up mainly alongside Yuka, the group leader with a fondness for alcohol. I was mildly surprised as I’d spent a good amount of time fishing with the socially awkward Haruka. Outside of classmates, you also spend time with a pair of siblings working the cafe near your retreat lodge and island resident Saki, coincidently a childhood friend of Yuka. The overall roster of seven lets you get to know the quirks of each person and grow attached to them (some more than others) despite their flaws, without feeling overwhelmed.

When you may very well start to feel overwhelmed is once the story ends. While I can’t be too specific for fear of spoilers, there was a fake-out type conclusion. This is fine as it introduced more gameplay with a butterfly effect angle replaying the week. But when I got a nonsensical “bad ending,” I was a bit confused. With 18 total, however, I suspected it wouldn’t take long to get a superior end that tied up loose ends.

I was mistaken. Rather than have a “New Game Plus” type approach, Never 7 – The End of Infinity makes you replay from the very beginning. There is no jumping to prior choices ala “Choose your own Adventure.” I suppose you could save before every choice (two to four decisions each time), but that’s hardly practical, even with dozens of save slots. Prepare to endure redundancy if you hope to see even a fraction of this title’s endings.

Of course, in an effort to have a more complete review, I did just that. It took over seven hours just to hit my first end, so I button-mashed past much of the already-read writing to reach a new choice. Some led to near-identical outcomes, but others opened new character exchanges and locations. There’s no guarantee that loose threads will be addressed to satisfaction, though, and certain plot threads seem to go nowhere. Twenty-five years after its initial release, I’d have hoped Never 7 – The End of Infinity would’ve added options for those who wish to play the title the same way they’d read a novel.

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!

[Editor’s Note: Never 7 – The End of Infinity is also available as part of a “Double Pack,” bundled with another visual novel by the same author, Ever 17 – The Out of Infinity.]