Horror visual novels Psychological horror Horror

CHAOS;HEAD NOAH

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Shibuya's serial killings, predicted by an image no one should have sent.

Platforms: PC, Switch
Stores: Steam
Price: Paid
Rated: Very Positive on Steam (88% of 2,124 reviews)
Players: 1
Controls: Mouse or keyboard to advance text; trigger buttons choose positive or negative delusions (controller on Switch)
Made by: MAGES. (originally by 5pb. and Nitroplus)
Released: 2022

Not on Epic. CHAOS;HEAD NOAH is on Steam, PC and Switch. It is not in the Epic part of the site you came from.

Get it on Steam Nintendo eShop (Switch)Nintendo eShop (CHAOS;HEAD NOAH / CHAOS;CHILD DOUBLE PACK)

What frightens A shut-in student in Shibuya receives a gruesome image that seems to predict the next of the city's bizarre NewGen murders, then walks into that exact crime scene, a blood-soaked girl standing before the corpse; after that he can no longer tell his delusions from what is real.
Content: gore, graphic violence, torture, sexual content, nudity, strong language.

CHAOS;HEAD NOAH is a horror mystery visual novel from MAGES. and the first game of the Science Adventure series. Takumi, a high school otaku on the verge of becoming a shut-in, is drawn into Shibuya's NewGen serial murders after a stranger sends him a picture of a killing before it happens, and you steer his delusions as reality starts to blur.

About CHAOS;HEAD NOAH

CHAOS;HEAD was first released in Japan in 2008 by 5pb. and Nitroplus, and its expanded version CHAOS;HEAD NOAH followed on Xbox 360 in 2009 before many Japanese ports. Spike Chunsoft brought it to English for the first time in October 2022, on Steam and on Switch, where it is sold alone and in a double pack with the later CHAOS;CHILD. It is the first of the Science Adventure series that includes STEINS;GATE.

Takumi Nishijo is a second-year student who lives among his figures and has no interest in the world outside. Shibuya is gripped by the New Generation Madness, a run of bizarre killings that the police cannot solve. One day a figure called Shogun sends him a gruesome image that seems to predict the next murder. The next day, on his way home, he walks into that exact crime scene, and a blood-soaked girl, Rimi Sakihata, stands before the body.

You read the story and make choices through the delusion trigger: at certain moments you choose whether Takumi's imagination turns positive, negative or stays grounded. Positive delusions are often comic or suggestive; negative ones are violent and frightening. On later readings those choices open other routes and endings.

The horror is in uncertainty and in the crime scenes, which are shown graphically in still images and text. Takumi is a deliberately unlikable, frightened narrator, and the game lets you feel how little he can trust his own eyes. It suits readers who liked CHAOS;CHILD or STEINS;GATE and can take gore and sexual content.

How to play CHAOS;HEAD NOAH

Start the story and advance the text as Takumi narrates his days in Shibuya.
When the delusion trigger appears, choose a positive or negative delusion, or none.
Read the TIPS glossary for terms and internet slang as they come up.
Finish the first route, then play again and choose differently to open the other routes and endings.

Screenshots

CHAOS;HEAD NOAH screenshot: a pink-haired girl lies spattered with blood, with the line that someone else's delusions were affecting what she saw

CHAOS;HEAD NOAH screenshot: a blood-soaked schoolgirl stands in a dark alley, smiling through tears

CHAOS;HEAD NOAH screenshot: a delusion scene washed in red shows a blonde schoolgirl framed by black shapes, with the delusion trigger lit at the edge

Tips

Read the content warnings first; crime scenes are graphic and some scenes are sexual.
Save before delusion choices so you can see both sides.
On a second reading, use fast-forward to skip text you have already read.
Play it before CHAOS;CHILD; the later game builds on what happens here.

Questions

Is CHAOS;HEAD NOAH a horror game?

Yes, a horror mystery visual novel: graphic serial murders, delusions and a narrator who cannot trust what he sees. It also has comedy and romance between its darker scenes.

Should I play CHAOS;HEAD NOAH before CHAOS;CHILD?

Yes. CHAOS;CHILD is a follow-up set in the same city, and it builds on this game's story.

Which platforms is CHAOS;HEAD NOAH on in English?

Windows through Steam, and Nintendo Switch, alone or in the double pack with CHAOS;CHILD.

Does it have multiple endings?

Yes. The delusions you choose on later playthroughs open other routes and endings.