The Silver Case
The game is a adventure visual novel crime mystery game actually made for the PlayStation and pc in Japan back in 1999 when I was only 2 years old at the time. I got this on the ps4 which is a remastered version of it and the game is a cult like game.
It's created by Gochi Suda Aka "Suda51" and his team Grasshopper Manufacture.
This is one of his earlier games way before Killer7 and this is where a lot of his earlier themes comes from. Such as "KILL THE PAST" a motive often seen in his games like Killer7. And the nature of crime and a complex conspiracies.
The game has elements that is noticeable in other Suda Games like the theme of crime and a complicated story. And multiple pop culture references similar to Shinchiro Wantanabe and Quentin Tarantino. In addition to an unorthodox style of developing his games.
I like the dark atmosphere of the game as its mysterious and brooding and it works well for the crime detective nature of this game.
The game is a choose your own adventure text point and click game. You can control various characters through 2 scenarios Transmitter and Placebo.
Transmitter is where you are detectives solving the mystery. And the other Placebo you are a journalist covering the case. In gameplay sequences you can play the characters in a first person view in the environment. While going through scenarios the story events unfold by special windows in a single background or some that is completely in text and others which shows the scenery of the game. The scenery is combined with 2d and 3d animation,real world photography,limited motion captured scenes and short live action sequences. In some points of the game there are quizzes that are shown for you to answer. And puzzles that highly relate to the text-based style the game uses.
The story takes place in 1999 and a series of bizarre murders happens in the city of 24 wards.
In Japan where the game takes place in. And they are similar to a serial killer who had a motive behind the murders but it turns out to be otherwise as the game progresses.
Now the story itself its complicated to understand. It's an overarching story and its like a police procedural as you go through several missions that are related toward the main story in order to find out the real mystery behind it.
Some of the cases in the game are quite violent and intriguing. But other cases in the game can be quite mundane tasks that you have to progress through.
The cases in the game are ones you could see in real life. But with weird logic towards them and unnatural scenarios behind them. It does get better as you progress through the game as it focuses more on the main Kamuri case and it shows the bloody story behind it.
It constantly shifts the art style which can often be very confusing from one style to the next. I'd preferred if they just stick the anime style drawings the game uses and the art styles are interesting to say.
The menu interface and display windows are hard to see. The controls I found to be clumsy and oddly placed.
The dialogue I found to be unorthodox. It tends to drag out for a long time and it often feels not cohesive due to the amount of filler that is in it. And they tend to ramble on about the decisions they make in circles. The conversations often feel as a result messy and often confusing.
The characters are often apathetic and they treat the case like this is a joke and this isn't going to be any different. They also feel one dimensional too from the lazy jaded detective to the reclusive sociopathic serial killer. I do would have like to see more character development to them.
At another part it tends to explore a philosophical side and a casual side from time to time which is ok to say at least.
I do like Akira Yamoka's remixed score it does feel surreal and ambient.
The Silver Case its more of an example of an earlier works of video game developers just getting started.
It gets 3 stars.
Suda51 I do like his neo noir like style and the cult style of his games. It is interesting to see how a developer learns throughout the years creating video games. I'd recommend it if you are into underground cult games like me and if you are into Suda51 games.