X-Note

X-Note

Cover of X-Note
Developer(s) Zeiva Inc
Publisher(s) Zeiva Inc
Engine Adobe Flash
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux
Release date(s) March 8, 2011
Genre(s) Visual Novel
Mode(s) Single-player

X-Note is an otome game based on Adobe Flash, therefore it can be played on multiple platforms such as Windows, Linux and macOS. The game was developed and published by Zeiva Inc and was released on March 8, 2011. The game contains mystery, romance, and supernatural elements. An updated version, X-Note 2.0, was released on March 9, 2012. The game was released on Steam on January 17, 2015.

Plot

Essi's mother died in an accident ten years ago and left a USB flash drive with a locked folder named "X-Note". Essi continues her life as a high school student; however, she has powers beyond normal humans. When a young man called Yuon invites her to investigate a murder case and a mysterious disappearance in Xen Institute, she is tempted to unlock the locked folder "X-Note" by helping him. She hopes to unravel her mother's mysterious death.

Characters

In this game, you play as Essi as she pursues the truth regarding her mother's questionable death. Her mother left her a necklace which is actually a USB flash drive. Inside it is a locked folder called "X-note". In order to find clues to unlock it, Essi went to the Xen Institute upon Yuon's invitation. As a psychic, Essi is capable of utilizing multiple psychic abilities such as Psychokinesis, Clairvoyance, and Telepathy. She usually trains at her favorite place, Pegasus Park.

A student of the Xen institute, Yuon was the one who invited Essi to his school in order to investigate a murder case and a mysterious disappearance. He knew about Essi's abilities and asked her to use them to find the culprit. Serious and hardworking, Yuon can usually be found working at his own office.

Essi met Oure when she was lost in the corridor. He sports a white outfit from top to toes that completely matched his favorite pastime - watching the clouds. Naive and childlike, Essi has little trouble interacting with him. He can usually be found wandering around the corridor.

The self-proclaimed famous informant of the Xen Institute, Anon offered to help Essi with her investigation. Occasionally playful, other times obnoxious - Anon enjoys teasing Essi much to her distress. He can usually be found lurking in the computer lab.

During one of her trainings, Essi caught this strange man watching her from afar. Rexus is his name - or that is what he claimed. He is very soft-spoken despite his large build. Rexus is always there whenever Essi needs someone to confide to. He can be found randomly in Pegasus Park.

Acia is one of the teachers in the Xen Institute. According to Yuon, she was one of the school's founders along with Essi's mother. Due to this, Yuon assigned Essi to class 2A - the class where Acia teaches. She can usually be found in the classroom after class.

Gameplay

The game offers a mix of classic visual novel gameplay, with dialogues and many choices to make, with some minigames. It also contains elements of a dating sim. The game spans for 30 days, of which the player can train the protagonist's abilities, explore the school and collect notes. The player can also influence the course of the game by making choices. Instead of a save system, the player can keep record of their progress by using given passwords. In the updated version, X-Note 2.0, a save system was integrated, a lot of bugs were fixed, and additional content was added.

Development

The game was created with Flash MX, Photoshop 7, and Audacity and was completed within four months of production time.[1] The basic idea of X-note was inspired by Ghost Hunt, Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbo, and Tantei Gakuen Q. In an interview with otome-games.com the creator of the game states: "Ever since I watched Ghost Hunt, I've been fascinated with paranormal series. I thought it would be cool if I combined those elements with a murder case."[2] On February 22, 2011 the opening video was released on YouTube.[3]

Prequel and sequel

The game Area-X is set in the same universe as X-Note and was released on June 16, 2013. Zeiva Inc describes the game as an indirect prequel to X-Note. In Area-X the player takes control of Elcia, a time negotiator. Her job is to travel across various dimensions and negotiate with people of the past. Several characters from X-Note, for example, Yuon and Rexus appear in this game as well. Zeiva Inc said that they are currently developing a direct sequel to X-Note, which is called Silent-X and will be the last installment in the series.

Reception

The game received a score of 77/100 on Gamertell, with reviewer Jenni Lada writing: "At the very least, the game hints that Zeiva could be capable of great things in the future."[4]

References

  1. ↑ "DeviantArt". 2011. Retrieved 2011-01-15.
  2. ↑ "Interview with Mirage from Zeiva Inc.". Retrieved 2011-01-15.
  3. ↑ "X-Note Opening". 2011. Retrieved 2011-01-15.
  4. ↑ "Gamertell". 2011. Retrieved 2011-01-15.
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