Shuten Order - Switch 2 Review

Shuten Order by developers Neilo Inc. & Too Kyo Games in collaboration with DMM GAMES and publisher Spike Chunsoft—Switch 2 review written by Jim with a copy provided by the publisher.

Estimated Reading Time:  4 minutes.  

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Shuten Order is a challenging game for me to review for multiple reasons. First is some of the subject matter. The game focuses a lot on a God, and I was raised and still am a Christian, so some of the talk might be sensitive for some players. When you use "God's power" to accidentally blow up someone's head at the beginning of the game, I didn't like it. Now, I'm usually okay with most things in games, even if they talk about God or gods, because games are fiction, but I really didn't like how it was used in this game, like praying for the end of humanity. Anything that makes this game hard for me to review is that, every time I play it, something bad happens in real life. I'm not superstitious at all, but when something awful happens every time I play the game, it just gets to me. This also brings me to my apologies to the devs, the publisher, and everyone here at CGR. I'm sorry for taking so long in this review, and thanks for being so understanding about the circumstances.

Mainly, Shuten Order is a visual novel game with multiple paths you have to take to solve the murder of the cult leader of Shuten, who also happens to be the character you are playing as. What makes this visual novel so different is that each path or route you take is a different genre. The genres are murder mystery/investigation, much like the Ace Attorney games; an extreme escape game like the Nonary Games series; a dating sim; and a survival-horror escape game where you mostly just run away from a killer. If you enjoy genre-blending games or murder mysteries, this game offers a variety of experiences, though some may find the religious themes less appealing.

I played through three of these, but as I stated above, each time something happened for real that took me away from the game. I played the murder mystery route, and as a fan of Ace Attorney, I enjoyed this path until the end, that is. After you complete a route, you will be taken back to pick another one, so it doesn't matter what order you pick them in; you will always have a chance to come back and play the others. The second route I took was the horror escape route. It was a decent route, but lacking a little, as the killer is easy to get away from just by hiding. Lastly was the dating sim. I liked this one the least out of the three routes I played. It's less serious than the others, but it's basically like all the other dating-sim VNs out there.

I did run into a few issues with the game. The translation is hit-or-miss, with some sentences making no sense, and I had to reread a few times to understand what it was saying. Another issue was that the text sometimes appears off-screen, and there's no way to see it. In some scenes, the text becomes blurry as a way to make the game scarier or something, but it was annoying to read like that. The game is voiced in Japanese. It wasn't an issue for players in Japan, but with no English dub, this effect should have been changed or removed from the text. Lastly, I ran into a problem a few times when the sound, music, and voices all stopped working, and I had to reset the game to get them working again.

The Japanese voices are good. I wish they would get an English dub for these types of games, but most don't. I liked that the main character is a female who everyone thinks is male, and the Japanese voice actor does a good job of sounding like either a male or a female. All the other voices in the game seem to fit their characters very well. The music is decent for the type of game, too. Graphically, the game is decent for a VN. I like the twists and turns in the game, but the overall religious themes are a huge turnoff for me. A few religious things here and there in a game are fine with me, but when the game seems to be mainly about a cult and religion and God, I just couldn't get into that.

Overall, the game is very unique, and I like that, but it doesn't excel in any of the genres it offers beyond being a VN. The story is okay, but I didn't like the game's theme much. If there were less religion and more about solving a murder, I probably would have enjoyed it more. I won't take points away for it because these are just personal opinions. So, the game is decent but not my cup of tea.

Score: 7 / 10

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Shuten Order - Nintendo Switch Review

Shuten Order by developer DMM Games and publisher Spike Chunsoft—Nintendo Switch review written by Richard with a copy provided by the publisher.

 
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

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Do you believe in God? Or do you pray for the end of humanity? Are you part of the Shuten Order, or one of those violent heretics? Well, those aren’t important right now. What is important is finding the murderer of the Founder of the Order and saving humanity!

Shuten Order is an interesting game that slaps five different genres together and actually does it pretty decently. The main premise of Shuten Order is that you awaken in a strange hotel room and are told by two self professed angels you must investigate the death of the founder of the local cult: Shuten. Well, more of a sort of city-state really, and as far as cults go they aren’t that bad. The religious doctrines include no violence and no murder, so crime is surprisingly low. Unfortunately, the founder of Shuten has been brutally dismembered. It is up to you to discover who the murderer is!

Shuten Order is a bit of a quirky game, but not necessarily in a bad way. You get told at the beginning of the game by two characters calling themselves angels that you, despite your recent memory loss, are in fact the dismembered founder. Not only that, but God has issued you a trial to find your own murderer. Luckily for you, you can use the power of God to help. Despite Shuten being an anti-religious religious cult. Hmmm, well, hopefully you can figure out what’s up with that as things progress. You will be given a directive to use the power of God to determine who the murderer is, and then investigate them and force them to confess to their crimes.

It is at this point that the genre of Shuten Order is tossed in a salad spinner. Whoever you select as the culprit will determine what the gameplay style is like. So, when investigating the five ministers who are the most likely culprits behind your death, you must also think of what kind of gameplay you prefer. You do go through all five routes for the full experience, so don’t worry about restarting to choose another route. They do all interrelate to varying degrees as well.

The different gameplay types, from left to right in the options, are: murder mystery/investigation, “extreme escape game”, multi-perspective, romantic (?), and survival escape. Let’s break each of these down a little so you have an idea what’s what with each genre type. In the murder mystery option you will be following the Minister of Justice to a rich family’s private island in order to read a will. Once there, you discover a murder has taken place. You are tasked with investigating the murder. Gameplay is a lot of interacting with objects and asking people questions. You can do a fancy finger snap to try and draw connections to important topics, but too much snapping makes you look dumb and you’ll lose trust. There are also debate segments where you must prove your suspicions. Kind of similar to Phoenix Wright in style, just less courthouse.

Next up we have the “extreme escape game”. Notice the quotation marks. While this is generally marketed as an escape game style route while investigating the Minister of Health, it’s largely walking around an empty area doing the occasional puzzle minigame until the end when you get an actual escape room. Just wanted to let you know so you aren’t as disappointed as I was in the gameplay. The story and world building reveals were outstanding, but the gameplay was a bit of a slog.

Multi-perspective is pretty much traditional visual novel fare. You make choices which will change outcomes, which will then open up new paths for different characters. The game doesn’t really tell you this, but after your first dead end you can open the flowchart for the routes yourself instead of at the end of a route to go back and make other choices. Honestly I thought this was going to be the most boring route when I started, but I was pleasantly mistaken.

For the investigation into the ministry of Education you have a romantic (?) adventure. Basically think traditional dating sim, where you need to raise affection with different characters to unlock their ending route. Yes that question mark is there for a reason, no I won’t say why, yes it’s actually in the game itself too. Once again I thought this route would be sort of boring, and if you rush through it it kind of is, but there is SO MUCH in this route that isn’t laid out for you that makes it really great. Over the course of this route, you can learn a bunch of interesting facts about the other routes and characters as they’re progressing. There are allusions to a lot of other interesting details that were really neat to learn. A plus for the subtle world building.

The final entry is survival escape with the Minister of Security. Short story is it’s very much like Corpse Party. Long story, you have to escape from a serial killer by dropping shutters to slow them down, hiding in safety lockers, and solving puzzles while you’re getting chased in a 3D isometric perspective. It isn’t super complicated, but it was a lot more active than any of the other routes.

At the end you can put your knowledge of all the routes together for one final shot at salvation. All routes feature a checkpoint system where you can retry if you get a game over from the nearest “checkpoint”, so you don’t really need to worry about making twenty seven different save files, unless you want to see the differences between different options. Each route has it’s own focus for delving into the world. One route may explain what the power of God actually is, another gives insight into the relationship between God, the heretics, and Shuten, and another sets up some important background about the murder of the Founder as well as how Shuten functions as a whole. Also, at least three of the routes will drop a tactical nuke equivalent of a reveal on you by the end that may have you sitting there gaping for at least five minutes if you haven’t played other routes that hint towards it.

As a whole I’d say Shuten Order is a pretty artistic game in a lot of ways. It divests from the standard genre typing, has a weird introspective on society and religion while lamp-shading a lot of common tropes, and flips a few overused concepts. The art style used is a bit of a mash-up as well, with both 3D and 2D segments, standard visual novel style talking and scenes, but with interactable characters showing as sort of paper cut-outs to interact with before dialogue starts. The music is also kind of all over the place, from tense tones in the extreme escape game and survival segments, to more laidback in the multi-perspective and romantic (?) routes. Really, Shuten Order is a wonky stained-glass style of everything that it does. Gotta give them props for sticking to an overarching theme.

Shuten Order certainly isn’t without it’s faults. There are some text wrapping issues, one soft-lock I found in the Minister of Justice route, and some misplaced text options, but nothing wildly egregious, most of which I’m sure will be patched out on release. Shuten Order also suffers from the same thing most multi-genre style games do: the gameplay isn’t really fully fleshed out. It feels like Shuten Order tried to do too many things at once and couldn’t adequately make all of them feel “full”, for lack of a better word. Does the gameplay work fine? Well, yeah, but it doesn’t feel complete either. Like it could be better but it wasn’t fully fleshed out, or the route ended before it could really take off. Nothing is “incomplete”, but it does all mostly feel like if there was the leeway to afford more effort in certain gameplay areas it would be appreciated.

Shuten Order is a really interesting title. It blends a variety of different genres with some really interesting world building in a high stakes murder mystery. While the individual genre routes may have benefitted from a more single genre focused approach, it is a very unique way of bridging together the overarching storyline. Shuten Order is definitely a title I’d suggest taking an interest in, although it is a very niche title. 

Score: 8 / 10 

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No Sleep for Kaname Date - From AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES - Nintendo Switch Review

No Sleep for Kaname Date - From AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES by developer and publisher Spike Chunsoft—Nintendo Switch review written by Richard with a copy provided by the publisher.

 
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

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It’s time to get your detective boots on, because we’re about to take a delve into a world of mystery, kidnapping, and goofy shenanigans! Kaname Date and the gang are back in the latest Somnium Files game. Forced to play an escape room game for their very lives, will they perish, or will they use their third eye to open a path forward! Time to find out in No Sleep for Kaname Date!

I should preface this by letting you know that if you haven’t played either of the first two games, there are both spoilers and probably some confusing moments you’ll come across in No Sleep for Kaname Date. A sort of “Somnium Files 1.5”, this game takes place between the original Somnium Files and Nirvana Initiative. Seriously though, you should probably at least play the first game before coming to this one. Adding some escape room style challenges in the style of the Zero Escape series, a series also produced by Spike Chunsoft, No Sleep for Kaname Date will see the cast of characters alternating between trips into the Somniums (mental subconciousness) of various characters and doing room escape puzzles.

No Sleep for Kaname Date starts out rolling with Iris, a local internet celebrity/streamer, being kidnapped by aliens (maybe)! She is challenged to escape the spaceship using only her wits and the tools around her by a mysterious being who claims to be an alien. Thankfully she can call on someone for help, and who better than Kaname Date! Ok, maybe there are a lot of better options, but at least he’ll try his best. So the game begins as Iris and other kidnappees must escape, while Kaname Date must figure out who has kidnapped them. As mysteries and egos collide, can you figure out the mastermind behind the kidnapping and help Iris escape?

Largely speaking, No Sleep for Kaname Date is pretty much what Nirvana Initiative was like just with added room escape sequences and less investigations. While you will be traveling to different locations as Kaname Date and interacting with people and environments, you will also be delving into people’s subconscious through psyncing with them. That is a process where a person will enter someone else’s subconscious mind to try and find out the hidden secrets they have. The psyncing has remained the same as Nirvana Initiative, where you have a set amount of time to explore the subjects mind. You must interact with objects, perform actions, and break the mental locks on the subjects secrets so they might be revealed to you. Each interaction will cost time, and some interactions will give you a Timie, which acts as a modifier to the time cost as a one-off usage. Your goal in these segments is to get some sort of indication or information to help you solve the case.

On the other hand, the escape room games are, for the most part, not timed and you will be investigating items around the room you’re trapped in and solve puzzles to help you escape. I’m glad to say that the escape game puzzles are, predominantly, very reasonable. One of my biggest issues in escape game style puzzles is when a puzzle is given with a solution that requires some sort of external knowledge or has some subtle solution that is counterintuitive or doesn’t match with what is available for your understanding. Spike Chunsoft has done really well with this in the past, and I’m happy to say that there aren’t any puzzles that require solutions so out of left field they are only solvable if you happen upon the answer by chance. There were only two puzzles that stumped me for a bit, one was a poor wording choice, but not incorrect, and the other was something I was just solving in a different manner that wasn’t the intended solution. Both are at least reasonable, so no worries there!

If you are having issues, whether in the Somniums or escape room puzzles, there are different difficulty settings you can choose. For the Somniums, you can select a difficulty before starting, and after completing one you can choose an “unlimited time” mode to see all the interactions and get all the collectibles. Although you can’t use this for the “finish with more than 0 seconds remaining” challenge, easier difficulties reduce the time penalties from choices, meaning these goals are a little easier. For the escape room sequences, easier difficulties mean you can scan the room for interactable points, get more hints, and increase the time limit for any portions where you are on a timer. Honestly, the variety of different difficulties is really great for players who struggle with one mode or the other while still maintaining the gameplay you want.

The soundtrack and graphics for the Somnium Files games have always been pretty decent, and thankfully the game runs well on the Switch, even in handheld mode. While some of the character models may be a little…chunky, let’s say, in handheld mode, the performance was still really good and I never had any crashes, stuttering, or other performance issues. The soundtrack is a lot of reused pieces from the other games, but it still works here, and why change something that works well? There are new and old environments to explore, and the escape rooms are some interesting designs to check out.

While No Sleep for Kaname Date is definitely on the shorter side, requiring a lot less time than either of the previous games in the series, probably about half the time to complete, it is a lot more exciting and a lot more player involvement and has a lot less exposition. While I could figure out the plotline pretty easily from the beginning, there are still some twists and turns, and it isn’t a boring direction. Additionally, there are a lot of alternate ending routes you can find, which are usually pretty funny and can range from serious shootouts to Date deciding to go on extended vacation instead of solving the case. 

Overall, No Sleep for Kaname Date is a really enjoyable addition the Somnium Files series. The addition of the escape room style sequences is a nice addition and were well put together, and the Somniums were interesting with just as many gag interactions as I’ve come to expect and love from the series. While this entry is definitely shorter than the rest, that doesn’t mean it’s any less fun. If you’ve played either of the other two games, I highly recommend you check out No Sleep for Kaname Date!

Score: 8.5 / 10 

 

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Ever 17: The Out of Infinity - Nintendo Switch Review

Ever 17 by developer MAGES. and publisher Spike Chunsoft US—Nintendo Switch review written by Natasha with a copy provided by the publisher.

 
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

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I've got a good one for ya! An awkward teen, an amnesiac kid, a grumpy Lolita, a bratty child (not really), a hacker, an oblivious employee and an AI walk into an underwater bio-dome---

Imma' stop your joke right there. 

Why?

Cuz', I'm gunna write it better. Duh!

~

--------------------[WARNING! YOU'RE ABOUT TO ENTER INFINITY]----------------------

Immerse yourself in LeMU

We welcome you to our artificial island water park that will bring you a lifetime experience that you will never forget. Enjoy our ocean-top theme park for the first part of your tri¶, then move down into our underwater bio-structure that will finish off your day in relaxation and comfort. There's much to expl¤re 51 meters under the $ea. View the m@rine life up close and pe®sonal, take a ride in one of our mini submarines or fill your bellies at our man¥ themed restaurants. Ät LeMU, thÊre's Ñever a dÜll moment. Yo#'re perfe¢tly sa%e ^n ou* han`s...

[ERROR]

[ERROR]

[ERROR]

A Group a Little Wet Behind the Ears

I was surprised to see that all the characters in Ever 17 were voiced at the start of the game, but as I continued further into the storyline the game has two separate points of view and depending on your choices you either play through one characters story or the other. They certainly didn't shy away from this colourful cast. How bout an introduction?

Takeshi Kuranari

Takeshi is one of our “Two-Choice” protagonists: a college student who decided to tag along with his friends to explore the wondrous water theme park, LeMU. After being separated on the ride down to the underwater facility, Takeshi creates a small incident that accidentally points him to being a bully. In order to clear this mix up, he agrees to help aid the situation only to find himself far into the medical branch of this dome. Too far away to escape the on-coming chaos that is about to unfold.

Kid

A young teenager and the other “Two-Choice” protagonist, who seems to have lost his memory. The only thing he seems to remember is chasing after a girl. His confusion makes him an easy target for those looking to take advantage of him, and he finds himself colliding with Takeshi and injuring himself in the process. As he is examined in the medical wing of the dome, chaos breaks out and he is locked in behind sealed doors. Confused and afraid, he must depend on his instinct to guide him through this underwater hellscape.

You Tanaka

A part-timer who works at LeMU during her summer break. She helps guests around the establishment and doubles as first aid assistance. She was the one who accused Takeshi of setting up poor Kid. She is head strong and tends to be the one to always diffuse a situation. As she tries to keep the group from panicking she battles with not only her entrapment, but an unknown disease that's slowly killing her.

Sora Akanegasaki

At first she seems like your typical tour guide, but it isn't long until you find out that this individual is different from the rest of the group. With the help of some advanced technical devices that are given to every guest at the park. You are greeted by this lovely AI. She is in charge of looking after LeMU's underwater structure. A super computer with a body. Even though Sora isn't tangible, she has eyes and ears on the whole building.

Coco Yagami

This spirited individual has dreamed of visiting the underwater theme park for some time. With her trusted pet dog, Pipi, they run into Takeshi on their way down into the bio-dome. Together she gets caught up in all the madness that takes place and is another victim trapped in this metallic prison. She does her best to cheer up anyone feeling down with a good joke here and there, but let's not forget that she's just as scared as the rest.

A Nostalgic Feeling

My first initial though on Ever 17 was how much this game brings me back to late 90's, early 2000's, anime vibes. The music and characters certainly fit the atmosphere. Considering I didn't play through my first Visual Novel type game until the 3DS, it was a nice change of pace to view this type of genre from an earlier time.

With obvious outdated visual and sounds, the story telling was surprisingly strong and compelling, keeping me interested enough to know what's going to happen next.

A Story Adrift

Overall, Ever 17: The Out of Infinity, was a charming change to my usual romance centered story telling. The further I got the crazier the game turned into. It definitely doesn't cut short on surprises and unpredictability. If you're looking for something to kick your nostalgia into overdrive, I highly recommend giving this game a try. I'm happy to give this game a rating of 8 out of 10!

-----------------------------[INFINITY TERMINATED]--------------------------------

Score: 8 / 10

 

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Never 7: The End of Infinity - Nintendo Switch Review

Never 7: The End of Infinity by developer MAGES. and publisher Spike Chunsoft US—Nintendo Switch review written by Natasha with a copy provided by the publisher.  

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

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You ever get the sense that you've experienced an event before in your life and can't seem to remember, but your body does? Or perhaps you've happened upon something that hasn't occurred yet, but you know exactly what's going to happen? (Walks across a sturdy bridge)

Are you saying, you can see the future? (Wooden boards creek beneath our feet)

Hard to say. More like I'm given these visions of events that are about to hap--- (Falls through a weak board on the bridge)

(Kneels down close to the open gap) Didn't see that one coming, did you? (Pulls out a pen and paper) DON'T WORRY, I'LL WRITE THAT YOU SURVIVE THE FALL!

~

A Sense of Deja-vu

Never 7 brings us on a trip up in cottage country, with a handful of students that are participating in a school activity where individuals get to know each other better. No one is connected, which allows everyone to form a fresh new bond. While they enjoy each others company for the next seven days, strange happenings seem to occur. Even weirder, you have the ability to stop it. Flashes and/or glimpses of future events spark through your mind. Is it possible that you're psychic? If so, perhaps you can stop a horrible death from coming true...

If the Cast of Baywatch was Stuck in a Time Paradox

What's a school trip without our stereotypical cast? Throw in a group of gullible teens and a handful of nearby local strangers and you have yourself a menagerie of trouble makers. Now, rise for attendance...

Makoto Ishihara

Our main, faceless, protagonist. He is very much a slacker, but makes up for it in how much he cares about those around him. He is also blessed (or cursed) with the ability to see the future, or rather, briefly see an event that's about to happen. With this kind of power you have the opportunity to possibly stop events from playing out as they should.

Yuka Kawashima

If you ever heard of teen spirit, then this girl is the definition of that. She is the lead counsellor of this school event and does her very best to get everyone to join in on cooperative activities. But this goody two-shoes comes with some bad habits. She's a terrible drunk and an even more terrible cook. Better watch out because she will corner you.

Haruka Higuchi

What most people would call the “Silent Type”. She really only seems to show interest in one individual and that's the main character... as long as you choose to chat her up, otherwise she's mostly quiet with the odd word here and there.

Okuhiko Iida

The superstar of the group and only other guy, Okuhiko has the attitude of a high-strung noble. He often teases the main character and tends to shove him off on almost anything they talk about. This guy tends to wear his feelings on his sleeve and this is noticeable for his affection towards Haruka, almost always tailing her around everywhere he goes.

Kurumi Morino

The Genki Girl of the group. Her playful and child-like attitude puts her as the youngest, but she ends up being the most mature in the darkest of moments. Her favourite past-time is pulling pranks on others and sometimes her antics could place her, or others, in hot water.

Izumi Morino

Kurumi's older sister, she is the picture perfect example of “Looks sweet on the outside, but crazy on the inside”. Unlike Yuka, Izumi is a master chef, which makes sense since she's the proud owner of her restaurant near the beach. On a side note... she's a terrible driver.

Saki Asakura

Our rich girl who lives nearby in a villa. She comes storming into Izumi's restaurant demanding why she never got her pizza order. (Hint: Okuhiko stole it) Then totally decides to forget the whole thing and befriends everyone instead over a home-cooked meal. She does continue to be the most prideful individual in the group which tends to put her in most people's bad graces throughout the game.

A Slow Precognition

Never 7 takes the meaning of “Slow-burn” and cranks it up to an 11. It is a snails pace for anything really exciting to happen and tends to leave me behind in that aspect. For a gal like me to play through a Visual Novel in full, you have to really start off strong in the story telling to keep me interested. However, I find this game falls short on delivering a compelling story, only to hold all the cards until the last hour of the game. Perhaps an audience with more patience could truly appreciate this game's story.

Time Waits for no One

To conclude, there is an intricate story about time and retrying intertwined within the game. In order to get the full picture you'll have to play multiple playthroughs to hopefully get the good ending you're searching for. It may not be my cup of tea, but people looking to bide their time to unwind the mystery that is Never 7: The End of Infinity, could have a better experience. This game gets my rating of 6.5 out of 10.

(A strange light flashes from behind as I put away my hammer and hardware) Woah! I feel like I've been here before? (I casually walk over to my friend)

You don't say? How bout you tell me all about it as we walk over this very sturdy looking bridge!

Score: 6.5 / 10

 

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Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE Plus - PS5 Review

Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE Plus by developer and publisher Spike Chunsoft—Sony PlayStation 5 review written by Pierre-Yves with a copy provided by the publisher.

Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes

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Potential trigger warning(s)

Master Detective Archives: Rain Code Plus has multiple themes that could be upsetting to some.

Please research beforehand to ensure the safety of your mental health before playing.

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Waking up in a lost and found, our protagonist finds himself unable to remember anything. Finding a piece of paper with his name on it, Yuma Kokohead, Yuma also finds a train ticket for the Amaterasu Express which is currently leaving the station. Boarding it by jumping on with no leads, Yuma is about to have a haunting adventure as he heads towards a place known as Kanai Ward.

Full disclosure, Richard has been hounding me for… checks initial release date… roughly one year to dive into this adventure. He's mentioned next to nothing other than I should REALLY open my Nintendo Switch Collector’s Edition. Spoiler alert, it's still sealed. So when the opportunity came up to visit the Plus version of Master Detective Archives: Rain Code? I threw on my trusty detective’s hat and jumped into the mystery.

And in all seriousness, what the hell did I sign up for!? Bonkers is what probably comes to mind. To be fair, I should have also expected this when a lot of the talent behind Danganronpa was along for the ride. What a ride it's been. 

At its core, Rain Code is a murder mystery adventure through both the real world and the paranormal in a giant city known as Kanai Ward. Locked away from most of the world, this mysterious location has plenty of mysteries to uncover including why it’s raining all of the time. This constant somber atmosphere really helps set the tone for the adventure. With the help of the Death God named Shinigami (Japanese for Death God, yes this is the joke), Yuma will need to investigate and analyze the real world murder scenes before diving into the paranormal to truly solve the case.

Some of these scenes are grisly, so I'll leave those visual details to your imagination to also avoid potential spoilers. You'll need to experience it all first hand. When you come across these scenes however, that's where you're going to want to inspect every little detail. Each of these clues, red herrings or otherwise will be important for your final verdict as to who did it.

What I really enjoyed with Rain Code over Danganronpa is that while they share the same formula, murders and investigations, Rain Code uses full 3D environments. Yuma can walk through the scene and then choose to further inspect certain areas either solo or with an ally. It definitely helps to sell the atmosphere because it's not just a still 2D landscape, it's an interactive environment with plenty to see. Not to say the other style doesn't work, far from it, but this felt more engaging for the task at hand.

If Rain Code had just been this formula, it would have been a good, if not great, title. The pacing is smooth. The voice acting is great and the timing of the auto feature makes it all feel natural to listen to. But that isn't the end of it. Unlike the Danganronpa series, not everything you need is available in the real world. Some of it is hidden within a paranormal world known as the Mystery Labyrinth and Shinigami will take you there.

My biggest concern with the mystery labyrinth was going to be repetition. Yes, me, of all people who love Soulslikes and Musou titles, I know. But in all seriousness, exploring a crime scene is one thing, but the more action oriented Mystery Labyrinth is another. Needing to basically conquer a gauntlet of challenges to find the truth, there was a risk that each subsequent visit could just be a chore if it followed the same pattern. 

Thankfully that's not quite the case. From just the first to second trips to the mystery dungeons, there are enough differences to keep you on your toes. Starting with what each has in common are the labyrinth corridors. These were perhaps my least favorite feature until I realized that as long as I let all of the dialog go by, I wouldn't be running forward endlessly wondering why I wasn't making it anywhere. If all these were necessary to listen to dialog? These should have been made into automated sequences.

What these corridors will lead to however is at all times anyone’s guess. Deathmatches with the rendered psyche of those in the real world that stand against you will be the most common. In these fights, Yuma will need to dodge, jump and duck under the flying words of the enemy until the time is right to strike back with the truth. Other events will contain the human form of Shinigami in a barrel waiting for you to clue in to the key work in question. For these, you’ll be on a time limit to strike at the proper letters rotating on the barrel. You’ll have to be careful though as each wrong guess will take away from your precious time.

These are perhaps the more common ones compared to other surprises that may be dungeon specific. It’s very hands-on which helps to change the tempo of the otherwise very heavy narrative experience. Very, heavy, narrative experience. This is not a complaint, far from it as I spent a few amazing evenings simply watching the “movie” go by before control was handed over to investigate or essentially dungeon crawl. The point that I want to make is that Rain Code is a giant time investment. You can’t simply play five or ten minutes here, five or ten minutes there. You’ll need to block off some serious time as you may not know when the next time you can save is.

Because there is so much, I was also very happy to have a constantly updating journal to keep track of everyone and everything. Persons of interest, key words, key locations, everything can be accessed at almost any time to look things up. Stayed up too late playing the night before and can’t quite remember where you left off? Not a problem.

So as mentioned above, while I can’t comment on Nintendo Switch to Sony PlayStation 5 performance differences, I can say that the PS5 version is very smooth. What I also appreciated is that the size of the text is also of decent size so if you wanted to simply take your PlayStation Portal to go, that’s not a problem. As a final bonus to these, is that Rain Code on the PS5 also contains the Switch DLC ready to go from the main menu. Thankfully there is a disclaimer that it’s better to finish the main story first in order to avoid potential spoilers.

Overall I loved my time with Master Detective Archives: Rain Code Plus. While it could be a lot to handle at times, either because of the nature of the murder mysteries or the reserve over the topness that the creative minds behind the Danganronpa series are known for, it was worth it.

Score: 9 / 10

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BAKERU - Nintendo Switch Review

BAKERU by developer Good-Feel Co. and publisher Spike Chunsoft—Nintendo Switch review written by Richard with a copy provided by the publisher.

 
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes 

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Are you ready for a wacky and weirdly informative/educational trip through Japan to dispel a not-so-vague evil? Well, you're in luck because today we're taking a look at BAKERU! 

BAKERU tells the tale of a young Tanuki Bakeru, or transforming raccoon-spirit, who ventures across Japan working to stop Oracle Saitama from taking over Japan with his Festival Troops. Along the way, Bakeru will meet allies, explore various locales, get into some fights, and improve his powers of transformation! If you're observant, you may also collect interesting trivia and souvenirs from the locations you visit.

As Bakeru you will travel across Japan in a 3D action adventure style. Gameplay is split into multiple stages, where each stage has the goal of either getting to the end and hitting an "end goal", or defeating a specific enemy to clear the stage. In the case of the "end goals", these are protected, and you must find and destroy at least three festival lanterns in order to break the protective barrier. These are either sitting around somewhere in the stage, protected by enemies, or need coaxing out of the ground with a power attack. There are usually more than three protective festival lanterns per stage, so no need to worry too much if you miss one.

Bakeru has a number of options available at his disposal in order to traverse Japan and defeat the Festival Troops. You can whack enemies with either of the shoulder buttons on the Switch, left button hits left, right hits right, or you can hit both at once for a stronger hit. You can also charge your hits for a power attack. Each individual charge does a different type of attack, while both together charged are an area of effect slam, which will also pull hidden festival lanterns out of the ground. You have a block and dodge, as well as a "perfect" form of both, where activating it just before a hit stuns an enemy or allows you to chain into attacks respectively. You will also acquire different powers of transformation as you progress through the game, such as the ability to shrink to get into small spaces, or a strong hitting form that doesn't last too long.

As you explore around each stage, there are collectables to find in the form of trivia, souvenirs, and friendly tanuki. The tanuki get unlocked later in the game, but the trivia and souvenirs are available from the beginning. Trivia can be earned by talking to a little yellow-coated character, and usually provides you with a piece of trivia related to the area. Sometimes this trivia is about the specific location you're visiting, or maybe it's about something related to a local specialty. The souvenirs come in sets of three and consist of a pennant for the area, and two locale related items. The tanuki on the other hand disguise themselves as objects in the stage, just with a raccoon stamp or tail on them, and shake occasionally. Whack them a few times and they'll join your roaming band as you travel Japan.

Is the game getting too tough for you? Enemies packing a wallop? Not enough health? Want to deal more damage or run faster? Well, lucky you! Throughout each stage there will be a vendor station where you can buy health replenishments, permanent health increase, stage long power and speed increases, as well as consumable items. Obviously these cost cash, but you'll be earning quite a bit throughout your journey. Speaking of cash, it also acts as your "lives" in a stage. Every time you die, whether by falling off an edge into a bottomless pit or losing all your health, you forcibly pay one hundred bucks and come back at the last checkpoint you poked. Death is pretty cheap in BAKERU, both literally and figuratively.

BAKERU is pretty clearly targeting a bit of a younger audience here, both in tone and gameplay. The narrative, gameplay, characters, and even presentation definitely give off a sort of "let's get kids more into this" type of feeling. The game certainly isn't that difficult, especially if you pick up the power/speed upgrades at the start of a level, some of the trivia adults or older players would look at and think"...uh, doesn't everybody know that?", and all the characters have a cartoon-y and friendly feel to them like a Saturday morning cartoon. Now I'd like to be very clear here when I say none of this is a bad thing. Yeah, I'd personally prefer a bit more of a challenge, but that's personal preference rather than developer fault. I certainly really enjoyed playing through the game, even if I didn't have much trouble with any of the stages.

Another piece of good news is that the stage design and music were always in-sync and really gave the stages that extra oomph that you don't always see, which was really nice. Stages are all places in Japan, tailored to something related to that area, such as beach fronts, long skybridges, an "underworld"-esque theme, or rife with orange trees (mikan!). If the goal was "Saturday morning cartoon vibe", the developers certainly nailed it, especially with the wide variety of stage types.

There's a lot to praise about BAKERU: the combat is smooth and not clunky at all, the stages are varied and fun, there are different stage types like races and shooting sections to freshen things up, and the collectables and trivia are really great to keep you invested in exploring the surprisingly lengthy stages. There is extremely little I can really say that's a complaint, other than that I feel like world map movement can feel a little slow. Eventually you get a method to free travel on the world map, while you start going between connected nodes for the first while, and while there is a speed boost to your travel method, it does feel a little slow still. Either way it's rather small potatoes compared to the experience as a whole.

All that being the case, while BAKERU was a wonderful experience, it also doesn't really push the envelope or revolutionize anything that hasn't been done already. Once again, no slight to the title, I really did enjoy it immensely, but by the time I got to the end, I was about ready to conclude my time with BAKERU. It certainly held me all the way to the end, but I doubt I'll be replaying it anytime soon. It's a bit of an area where you're trying to make it accessible to as many as possible, meaning you're a little limited by what you can put in and try. It hits every checkmark on the list to make a good game, but doesn't quite push past that.

BAKERU is at it's heart a very Japan themed action adventure/platformer style title that presents itself well both mechanically and aesthetically. Filled with colourful characters, vibrant and unique stages, really interesting trivia facts, and smooth combat, BAKERU is an absolute gem to play through. Although maybe geared for a younger audience, it's still all-ages fun!

Score: 9 / 10

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Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island for Nintendo Switch™ is Coming

Players Can Pre-Order the All-New Dungeon Crawling Adventure!

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (October 3, 2023) - Spike Chunsoft, Inc. today announced the roguelike RPG Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island for Nintendo Switch™ is coming to North America and Europe on February 27, 2024.

The company also revealed an announcement trailer that introduces the game's basic elements and shared the main visual by series character designer Kaoru Hasegawa.

The Mystery Dungeon System

The Mystery Dungeon offers endless gameplay with procedurally generated dungeon maps, enemies, and loot to ensure that every game will be a new challenge for even the most seasoned adventurers. Shiren starts at level one each time he enters a dungeon, so he needs to grow by defeating enemies, gathering loot, and building strength. All the gear and levels Shiren accumulates will be lost if he collapses during exploration and must restart from scratch. The action progresses on a turn-based system, which allows players to plan carefully and thoughtfully. Players must use their accumulated knowledge, experience, and imagination to succeed.

This title brings new elements to the Mystery Dungeon, such as Shiren taking on new, powerful transformations and giant Behemoth monsters that hunt him through the dungeon.

Characters:

Shiren

A heroic wanderer who travels the land in search of adventure with nothing but his partner Koppa, his wits, and his iconic hat and cape.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Koppa

Shiren's loyal companion. Koppa is one of the last talking ferrets, able to speak with both humans and animals fluently.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Asuka

A wandering swordswoman who is old friends with Shiren and Koppa. She's come to Serpentcoil Island for her own reasons and is reunited with her allies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Suzuna

The cheerful innkeeper at Uzumaki-Ya, ready to support Shiren and Koppa while they plan their adventures on Serpentcoil Island.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pre-Order the Physical Version Today

As a first-run bonus, a 2.75” x 3” sticker featuring the protagonist Shiren and the game's traditional Japanese art style will be included with the game.

*Image for illustration purposes only. Design and details are subject to change without notice. While supplies last.

For details on where to pre-order Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island visit: https://www.spike-chunsoft.co.jp/shiren6/en/

Physical version published in European regions by Reef Entertainment.

About Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island

After receiving a vision of a mysterious girl held captive by a terrible monster, Shiren and Koppa make their way to Serpentcoil Island—a distant isle rumored to be the lost stronghold of treasure-hoarding pirates.

To brave the many dangers that await them, Shiren and Koppa must traverse complex dungeons filled with hostile monsters, hidden traps, and useful items. All the gear and experience Shiren accumulates will be lost if he collapses during exploration, so beware of rushing in unprepared! Rescue the mysterious girl and uncover the mystery that clouds Serpentcoil Island.

The forthcoming release for Nintendo Switch marks the series' latest mainline entry to come to the West since Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate was released on PlayStation®Vita in 2016 and then on Nintendo Switch in 2020. While preserving the traditional gameplay, this installment introduces new elements and 3D graphics to create a fresh and exciting adventure.

About the Shiren the Wanderer Series

Shiren the Wanderer series of roguelike RPG games began with the 1995 release of Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer for the Super Famicom in Japan. Players venture into a "Mystery Dungeon" that changes each time they enter. To succeed, they need to rely on their wits, experience, and creative thinking to overcome monsters, avoid perilous traps, and conquer the dungeon. Players who run out of energy during their journey will lose all of their possessions including tools, money, and gear, and must start again at level one. Players will experience a thrilling and tense adventure with unexpected events and risks that cannot be redone.

Game Specifications

Title     Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island
Release Date     February 27, 2024
Platform     Nintendo Switch™
MSRP     $59.99
Players     1
Genre     Roguelike RPG
Language     English
Website     https://www.spike-chunsoft.co.jp/shiren6/en/
ESRB     Rating Pending
Developer     Spike Chunsoft, Co., Ltd.
Copyright     ©Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Licensed to and Published by Spike Chunsoft, Inc.

Nintendo Switch is a trademark of Nintendo. All trademarks, service marks, product names and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Information provided is accurate as of the date of announcement and is subject to change without notice. 

 

Article by: Susan N.

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Anonymous;Code - Switch Review

Anonymous;Code by developer MAGES and Chiyo St. Inc. and publisher Spike Chunsoft—Switch review written by Natasha with a copy provided by the publisher.

 
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes.

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*Incoming Message*

This is Cicada 3301. I have your next quest.

Your go[a]l is to scan through this review for any strange anomalies. If you find anything out of plac[e] or unrealistic, fix it. W[i]th your expertise in proof reading you may be able to spot something. H[o]wever, be vigilant. I m[u]st make this short as, even now, I'm being tracked. It's up to you, br[a]ve hackers, to save the world from annihilation. You ar[e] humanities last hope!

*This message will shelf destruct in...*

5

4

3

2...

~

The Year is 2037

Allow me to introduce the intricate world behind Anonymous;Code. This adventure visual novel takes you on a ride with our young Script Kiddie (Amateur Hacker) named Pollon. He joins a group of hackers, devised by his friends, to help those in need... just in a much more introverted way. Even though Pollon is just a beginner, his skills aren't anything to sneeze at.

One day, after completing a job, his buddies critique him on his lonely lifestyle. Always teasing him about never having any experience with the ladies. Annoyed, he accidentally blurts out that he does have a girlfriend. In fact, he's eloping with her. Hoping this will lay off the questions, his plan back fires and now he must find a girl willing to go along with his crazy story.

Wondering if he should just confess the truth, Pollon goes to the park the next day to meet with said “GF” (Girlfriend). What he didn't expect was a young cutie to run right into his lap, asking for help. Confused and a bit surprised, he agrees to help her out, only to find out that the military is after her.

{Saving...}

A chase scene begins, and our cautious couple do their best to avoid the authorities, however they're no match for the military. After a freaky accident that sends them flying, Pollon is beaten to a pulp while Momo (GF) is hauled away. Pollon's mission has failed. He failed Momo...

“No... It can't... END THIS WAY!” Pollon screams.

{Loading...}

A chase scene begins, and our cautious couple do their best to avoid the authorities, with Pollon's skills to hack all available networks around him he's able to out-smart the military.

Wait... Did we just go back in time?

Welcome to the Nakano Symphonies

What's a VN (Visual Novel) game without a lovable cast of characters? Our team of Hacker's aren't the only ones to look out for. Let me give you a sneak peak:

Pollon Takaoka

This 16-year-old protagonist has one dream: To become the coolest, smartest hacker hero that anyone can look up to. The only problem is making himself known on a cyber-connected level. Maybe if he shows off a little girls will start to notice him more.

Momo Aizaki

This mysterious damsel seems to be hiding a couple of skeletons in her closest. Having never been raised in such a high-tech environment, she can't seem to find the time to quench her curiosity when the world is after her.

Cross Yumikawa

This dark haired, handsome, individual makes up the other half of Pollon's duo hacker squad. The man behind the computer, he is the digital brain behind background checks and fake ID's. When he's not surfing the web he spends his time teasing his blue haired friend.

Wind Maki

A high schooler with a high IQ and an even higher love of AI (Artificial Intelligence). He hopes to one day be Nakano Symphonies Informant, but first he needs to graduate. When he's not sleuthing about he spends his time, and romantic heart, on his AI girlfriend.

Tengen Ozutani

A jack-of-all-trades, this undercover agent is a little old-fashioned. Don't let this lazy guy fool ya, Oz will flex his investigation and negotiation prowess when the time comes. His vast knowledge of urban legends and conspiracy theories could fill an entire library.

Nonoka Hosho

An amateur hacker and excellent gadget crafter to work closely under Oz. She may be young, but she never lets adults intimidate her. With her confidence in all her inventions you don't have to look far for the best devices to aid in your mission.

The Cyber Force Dolls (Bambi, Riko & Iroha)

They're not only police officers, but idols, too. This trio of femme fatales are ready to stop crime both in the real world and virtual one. When they're not overwhelmed by paperwork you might be able to catch their next concert.

Asuma Soga

Not many people get the chance to interact with this genius as he rarely leaves his home. He would rather stay in his office perfecting the ultimate world simulator. His precious 'GAIA' is the next level of super computer the world will ever see. Now if he can bleed those greedy adults dry of all their money he may consider showing you mercy.

When VR and AR have a Baby

The world of Anonymous;Code plays on the idea of what the future will be like. In this new aged world all your handheld devices programmed into a micro chip which is embedded into your nervous system, allowing you to see a reality that's more to your liking. Everything from your phone, internet and banking at a blink of an eye.

Virtual reality (VR) and Augmented reality (AR) play a key role in this story. Humans rely on this technology to go about their daily lives, but it could ultimately lead our group of sci-fi heroes to their doom. For hacker's it's a digital paradise.

Saving Your Point

I knew something was up when I couldn't save the game right off the bat. A small part of me was wondering if the game had a weird bug, but my confusion was rectified when I found out that 'Saving' your game is also a portal to time travelling.

In most VN I've partaken in, I usually create a save file as a back up incase I make a wrong choice. However, this is a different scenario amidst this coded universe.

The game will automatically create save files for you just before peak moments. It's up to you to figure out when is the best time to actually send Pollon back in time to reverse a bad scenario. These moments aren't subtle. Most of the time Pollon will stop you from time travelling too early, but there will always be more than one moment to activate this power. Those decisions could end up giving you a bad ending if you're not careful. It really makes you think carefully before jumping the gun.

After a while you will get access to saving a regular file, but the game does have a large log of auto-save capability so if you find yourself in a pinch you may have to reload a later save point.

Fan's of the Series

Here's a little something you might not know. Anonymous; Code (2022) is the sixth installment of the Science Adventure Series. For those who may not know, it's part of the same universe as Stein; Gates (2009). Other titles that follow this adventure includes Chaos; Head (2008), Robotics; Notes (2012), Chaos; Child (2014) and Occult; Nine (2018). It's the perfect game to feed off of those who have a thirst for the unknown.

Hackers Paradise

To conclude, I was pleasantly surprised by how engrossed I ended up being with Anonymous;Code. Knowing that it wasn't my typical romance VN, I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy this. Luckily, I was proven wrong. Once things started to pick up I was hooked on knowing how everything was going to end. The time travelling points were a little vague, but I eventually got the hang of it. If you're into Sci-fi or adventure novels then maybe consider taking this title for a spin? I'm happy to give my rating of 7.5 out of 10.

Now remember kids... If you get an unknown email in your mailbox, DON'T OPEN IT! It may just be your last...

Score: 7.5 / 10

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