Schrödinger's Call Review: The Best Game Nobody Is Talking About

Every year one small game blindsides me harder than any blockbuster, and in 2026 it is Schrödinger's Call - a visual novel from Japanese studio Acrobatic Chirimenjako, published by Shueisha Games, out since May 28 on PC (Steam) and Nintendo Switch for $17.99. Almost nobody is covering it. That is a mistake I am here to correct.

What it is

You are Mary, a woman who wakes with no memories and one job: she is humanity's final conversational partner. The moon is falling, and in the stretched-out last 21 nanoseconds before Earth's destruction, souls call her on the phone - rendered as cats, frogs, owls and other picture-book creatures - to talk through their lives, their regrets, the things they never said out loud. You answer, you listen, you choose your words carefully, and you take notes, because details from one call unlock understanding in another. That is the whole game. It is more than enough.

Why it works

The writing is the star, and it is exceptional: funny in one line, quietly devastating three lines later. Each call is a self-contained short story about grief, memory or connection, and the choice mechanics matter in a way most visual novels only pretend - saying the wrong kind thing is possible, and the game lets you live with it. The picture-book art style swings between charming and genuinely unsettling, which keeps the apocalyptic frame from ever becoming cosy wallpaper. Critics who did find it agree - a 90 on Metacritic for the PC version and a 95% recommendation rate on OpenCritic make it one of the highest-rated games of the year, and the project won the grand prize at Japan's GAME BBQ competition back in 2021, before anyone here had heard of it.

The honest caveats

This is a visual novel in the fullest sense: you read, you choose, you read more. If interactive fiction is not your genre, an emotional premise will not convert you. The tone also takes a few calls to click - the early strangeness borders on off-putting before the design reveals its purpose. And there is no Croatian localisation, so comfortable reading English is required in our region.

Who is it for?

Anyone who loved the quiet humanity of games like Spiritfarer or A Space for the Unbound. Anyone who has ever rehearsed a phone call they never made. At $17.99 it costs less than two cinema tickets and will stay with you far longer.

Verdict

Schrödinger's Call is the definition of a hidden gem: tiny team, strange premise, flawless execution. I finished it days ago and I am still thinking about two of those calls.

Score: 9/10

Image: Shixart1985 / CC BY 2.0, source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_hand_presses_the_dial_of_a_vintage_rotary_telephone_on_a_desk_next_to_a_sleek_laptop.jpg