A Town Full of Secrets: A Kuznetsk 1997 Review

By Manuel

Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, XBox Series XS
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I've reviewed countless visual novels during my time at A-to-J, and it takes a lot for one to stand out amongst the crowd. Kuznetsk 1997: Detective Visual Novel (Which I'm going to refer to as simply "Kuznetsk 1997" from here on.) manages to do exactly that. Originally developed and released onto Steam in 2023 by Hit'n'Run Digital Studio, it also is available on the Nintendo Switch and XBox Series XS by way of publisher 17Studio. We're going to be taking a look at the game on the Switch, though I'm sure all the versions are mostly identical. There's going to be a lot to go over in this one, so let's just dive straight in!

Kuznetsk 1997 takes place in a fictional small town name Kuznetsk, in the year 1997. So far so good, right? The town used to be a much livelier place when the local chemical plant was still open, but it seems to be stuck in time ever since it closed down. You take on the role of Anton, a high school student who has two close friends named Alisa and Sergey. The trio have been together since they were very young, and they get up to all sorts of mischief out of sheer boredom. One day they happen upon a mysterious tunnel that's located beneath the abandoned church on the outskirts of town. This is strange enough on its own, but it's not the only weird thing going on around Kuznetsk. Someone has broken into the unfinished housing unit for the chemical plant workers, Anton meets a mysterious girl in the park who claims to know our main trio, and the friends all notice a shady-looking soldier roaming about town. These seemingly random events come to a head when Sergey is murdered. No one knows who or why it happened, but Sergey magically turns up after a couple days, seemingly with no knowledge of what happened before. This causes a rift between the formerly inseparable friend group, and Anton and Alisa make it their mission to uncover the secrets that their small town has been hiding.

Visual novels live and die by their plots, and Kuznetsk 1997 has one of the best I've ever seen. Not only is the mystery deep and intense, but the cast of characters are all fully fleshed out and developed too. We learn a lot about the trio's past early on, and eventually come to understand everything there is to know about their inter-personal relationships. Anton is the clear leader of the group, though he also doesn't seem to take his friends' feelings into account whenever he does or says something brash. Sergey is something of a hanger-on to Anton, though he also is his best friend, and he also has a crush on the new girl at school named Daria. Alisa is a tomboy who has a very obvious crush on Anton, and the bond between the two friends is what ultimately drives the game forward. That's not all either, as the supporting cast is just as strong. Daria is almost like the fourth member of the friend group, the mysterious girl mentioned earlier becomes very important to the plot, and we even get to know that sketchy soldier too. The only thing that keeps this game from being perfect is the fact that it's a translated game from Russian, and that does show in several places, but I don't really want to knock the game down for something it clearly can't control.

While it's true that Kuznetsk 1997 is a visual novel, it's neither a traditional one, nor a kinetic one. There are choices to be made, but they all involve "trust". Instead of dialogue choices, you're instead prompted to choose if you trust what a character is telling you or not. This then alters the course of the game in ways you probably won't expect. This makes the game feel a bit like John Carpenter's The Thing, or maybe a visual novel version of an Among Us game. Obviously the plot isn't close to either of those examples, but this approach does give the game a different vibe when compared to your standard horror-themed visual novel. I do suggest saving before each choice comes up, as saving during the choice seems to force you into picking whichever one you have highlighted when you do so. This was rather annoying, but you'll be fine if you save frequently. There is a skip option for text you've already read too, but there isn't one to go back to previous choices. You'll still be fine I'm sure, but it's just one of the quirks of this game that you'll have to deal with. I personally like to play through these types of games "naturally" on my first attempt to see what ending I would get just going by my wits, but your mileage will vary. There might not be anything truly revolutionary here gameplay-wise, but I'm all for anything positive and new in the visual novel scene.

I already hinted at it earlier, but Kuznetsk 1997 has one of the craziest plots imaginable. I don't want to get into it too much so as not reveal spoilers, but it's part horror, part mystery, and completely well-written throughout. I went into it expecting to just get a slice-of-life story from a time and place I knew nothing about, and was shocked when things quickly took a turn. That's another thing too, as this game can easily be enjoyed just based on its setting. Most players in the West won't be familiar with small town Russian life in the late '90s, so this game gets bonus points for that. It also is full of twists and turns, and I’m not afraid to say that many of them caught me by surprise. I was kept on the edge of my seat throughout my time with the game, and I finished most of it in a single session since I had to know how things turned out. The trust mechanic also caused me a lot of anxiety, and I meant that in the best gameplay-centric way I can. Will trusting the wrong person get my friends killed? Should I see how far this rabbit hole goes or try to turn away? Those questions ate at me, and the writing is so spot on that I wanted more even when the game wrapped up. I should point out now that the plot does explore some rather dark topics like depression, abuse, self-harm, murder, and other things that I don't feel like revealing here, so it might not be for everyone. If you can get over that sort of subject matter though, you'll find a truly unforgettable game beneath it all.

I think it's clear by this point that I'm a big fan of Kuznetsk 1997, but it does have some small issues that I should point out before moving on. I could mention minor things like limited save slots and the lack of a gallery mode, but my biggest gripes all seem to center on the game's translation. I don't want to be too harsh on the translation, as I expected the occasional wrongly worded sentence, or improper word usage, here and there. There is that here of course, but that's not all of it. Going beyond a few wonky sentences, there are also some cultural bits that are dropped with no explanation (Yes, I know about the glossary, not everything is in there.), nicknames that are used more than a character's displayed names, and there were even a handful of text boxes that were left untranslated entirely. Strangest of all has to be the way the game deals with very some of the subject matter it chooses to tackle. I'm not sure if it's due to quirks in translation, or if these issues aren't seen as the big deal they are here, but the casual references to violence by and against the main cast struck me as odd. There were several times when I leaned towards despising Anton due to the things he said and did, and everyone's casual acceptance of the abuse suffered by Alisa struck me as particularly strange. I guess these things are somewhat addressed within the game itself, but not to the point where they stopped feeling weird. None of these issues ruin the game by any stretch, but they can bring you out of the game if you take issue with them like I did.

Rather than go for a hyper realistic approach to its visual style, Kuznetsk 1997 instead goes for the anime aesthetic one comes to expect from visual novels like this. It may not be the most original of choices, but it is a well-executed one. It's a common trope that indie visual novel releases from outside of Japan have art that looks like it came from a "How to Draw Anime" book, but there really isn't any of that here. I don't think anyone will mistake this for a Japanese-produced game, but that doesn't change the fact that the game looks amazing. The character designs are all on point, the backgrounds are varied and detailed, and there are way more CGs than I was expecting to find in such a small game. The characters also have different outfits and looks, and the CGs have variants to them, with characters coming and going or moving around in them. That's not something one typically sees in indie titles like this, and it's definitely a pleasant surprise. The visuals also do a good job of conveying the mood of the game, and pull off the shift between light-hearted fun to depressingly dark moments perfectly. I once again have to lament the fact that there isn't any sort of gallery to unlock, as I would've loved being given the opportunity to check out the art on its own.

I have similar positive things to say when it comes to the game's sound design, though it does have one issue that I'll get to in just a bit. Kuznetsk 1997 has a great soundtrack that's full of music that perfectly accentuates every scene that it's in, though it never really gets in the way. This isn't the kind of soundtrack that causes one to rush out and purchase it on its own, but it is one that doesn't take away from how good it is. The game also features full voice acting, and the strength of the actors’ performances comes through even though I don't know a single word of Russian. I guess I should point out that there isn't any English dub, but I personally wasn't expecting to find one anyway. The fact that there's full voice acting at all is shocking in and of itself, so thinking that there would be an English track too is a bit much. My only issue with the sound design has to do with how it's mixed by default. The game takes the "wall of sound" approach the things, where everything is as loud as everything else. This makes it very hard to hear the voice acting over the music, and I suggest lowering the latter to about half in order to actually be able to hear everything clearly. I know it might sound weird to want to hear voice acting I can't understand, but it's even weirder to have everything stepping over each other in the mix otherwise.

It will take most players about 4-5 hours to get to their first ending in Kuznetsk 1997, and maybe another 2-3 hours to see everything the game has to offer. There are four endings to see, though I won't go any further regarding what each of them entails so as not to spoil anything. These endings are meant to represent "Bad" and "Good" endings, but I think that they all work in wrapping up the plot. Even the darkest of them feels fulfilling in an odd way, and its writing and tone perfectly matches everything that came before. I'm no stranger to visual novels fumbling the ball at the very end, but that's not the case here at all. Kuznetsk 1997 continues strong to the very end, and it's priced at a level that feels fitting considering the amount of content one gets. $9.99 isn't the lowest I've seen for an indie visual novel, but this one is of a quality above many others. It also didn't pick up a "console tax" on the trip from the PC, so it makes picking it up an even easier choice.

Even though I have some minor issues with how the game handles some plot elements, I still have to give Kuznetsk 1997 the fullest of recommendations. It's a must buy for visual novel fans, especially those looking for something different. Its twists and turns come completely out of left field, and that can be refreshing to those used to forgettable VNs that are full of all the expected tropes. Kuznetsk 1997 is sure to stick in your head long after it’s done, and I want more people to play it so that I can have others to talk to about it with. No matter what platform you get it on, you're sure to have an experience that'll stick with you long after you turn the game off. And on that note, I'm done here. See you in the next one!

Check Out Kuznetsk 1997: Detective Visual Novel on Nintendo Switch:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/kuznetsk-1997-detective-visual-novel-switch/

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Story: A
Gameplay: N/A
Graphics: A
Music/Sound: A
Value: A

Overall: A

Pros:
+ A dark visual novel that will keep you guessing from start to finish.
+ The plot is well-written, and it offers a look at late '90s Russia that's sure to be a treat for Western players.
+ While it's unfortunate that the game doesn't have a gallery, the art is some of the best I've seen in an indie visual novel.
+ Both music and voice acting are perfect, and the sound design adds another layer to the game's immersion.
+ Multiple routes and endings will keep players invested for quite a while.

Cons:
- The sound mix is a bit off by default (I suggest you lower the music volume to about half for the best experience.), and the translation has its wonky moments.
- There aren't really any traditional visual novel choices here, as the branching paths are based on "trust". This is more of a nitpick, but it may confuse fans of the genre.
- Some plot elements, like abuse and self-harm, seem to come out of nowhere and are treated a bit too casually for my liking.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

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The title screen also has a cool minigame!

#Kuznetsk1997