In an interview with MAGES Director Makoto Asada via the Japanese outlet Dengeki, a lengthy conversation regarding MAGES’ developments, particularly regarding the Infinity visual novel series, was conducted.
Our team’s Ryuji has translated significant exchanges from this interview, quoted below:
Interviewer: This is just a personal question of mine, but do you have any plans of remaking past adventures and/or series in the foreseeable future?
Makoto Asada: I’ve probably never told this to anyone, but there was a staff member within the company saying he wanted to do a remake or a port of the Infinity series, such as Never7 and Ever17, and my response was: “If you can make it so it’s easy to play in the current gaming climate, I don’t mind if you do.” That staff member has begun preparations, and now we are beginning to make some progress by clawing through old resources.
Interviewer: Oh my, really?! I’m so excited!!!
Makoto Asada: We have asked the staff who worked on the previous remake of Ever17 for the Xbox 360, and although we changed the standing pictures to 3D at that time, many of them said they would have preferred 2D, so we will be refining this area. However, the scenario updates were generally well received, so I told them that if they were going to remake the games this time, they should take that into consideration and rework it.
We have staff members who were involved in the project at that time, so I don’t think there is any need to worry about that for the time being. Please wait a little longer until we can officially tell you about it, but yes, plans are in motion to remake the series.
Interviewer: I’m sure a lot of fans will be excited to hear this!
Makoto Asada: I wasn’t involved in the Infinity series in the first place, but there are many fans who have loved those titles for a long time, so I was hoping to release them in an environment that would make them easier to play.
The Infinity series is an often-overlooked visual novel franchise mostly penned by Kotaro Uchikoshi, who many now know for the Zero Escape and AI: The Somnium Files games. There is quite a lot going on in these games, but they strongly focus on sci-fi elements, such as time travel. Granted, the first game, Never 7: The End of Infinity, was more of a romantic experience than anything else. However, the later entries would hone in on the sci-fi elements far more, and certain elements here inspired Uchikoshi’s future works.
The most popular entry is undeniably Ever 17: The Out of Infinity, which detailed a cast stuck in an underwater theme park that will supposedly explode. This title received a remake in 2011 that implemented various changes, including narrative alterations, alongside new music and artwork.
We’ll definitely keep you all updated on any significant developments regarding this remake project.
