A Group Drama Inheriting the DNA of '428' – A Near-Future Sci-Fi Mystery Novel Game 'Trinity Singular Point' That Questions the Future of the AI Era

Key Visual

AI is hacking brains and driving people to suicide.

Set in a near future where AI has intelligence equal to humans, 'Trinity Singular Point' is a sci-fi group drama novel game where three protagonists with different backgrounds take on the mystery of the case. Players switch between three perspectives, creating a new experience by conveying each character's 'seed of an idea' to another protagonist, branching the story. We spoke with Soncho, the lead developer, about this game, which is scheduled for release on Steam between 2026 and 2027.

— Soncho, please introduce yourself again.
My name is Soncho. I was originally a freelance engineer, and now I am developing a game called 'Trinity Singular Point' as an indie game developer.

What is 'Trinity Singular Point'? — What kind of game is it?

— What kind of game is 'Trinity Singular Point' that you are developing?
It is a group drama type novel game where you switch between three protagonists.
The story revolves around the mystery of a series of suicides occurring in a near future where AI has become as intelligent as humans. Three stories intertwine complexly and eventually converge into one.
The theme of this game, in a word, is 'How will humans live together with AI from now on?' The three protagonists each face this question from different positions and values.

Influential Work — '428: Shibuya Scramble'

— Are there any works that influenced your production?
It's a novel game called '428: Shibuya Scramble'. It was released about 15 years ago, but it is a group drama novel game that is still talked about as a masterpiece among novel game enthusiasts.
— What attracted you to it?
'428' is a group drama where you switch between five protagonists. The protagonists don't know each other's faces or names and are tackling completely different issues.
However, these five people are all in 'Shibuya on the same day'. As each protagonist moves with different goals, one person's actions unknowingly affect another. The story chains together like a butterfly effect, eventually converging into one big story – that's the structure.

When you play this game, at a certain moment, the player suddenly realizes: 'This story isn't just one person's story.'

Someone's small action can save another person, or it can ruin someone. We are mysteriously connected, and the chain of actions can, in a roundabout way, save someone – I think that tactile feeling is the essence of '428'.

Even 15 years later, it's hard to find a work that surpasses it. It's that much of a masterpiece.

Beyond '428'. — The Engram System and 'Propagation of Ideas'

— In relation to '428', what new challenges is 'Trinity Singular Point' taking on?
What '428' depicted was a 'chain of actions'. What I want to depict in this work is a 'chain of ideas'.
— A chain of ideas, you say.
The three protagonists in this work each have completely different values. As the player progresses through the game, they 'collect' the values, ideas, and perspectives of the three characters. 'This person thinks this way' or 'This person came up with this idea' accumulates during the play.
Then, the player takes on the role of 'conveying' an idea that one protagonist has to another protagonist. At that moment, different values mix within the protagonist who receives the idea. As a result, a third option, 'C, which is neither A nor B', that couldn't be reached alone, flashes in that protagonist's mind – this is the core 'Engram System' of this work.
— So the player is the one who 'conveys ideas'.
That's right. There are scenes where you choose to 'say' or 'not say', and you also choose 'when, to whom, and which idea to convey'. Depending on the situation, the protagonist might reject the conveyed idea. Conversely, they might accept it as a perspective they didn't have, leading to a new step. The player's own trial and error drives the story forward.

Expression Only Possible in the Game Medium

— Why did you choose the novel game format to depict this theme?
In analyzing why '428' moves so many people as a masterpiece, I realized that '428' stands out compared to other works in that the direction indicated by its game system and the direction of its story's message are aligned.
Players try various actions motivated by a desire to 'advance the story'. As they repeat this, at a certain moment, they don't learn from the story itself, but realize something through the tactile feeling of their own trial and error. They suddenly realize: 'This story world will eventually hit a dead end with just one person. But a small change in someone's action can open a path.'

I think movies, manga, and anime are all wonderful content. But I believe the maximum these media can do is 'convey' something.

Game content can go beyond that and allow players to 'discover' things for themselves. Surpassing being convinced by someone else, understanding something intuitively as a result of one's own trial and error – 'Ah, so that's how it is.' I believe this is an expression that only the game medium can achieve.

In 'Trinity Singular Point', I want to do this with the theme of 'chain of ideas'. Even in situations where one's own ideas hit a dead end, combining someone else's perspective can lead to a breakthrough – I want players to discover this structure of the story world for themselves.

Who We Want to Reach

— Who do you want to play this game?
We are targeting two groups.
The first is people who like novel games. I myself love novel games, so I've packed this work with novel game-like gimmicks. I want people who like solid novel games like '428' or 'Ever17' to pick it up first.
The second is the many people interested in the future of AI and humanity. People who are interested in how AI will change society in the future, but honestly find it tough to read thick specialized books – I would feel it was worth making if such people could pick it up a bit more casually, enjoy it, and use it as a 'trigger to think'.

Release Schedule and Future Plans

— Please tell us about the current development status and future plans.
The main scenario, over 200,000 characters, and the game system are complete. We are currently working on final adjustments as a product, such as preparing the beta version and finishing illustrations and music.
We are aiming for a release between 2026 and 2027, and development is ongoing.

— Please give a message to our readers.
'Trinity Singular Point' has its Steam store page public.