In a recent update post, the official X account for the Japanese indie animation project lain: Protocol 7 announced that a playable demo for the upcoming visual novel version of the story has been released. With an estimated playtime of 20 to 40 minutes, the demo is playable on PC and Mac, and is available for download on itch.io.
Lain: Protocol 7 is an unofficial fan-made media project based on the anime/PS1 game, Serial Experiments Lain. The crowdfunding pitch for an OVA launched on the online platform Campfire on July 7, quickly gaining traction and reaching its initial goal of 2 million yen in just a day. According to its official webpage, the OVA is imagined as an attempt to connect the 1998 Serial Experiments Lain with the realities of the 2020s, posing the question: “What remains human in an age where records and AI can answer on behalf of the person?” The project has thus, thematically, embraced the use of AI-assisted tools in its production, explaining the method as a way to capture the essence of the setting as seen through the lens of a modern context. The indie project is listed as produced under the TTL 2019-2028 fan creation guidelines for Serial Experiments Lain.
The visual novel version of lain: Protocol 7 was planned as a bonus for reaching its 5 million yen stretch goal, which was met just 2 days after the campaign’s launch. Further stretch goals (which the project has also reached as of this writing) promise full voice acting and an animated opening movie. Crowdfunding efforts are still ongoing, with the project having reached 600% of its original asking price, currently sitting at a whopping 12 million yen.
The playable demo is, as explained ontheitch.io page, an alternate take on the events that will transpire in the feature-length OVA. The complete game is expected to cover scenes cut from the animation and even offer alternative endings to the story of lain: Protocol 7.
The demo for lain: Protocol 7 is available now for free on PC and macOS (itch.io). The estimated playtime is 20 to 40 minutes and is currently only available in Japanese. The release date for the full version is TBA as of this writing.
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I really liked this trailer. The themes of AI fit perfectly in the world of Serial Experiments Lain.