Anonymous;Code is the newest title in the Science Adventure series of games and is in the same world as Steins;Gate, Robotics;Notes, and Chaos;HEAd. If you've played any of these visual novels (or seen their anime adaptations), you likely know what to expect from Anonymous;Code. It's got a diverse cast of characters, an underdog group getting caught up in numerous real-world conspiracy theories, and a core sci-fi concept that the whole story is built around.

So, let's start with the cast. From Pollon and the game's mysterious heroine, Momo, to astronaut-turned-detective Tengen and the legendary hacker Cicada 3301, Anonymous;Code is filled with interesting characters. Unfortunately, the issue with Anonymous;Code is that "interesting" isn't the same as "fully developed." In fact, beyond Pollon and Momo, none of the characters feel particularly complex or nuanced—with around a single scene devoted to the backstory of each.

This is because unlike the other Science Adventure games, Anonymous;Code has only one route through the story—as opposed to one for each of the game's central characters. In past games, these additional routes were great "what if" side stories to the main plot that allowed for more development of the supporting cast. Without them, the game itself feels like a skeleton—like the bare bones of the story it should have been.

However, all that is not to say what story we get in Anonymous;Code is bad. As is par for the course in the Science Adventure series, it does a great job of interweaving conspiracy theories, real-world science, and science fiction to create a fun and thrilling story full of emotional highs and lows. This time, at the core of it all is the dual threat of Earth simulators so exact that they can tell the future and the Vatican working from behind the scenes to force the end of the world following a divine prophecy. Add onto that a series of death game challenges set up by Cicada 3301 to test humankind, and you have a solid Science Adventure tale.

What sets Anonymous;Code apart from its other Science Adventure brethren is its new core mechanic: "save/load system." Pollon creates a save point in his life at various points throughout the story. Then, as the story continues, you can force him to load back to that point at key moments—either when a dead end seems likely or when a new bit of information that could have been useful in the past is gathered.

The unfortunate issue of the game is that, at times, the save/load system can be rather unintuitive—i.e., it can be hard to tell when to load. So, at times, after reaching a dead end, you may find yourself pounding the load button after every line of text—brute forcing your way to find the correct moment to load. Needless to say, this can take you out of the story and be more than a bit aggravating when you're invested in seeing the next part of how things play out.

That said, I did enjoy the more off-the-beaten-path loads you could do—ones that weren't a part of the main plot but instead led to little side stories like winning the lottery or attempting the current Cicada 3301 mission in a completely different way. If there were more of these in the game, it would feel much more fleshed out.

Yet, the best (and most creative part) of Anonymous;Code is the "meta" aspect of the story. Simply put, you, the player, are a character in the story. When you choose to load, you are technically taking control of the app on Pollon's computer. He quickly recognizes that there is an intelligence behind what is happening—that he is being watched and helped by some mysterious ally he cannot perceive. It gets to the point that Pollon and the other characters regularly discuss you and, in the end, it's your connection with Pollon that truly saves the day. It's a cool concept that makes you feel like you're part of the team in this fictional world.

All in all, Anonymous;Code is a must-play if you're already invested in the Science Adventure series. It's got tons of little callbacks and crossovers that add to the overarching story. But even without all that, Anonymous;Code is still a solid sci-fi adventure. Sure, it's a fair bit thinner than the other games (clocking in at only 20 hours), but it still has an exciting tale to tell. If hackers, simulated worlds, and vast conspiracies are your thing, you will find a lot to like here.

Anonymous;Code was released in North America on September 8, 2023, for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PC.