1997 RELOADED
Gaigo Studio · 2026 · Visual Novel, Story Rich, Music, 1990's, Emotional
PC
4 user reviews100% · 4
Compare prices in Official Stores
Screenshots
About 1997 RELOADED
Like a prestige graphic novel brought to life, this linear coming-of-age adventure invites you to witness a powerful story of love, justice, and nostalgia.
"NEO-RETRO" AESTHETIC 🌃Over 2,000 original illustrations that combine philological research of the '90s with a sharp, modern directorial style.
💥 THE ROXYVERSE
Set in an alternate timeline where Grunge never existed and Los Angeles acted as the epicentre of the 1990s Alt-rock scene.AN AUTHENTIC '90s MUSIC SCENE, BUILT FROM THE GROUND UP 📀
The Roxyverse comes alive through a curated collection of original Pop and Alt-rock tracks, performed by the fictional legends you encounter in the story. This lost music scene is brought to life by stellar indie vocalists:
Features a vintage answering machine with 12 authentic voice messages recorded by real actors to take you back in time. Explore the lore in the dedicated Reading Room, packed with vintage articles, music files, and secrets to uncover.3 NARRATIVE MINI-GAMES 🧩 Take brief, interactive breaks to unlock key chapters of the story. The game features exactly 3 unique text and logic puzzles:
Designed for a global audience, but keeping the authentic spirit of a summer abroad, the interface and core dialogue are in English. However, to stay true to the characters' roots, some exchanges between the Italian protagonists remain in their native tongue—always translated or rephrased within the narrative. For a deeper dive, entire key segments of the game can be experienced in both English and Italian, offering a fluid, multicultural journey that captures the authentic spirit of a summer abroad.
Hove, England. June 2023.
Italian best friends Marco and Federico, 16, are trying to survive an intensive English summer course away from home, spending as much time as they can with Shirley, the determined, pink-haired daughter of Marco’s host family.Until a regular afternoon at a local flea market changes everything: among the relics of the past, the trio stumbles upon a vintage answering machine. Inside—like a message in a bottle— is a haunting audio recording: clear evidence of a murder from decades ago.What begins as a curious discovery becomes an incredible quest for the truth.From the grey coasts of Europe to the neon nights of NYC and the sun-drenched streets of Los Angeles, you will follow these three kids as they dive deep into a reimagined 1990s music scene to uncover forgotten secrets about good, evil, and the fleeting nature of fame.Will they be able to right a decades-old wrong? Or is some history better left buried? 🎞️ CINEMATIC RUNTIMEApproximately 5 hours of gameplay: perfect for a two-night "movie marathon" or one single, immersive session."NEO-RETRO" AESTHETIC 🌃Over 2,000 original illustrations that combine philological research of the '90s with a sharp, modern directorial style.
💥 THE ROXYVERSE
Set in an alternate timeline where Grunge never existed and Los Angeles acted as the epicentre of the 1990s Alt-rock scene.AN AUTHENTIC '90s MUSIC SCENE, BUILT FROM THE GROUND UP 📀
The Roxyverse comes alive through a curated collection of original Pop and Alt-rock tracks, performed by the fictional legends you encounter in the story. This lost music scene is brought to life by stellar indie vocalists:
- Ken Gordon & Rosa Helena bringing raw indie energy.
- Jessie Wagner (touring vocalist for Lenny Kravitz, Duran Duran, and Kid Rock).
Features a vintage answering machine with 12 authentic voice messages recorded by real actors to take you back in time. Explore the lore in the dedicated Reading Room, packed with vintage articles, music files, and secrets to uncover.3 NARRATIVE MINI-GAMES 🧩 Take brief, interactive breaks to unlock key chapters of the story. The game features exactly 3 unique text and logic puzzles:
- Fill-in-the-gaps: Listen closely to decode vintage audio tapes and complete the transcriptions.
- Text Quiz: Answer riddles to improve phone screen quality and track down who rented the movie.
- Star Drag-and-Drop: Align the Little Dipper star pattern to reveal the first lyrics of Walk Alone.
Designed for a global audience, but keeping the authentic spirit of a summer abroad, the interface and core dialogue are in English. However, to stay true to the characters' roots, some exchanges between the Italian protagonists remain in their native tongue—always translated or rephrased within the narrative. For a deeper dive, entire key segments of the game can be experienced in both English and Italian, offering a fluid, multicultural journey that captures the authentic spirit of a summer abroad.
What Steam players say
Recent verbatim reviews from Steam — separate from playze.io community reviews below.
[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 co…10 found this helpful
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, o…1 found this helpful
Andy, whatever happened to you? I'm not usually into gaming but I watched on as my son played this for a while at my house and I decided to sign up to Steam and play the game myself, at my leisure. I've got to say I'm hooked. I'm right in the middle of the game and the atmosphere is incredible, especially as the story is linear and the choices cosmetic. Thus far all vital info has been re-capped so, as a newbie, I'm not struggling or feeling confused. i'm loving the hand-drawn frames, they have a unique feel. Knowing it's entirely made by human hand is nice, there's a lot of love gone into the details. I'm new to the world of enhanced comics but I get it and I love the way the novel unfolds on screen, the atmospheric music complimenting the graphics beautifully. For me, the use of music can make or break a film I'm watching so I was pleasantly surprised that it's used to good effect to emphasise mood of a scene. I must admit I was initially caught out by the blend of English with Italian dialogue but I got used to it in no time and it works. I've travelled a fair bit in my time and could relate to it. It's actually a nice touch that adds to the whole storytelling and 'summer a…1 found this helpful
An intriguing and twisting storyline that kept me hooked! The artwork is very unique and the original soundtrack really made the game feel it’s own1 found this helpful
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!1 found this helpful
1997 Reloded is fantastic! a trip down memory lane for oldies like myself, great music! The story is compelling and it unfolds beautifully. The details are stunning, real artistry at work here... it calls you back, you want to start again, there is so much to discover. Hope more of this will come. Well done! One to buy and cherish for sure!1 found this helpful
Community reviews
—
0 reviews
Sign in to write a review.
No reviews yet. Be the first to review this game.
