The moon has fallen. In the instant before the world is destroyed, those with regrets linger, wishing they could resolve their unfinished phone calls from those final moments, while the “world’s last Confidant” listens to them and helps them find peace.
Right away, the first thing that stands out about Schrodinger’s Call is its art style. It has a beautiful, storybook-like aesthetic that is truly striking. Even in the simplest scenes, like a phone sitting on a table or voices crying out from the darkness, I found myself enchanted by the game’s visuals. That aesthetic helps to set the surreal tone for the story premise, as it’s set in the final 21 nanoseconds before the end of the world.
The main character is Mary, a young girl with no memories, described as “the world’s last Confidant.” Her job is to wait for the phone to ring, answer it, and then listen to the people on the other end. The world has been destroyed, with everyone dying after the moon fell, but people who spent their final moments with unresolved regrets now find themselves frozen in time as they try to find peace so they can move on. It’s a somber, melancholy premise that holds onto that tone throughout the stories of the characters in each episode, as they all have heavy reasons for why they felt such regret at the end. As Mary, you talk to each character and key people connected to them in order to piece together information, understand their stories, and bring them closure. All the information you gather is contained in your journal, beautifully illustrated alongside the details you need.
It’s primarily a visual novel, although there are light gameplay elements in the form of entering a phone number or selecting key text from your journal. Sometimes you’ll need to answer a question correctly to continue, but choosing the wrong one has no consequences beyond making you choose again. Dialogue choices are also quite frequent, but they do not alter the story’s path. Even those that seem at first glance to lead to branching paths only emphasize different themes in the dialogue. Many others are simply there for stylistic purposes, such as splitting a sentence into multiple phrases, even though they all lead to the same overall statement. I don’t mind a linear story, and I enjoyed the artistic use of choices, though I did wish there weren’t quite so many. There were times when I wanted to simply sit back and read rather than choose dialogue options that didn’t change anything anyway, but I appreciate the sense of immersion they intended.
Each episode has its own self-contained story with a small group of characters, all of whom are shown as anthropomorphic animals. Mary herself, who is presented as human, has her own story of uncovering her past that spans the game. As I played, I found myself quite invested in both the overarching story and the individual stories. The writing does a great job of helping you feel the characters’ emotions and regrets. My main criticism is that it can get repetitive within each episode. For example, you might learn an important fact about a character, then repeat that fact to another character, who gives their own account as they remember it, and then later on need to repeat that fact to the character again. I also felt like the overarching storyline, which has several impactful moments, could have used one last layer to bring everything together. However, the emotional quality throughout the game is enough to make me forgive these minor quibbles.
Finally, I want to discuss the sound design. There is no true voice acting; instead, a sort of mumbled voice is used to represent each character’s speech. With the exception of one character whose repeated audio grated on me, I found this to be quite charming. The soundtrack, however, is what really stands out. The music in Schrodinger’s Call is absolutely gorgeous. It conveys the emotions of each scene perfectly, and at times, I was in awe of how beautiful the music was. It isn’t often that I praise a soundtrack this much, but this one really stands out from the rest and elevates the emotional story the game wants to tell.
The Final Word
Schrodinger’s Call is a beautiful visual novel set in the final moments before the end of the world. It has a strong emotional impact, and while it isn’t a flawless experience, it’s a truly memorable one thanks to its story, beautiful visual style, and incredible soundtrack.
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