1997 RELOADED

[h1][i]Whatever happened to Andy Quinn?[/i][/h1] [h2]Introduction[/h2] [i]1997 RELOADED[/i] is a kinetic mystery visual novel developed and published by Galgo Studio. Marco and Federico are Italian teenagers who are studying English in England for the summer, staying with different host families. As the two of them and Shirley, the daughter of Marco's host family, are enjoying a lazy Sunday, they go to the local flea market and purchase a vintage answering machine from back in the 1990s. For reference, it's now 2023, so answering machines and cassette tapes aren't a thing. When they get back to Shirley's room and listen to the cassette tape, they unexpectedly hear the voice of Andy Quinn, a guitarist from Alias/Insane, a well-known alternative band. He was rumored to have committed suicide, but after listening to the tape, it sounds more like he may have been murdered for discovering another murder. This revelation takes Marco, Federico, and Shirley on a quest to find the truth... As the story is linear, there are no significant choices that impact its direction. A few choices are presented early on, but they're only for the reader to decide whether to view the story from Marco's or Federico's perspective. After the completion of a chapter, items in the reading room are unlocked that provide information about Andy Quinn and any people that he was associated with. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3730646733 A couple of puzzles are presented that have to be completed in order to progress the story. Several CGs and a varied soundtrack are present as well as a bit of partial English voice acting. At the time of this review, no Steam achievements are available, and the game won't count towards a user's global total until it's out of "Steam is learning about this game". [h2]Review[/h2] It'll probably be no surprise by now that I enjoy visual novels a lot, so I was happily surprised to see this game in curator connect. Feeling in the mood for a more slowburn game (and yes, I do love a good murder mystery XD), I decided to give this a try. ^^ [h3]Story and Writing[/h3] It starts off a bit slowly, but it helps to introduce us to Federico and Marco. I like how Federico speaks mostly in Italian while Marco uses more English. You can click on Marco's picture in the upper right corner of the game screen when Federico is speaking Italian, so you can get the English translation. This is a nice touch and gives a flavor of realism. Marco has the better grasp of English while Federico reverts to Italian more. Getting back to the story, events ramp up when Federico, Marco, and Shirley listen to the answering machine and end up stumbling upon a possible murder. What should have been a fun summer in England has now turned into finding out the truth and possibly solving a murder (or two). Despite the serious turn in the story, there are some humorous, more light-hearted moments that made me laugh. Also, at a couple of story points, it changes to Andy's perspective, so we're taken back to 1996-1997. It's a nice touch, getting to see his point of view and learning how he experienced his life. I won't go into spoiler territory, especially since this is a linear story, but after reading it from beginning to end, it gave me an emotional experience, leaving a deep impression that I won't forget any time soon. As for the writing, it's written very well. The pacing is good, and I noticed only a couple of minor typos. Still, the story is very understandable and readable, meant to be taken at your own pace. [h3]Art and Music/Voice Acting[/h3] The art style feels very hand-drawn, and I like how it's unique from the style that a lot of VNs have. It feel like you're in a comic book style world, following Federico, Marco, and Shirley on their adventure, and then getting teleported to Andy's past and experiencing his life. The colors are generally bright, but they have just the right amount of contrast. Of course, the CGs are done exceptionally well. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3730646524 https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3730646643 In regards to the music, gosh, I absolutely enjoyed listening to the tracks. They evoke such varying emotions in the scenes they're placed in. Also, you can listen to vocalized tracks whenever you wish in the reading room from Andy or his best friend, B.K. Larkin. Music is soul-inducing, and these songs are an absolute wonderful addition. The bit of voice acting, mainly from Andy, helps to bring the story to life. I was surprised when the cassette tape on the answering machine actually had Andy's voice playing. If I had a bit of a minor complaint, it's that the default levels for sound and music are on a bit on the quieter side, so I had to increase the volumes for them. [h2]Conclusion[/h2] Would I recommend [i]1997 RELOADED[/i]? If you're looking for a good mystery to unravel that'll probably tug at your emotional strings and you don't mind a bit of puzzle solving, then I think it's worth checking out. I enjoyed the story very much, and it's worth a few hours to spend to go back to the 1990s. Finally, I'd like to thank Gaigo Studio for the review copy. 1997 RELOADED is such an emotional journey, and I hope that others will get to experience it, too. ^^ [quote]For more detailed, fully complete, high quality reviews like this, please follow [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44702020/]The Introverted Gamer[/url], prioritizing heart and soul always. ^^[/quote]

[i]1997 RELOADED[/i] is a mystery VN with a remarkable concept and an entertaining story that will hook you right from the start. Three sixteen-year-olds (Marco, Federico, and Shirley) find a vintage answering machine at a flea market. There’s a tape inside. They play it. And this is where things get exciting and… complicated. The man on the tape turns out to be Andy Quinn, a member of an American alt-rock band who died under unexplained circumstances in 1997. His message, left for his friend Bev right before his death, reveals that a woman (supposedly his lover) was murdered and that he knows the killer. The three friends resolve to investigate, and the story takes you from coastal England to the neon-lit streets of New York and Los Angeles. It’s a proper mystery, full of atmosphere and escalating tension. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3710648557 What gives the whole thing its texture is the language dynamic between the three leads. Shirley speaks no Italian. Federico’s English is shaky at best. Marco is bilingual and perpetually stuck in the middle, translating in both directions. This isn’t just flavor; it’s the heartbeat of the narrative, surfacing constantly in how scenes are framed and how information travels between characters. Most of Federico’s lines are left in Italian (sometimes with a translation available via a button, sometimes not at all), which might sound like a flaw until you realize it’s entirely intentional: you’re placed in the same position as Shirley, piecing together meaning from context and the occasional Italian word that you might spot in the text and that might sound familiar. Even if Marco makes sure to immediately integrate in his own lines what Federico said in Italian, the whole mechanic adds a layer of multicultural charm that most VNs wouldn’t even attempt. But what truly sets [i]1997 RELOADED[/i] apart is its outstanding presentation. Rather than using the standard Ren’Py text box at the bottom of the screen, the game displays its dialogue in comic-book speech bubbles. Each scene or dialogue line is a single illustrated comic panel, and you click to move to the next one. The result feels like a live-motion comic book (something between reading and watching), and it is absolutely stunning. Over 2000 original illustrations bring this world to life with a “neo-retro” vibrant aesthetic. This is not a visual novel that looks like all the others. It looks like nothing else. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3710648526 The music deserves its own appreciation. The dialogues and narration aren’t voiced, but the answering machine itself contains 12 voice messages (including the pivotal tape that kicks off the story), and the original soundtrack is exceptional. The game builds an entirely fictional music scene from the ground up, with original pop and alt-rock tracks performed by professional vocalists (including Jessie Wagner, who has worked with the likes of Lenny Kravitz and Duran Duran). The songs don’t just sit in the background; they belong to the characters you meet in the story, and listening to them feels like discovering a lost chapter of music history that never was. Story-wise, this is a kinetic VN; you’re here to experience the narrative, not reshape it. There are a couple of choices, but they’re essentially cosmetic. The most meaningful one lets you choose whose scene to follow when Marco and Federico split up at the same point in the timeline, but even then, the information from whichever scene you miss gets recapped naturally immediately after, when they reunite, so you’re never punished for your choice. One genuinely lovely Easter egg: the game’s release date is June 4th, which is the exact date in the story when the murder takes place. A small detail, but the kind of touch that shows how much care has gone into every layer of this project. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3710648513 Minor gripes: no achievements, which is a missed opportunity given how much personality this game has. And while Federico’s untranslated lines are purposeful, the inconsistency in how they’re handled (sometimes translated below the text, sometimes via a button in the top-right corner of the screen, sometimes not at all) can feel a bit uneven in execution even if the intent is sound. At around five hours of runtime, [i]1997 RELOADED[/i] is a complete and deeply satisfying experience. The presentation alone puts it in a category of its own among visual novels, and the fact that it also has a genuinely compelling mystery, a memorable cast, and an exceptional soundtrack makes it an easy recommendation. This is a small studio doing something special, and the sheer amount of effort and love put into it is noticeable in every frame. [quote]💜 If you like this review, please consider following [url=http://store.steampowered.com/curator/11354094]Lilly's Corner Curator page[/url] 🌸 [url=https://lillycorner.com/]Website[/url] [/quote]

1997 Reloaded is a visual novel, jointly set in an alternate version of 1996, 1997 and 2023 where the rise of grunge never happened. The story follows a group of teenagers who, after discovering an answering machine belonging to an alt-rock legend at a local flea market, investigate one of the messages on the it, believing it has evidence of a murder. Their investigation takes them deep into the past and the tawdry, brutal reality of the 1997 alt-rock scene. As a visual novel, the actual gameplay within 1997 Reloaded is fairly limited. While there are occasional minigames, the only agency the player has over the course of the story is whether to view certain scenes in Italian or English. This isn’t a bad thing—being swept along on this journey without any real sense of agency felt entirely in keeping with the themes of the story being told. However, it does mean that, like any visual novel, both the visuals and writing have to be good enough to keep the player from noticing they’re a passenger on their own adventure. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3739223412 1997 Reloaded boasts that it includes illustrations in a “neo-retro” aesthetic. While unique, I also confess, they weren’t to my taste, though I can see how they would appeal to others. Similarly, the writing is functional. It gets its point across, with the rare exception of occasional lines that feel downright inspired. Its framing device of teenagers investigating a murder is nonsensical, its story set in 1997 generic, and the decision to split the game between Italian and English does not succeed in the way its writers likely hoped it would. There is no sense of chronotope here, no reason Italian offers more insight than English, with the constant translation of the Italian quickly becoming distracting. And yet. When I look at 1997 Reloaded, its individual elements are all fine. When they’re brought together, though, something incredible happens. There are many games that are more than the sum of their parts, and it’s always a bit incredible watching when that happens. This is especially true of 1997 Reloaded. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3739223654 1997 Reloaded is a visual novel, but to call it a “visual novel” is to miss the sheer amount of…stuff this game contains. In addition to the story, this game’s writers have created an entire world of newspaper articles, film posters, magazine features, an entire wiki of content expanding on the story and its characters. Most of this content doesn’t matter, but that doesn’t change how engrossing it is and how easy it is to get lost in this alternate, grunge-free reality. The story itself and the characters within it may be generic, but that doesn’t change how eerily compelling all of it is. It doesn’t matter that the ending is broadcast hours before the player actually gets there; what matters is that I want to follow along to see it actually play out. Part of the wealth of content accompanying this game is its music. This being a visual novel set specifically in the world of 1990s alt-rock, and this being a game with musicians as its main characters, it’s only natural that there would be music. To put on my music critic hat for a moment, the music, much like many of the elements of this game, isn’t phenomenal, nor is it particularly memorable. What it is, though, is perfect for what it needs to be. This is a game that needs a dirty, grimy, garage sound. This is a game that needs a sense of distance between the player and the world. This is a game that needs to cultivate the idea that what the player is seeing is something that is changed and rendered meaningful, specifically because they are the ones seeing and experiencing it. It’s this that makes 1997 Reloaded special and fantastic. It captures that idea of what history is—imperfect, hazy, grungy, mutable only in how we perceive it—and gives it life. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3739223888 If you ask me what specifically I love about this game, I can’t begin to describe it. Part of it is in the sound mixing and how the game beautifully underlays its writing with a lush soundscape and soundtrack. Part of it is in wanting the past to change, to be this beautiful thing that the writers had in mind. Mostly, though, I think it’s in how well the game is an analogy for itself and its message. There’s nothing that stands out in particular about it, except the sheer amount of love so obviously poured into every facet of it. This is a game that oozes with passion, and that passion imbues every element of the game with a life and meaning and beauty that can’t be found anywhere else. I’m not going to say that 1997 Reloaded is the next sleeper hit, just waiting for its audience so it can become an instant classic. I will, however, say that my life is richer for having played it, even if I can’t put my finger on exactly why. It’s enough to know that it is. [quote] If you enjoyed this review, please check out the [url=https://www.summitreviews.biz] full version [/url] and the [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/41449676/] Summit Reviews curator page. [/url] Thanks for reading! [/quote]

[h3]Review Copy - Best Kinetic VN of 2026[/h3] I'm quite hyped, started playing a new game this weekend after writing up two rather normal game reviews. I had a load of choices in the carousel and the artwork just hit me, and a title like 1997 Reloaded. I needed something more chilled, and man is Reloaded chilled. [h3]Hand Drawn[/h3] The artwork is in a hand drawn style with the flat look that tells you it was drawn using a tablet by someone who knows their way around digital brushes. The art look reminded me of my childhood, we used to get some high quality colouring pencils and shave the colour onto paper and then spread it around with a fingertip. It would create this beautiful soft focus effect. and then you would fill in detail with a sharp coloured pencil. The brand was colleen, they were rather special because they had thick leads. You can still get them I believe https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3732782897 Anyway, the art style has this hand-drawn flat look with fast camera movements and hand-drawn text all over so it's very kinetic and reminiscent of 1997 down to a T. [h3]Kinetic Italian[/h3] You don't have to know any Italian, but it will help, 2 of the super-sleuth characters that you follow around speak Italian, it's all translated of course, but it is done in such a way as to create really deep immersion. You will meet a cast of characters from the past all to a wonderful soundtrack that blends Jazz and alternative rock. Characters and places all of which have made up names done in such seriousness but in such a way as you know just who the narrator is placing into your mind. The game is so seriously well thought out and executed it really made my weekend. And yes it is fast paced. [h3]Murder Mystery[/h3] Did Andy Quinn jump into the East river in his grief? Find out, It had me guessing the whole way. There is even a pop quiz where you get tested on how well you paid attention. A brilliant touch, the game mechanics are simple and unobtrusive. Page-up takes you back a step, click to advance. and Escape open the menu from where you can access the reading room. [h3]Answering Machine[/h3] A cassette in an answering machine is where it starts, with 3 school kids telling their parents a lie. They tell everyone they have gone to London for a school project. But we all know that the story will take them much further than that, and not just in time. The 3 of them grow up real fast, as they dig from the present, into music history events that occurred before they were born! They will unearth evidence on old media than they never knew still existed nor how it worked. And this discovery voyage makes the sleuthing trio so so lovable, their innocence, and their honest search for truth. But will they come unstuck, was there a killer, clearly they wont stop until they find out. Go on get a copy and play. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3732791696

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this ground‑breaking kinetic visual novel, so much so that I played it straight through in one night. Just be aware: this is a linear, non‑branching visual novel where the point is not making choices, but living the story and immersing yourself in an entirely fictional 90s music scene that feels so authentic you can’t help but feel nostalgic for a universe that never existed in the first place. I kid you not: I actually googled some of the bands and singers, only to discover they were all invented! Within this wonderfully crafted universe unfolds the story of a trio of international friends, determined to solve a decades‑old murder mystery while navigating language barriers (and giving you the chance to brush up on your Italian - or your English, for that matter). The game shifts naturally between Italian and English depending on the characters, and it gives the player the option to choose how much translation support they want. Being lucky enough to know both languages, and having visited most of the locations in game, I was able to immerse myself fully in the time and place of the Roxyverse. The English translation isn’t always perfect, but considering the characters are ESL students, it actually adds credibility. Beyond the strong narrative, it's the music the true pulsating heart of this visual novel, including original music from fictional singer‑songwriters and performed by real artists. I particularly liked hanging out in the “reading room,” filled with magazines, clippings, and CDs that dig into the lore and serve as clue for the few puzzles. The only thing that felt a bit underdeveloped to me was the background art; however, the character art is appealing enough that the backgrounds mostly remained… in secondo piano :) If you enjoy visual novels and following an engrossing story set in a rich universe, I highly recommend 1997: Reloaded. FOR THIS AND MORE ADVENTURE GAMES My Steam Curator Page: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43938467-TheGamingMom/

I thank the developers for giving me their debut game. Gracias! Instantly hooked! Got a little scared at the beginning because there was no English at first. Turns out to be the character not speaking English. After a few more clicks and city exploration, I finally found the two friends that speak the language I'm familiar with. And from there on started this whole new experience. The flea market, the tape answering machine, the vintage stuff, three friends finding messages left on the recorder, a murder, possible evidence, a hyped brother that knows everything, rumors, gossip, adventure and the ultimate question: was it a homicide or a suicide? PROS: - It's an Adventure / Visual Novel / Mystery - perfect combo! - 90s nostalgia and memorabilia; - Cool music (real voices, real lyrics); - Real-life references on both American and British cultures; - Entirely hand-drawn (I'm liking the cities - would be cool as background images in Steam Points); - Life lessons throughout the game, especially the one at the end; - Memorable characters (would like to see the three friends in another game). NEUTRE: - Is it me or Federico and Marco look like Sam and Colby? (It must be me.) CONS: - Nothing. I highly recommend this game to anyone! A sweet new gem! A must play! The debut game of Gaigo Studio.

Expectations weren't high, but I was quite surprised by the personality of the visuals and the huge quantity of them. It didn't feel like those visual novels where it's just a bunch of PNGs talking. Expressions, movements, everything was very detailed and had substance. Without spoiling, the story is about two Italian friends who travel to a summer English course, where they later find themselves involved in the possible murder of a singer, who died more than a decade ago. To add dynamism, there's a section where we can read magazines from that era, newspaper clippings, and even listen to some songs by the artists involved. I loved that part. If I had to be picky, the only criticism I could have is perhaps the use of Ren'Py, a visual novel engine that has its quirks and glitches here and there, but they don't detract from the excellent work done on this VN. I recommend it :3

[h1] Food for Thought [/h1] I'm gonna be real here, I feel my review will either be a constructive thought or no thought put into it what so ever because I just did not care for this game. Is sad for me to say it because I played some graphic novel games that got me at least hook me to finish at the end before giving my thoughts, this one did not manage me fully grab my attention to the end as of writing this review. I was like mid chapter 4 of this game and I was just completely bored. I tried to like it, but the main issue I have with this game is that the story was not interesting in the slightest, the characters I do not care for them and always forget the characters names whenever I return back to the game. Is a murder mystery game, it should be interesting but I kept asking myself why do the kids want to solve a murder mystery of a dead singer? Like where is the motivation behind it? Did I skip something? Why should I actually care about these kids, there lies the issue. It felt the characters want to do a Scooby-Doo or Stand By Me adventure where they just wanna solve a case together, I just did not care any of these characters because all of them aren't appealing to me from their personality they showed. The Italian kid who half of the times speak Italian and I have to look over the translation the game provided, but sometimes there are English subtitles that the game provided which idk why it switch back and forth doing it as if I'm doing this Italian lesson plan. The artwork is unique I don't wanna knock down the artist who made all of this, it really have shown the artist put lots of work putting these scenes together, but idk. To me it didn't appeal to me, maybe is not my style to enjoy, I'm trying to remember a similar style that in the 90s people do use that particular style like in music CD or in those 90s website cover, is interesting, but overall it did not help my eyes to be engage with the environment, especially the text boxes, it felt lazy, there isn't like some "engagement" or the font that please my eyes that's another issue I have. The only actual positive I have for this game is the music, if I have a choice between buying this game or the game's soundtrack if they provide I would get the soundtrack instead, because who ever is the singer or compose these music I just sat on my chair for 10 mins listening in these tracks. Very beautiful, I would skip these scenes just to hear another track and go back to the menu and listen to it. I might try to finish the game just to unlock more of its soundtracks. I know I am I sound I'm batching the game, it isn't "bad" in like gameplay and I can't really say the story is bad since I have not finish it, I just lost the drive to care about the story, maybe some people will like it because of that "vibe" it gives off, I got this copy because I like experimental games like my last review where it was an experimental compilation of mini games, and I enjoyed it. This one is just not it for me, maybe for some but this one did not felt like a blast from the past 90s nostalgia. Update: I did say I would buy the soundtrack if they released it and I did. Love the tracks. [quote] If you like what you are reading then please consider to subscribe in [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/31750985/] My Curator Page[/url] for more like this.[/quote]

If you like powerful and emotional stories, stories that leave a mark on you, this one is for you. THE PLOT (AVOIDING SPOILERS) I can’t tell much of the plot without spoilers! Suffice it to say that it’s a coming-of-age adventure revolving around three kids finding an answering machine at a flea market that contains a spooky message from 1997. The kids are honestly confused and also moved by this voice revealing that a murder has happened, and they start realising that the past is never too far, and that past wrongs should be amended. It’s a story about justice, set in 2023 and in an alternate music scene in 1996 and 1997. An ‘ENHANCED COMIC’ ‘1997 RELOADED’ is by definition an ‘enhanced comic’. You can get the vibe by watching the product page here on Steam already, but when you dive into it, that’s when you really understand what an ‘enhanced comic’ is. And you completely enjoy it! It’s like reading a graphic novel brought to life by a compelling sound design and an atmospheric soundtrack, with every frame being the equivalent of a comic book panel. The dialogues appear in balloons (with each character also having their own colour to make it easy to understand who’s talking, or in any case to add a touch of their personality to their text). The colours are captivating, the hand-drawn images look so good, so different from the usual video game aesthetics, with what look like water-coloured backgrounds opposed to characters drawn with black edges to stand out. LINEAR STORY The story is linear, there are no choices that will alter the plot in the end (although there are small cosmetic choices here and there which allow you to grab a different perspective on things). MINI-GAMES (TESTING YOUR ATTENTION!) There are also a couple of mini-games in the ‘enhanced comic’ format, as declared in the game description, that I personally enjoyed, as they didn’t distract me too much from the story. One of which is a quiz that tests your knowledge of the characters, forcing you to go back to the so-called Reading Room to look for clues. I found it funny, especially because it was true that by reading so fast to find out the truth, I hadn’t really taken in some names on the way! THE ROXYVERSE When you finish ‘1997 RELOADED’, you are left with the feeling that there is so much more to it, that this is just a piece of a universe – the developers call it ‘The Roxyverse’ – and that there are more interesting stories waiting for you, somewhere in the distance. It’s a nice feeling. Although the experience is complete, it leaves the door open, so to speak. MUSIC LOVERS One last thing: it’s a story about musicians for the most part, and music plays an essential role in it. So I would recommend this game also to those people who are into music and like reading music magazines, collecting records, reading rockstars’ biographies and, in a word, exploring what it means to be a rocker.

A great debut VN for an indie studio. The story was well written, the hand-drawn art suited it well and the original indie music was a great vibe. Thanks devs for the key, I had a great time exploring it!