Grasp Detective Archives: Rain Code evaluation 

Grasp Detective Archives: Rain Code is a wierd sport. I don’t essentially imply that in a “wow so wacky” sense, regardless that it kinda suits the invoice there too. I imply it seems like a sport that has had completely zero enhancing. As a thriller sport, it’s a hell of lots of enjoyable, however as a sport, it’s in such a bizarre place that I don’t even know the way to strategy it when reviewing. 

So let’s begin at first. Rain Code has you residing the lifetime of Yuma Kokohead (sure, that’s his precise identify), an amnesiac detective who made a pact with a loss of life god to assist him remedy mysteries. Honest sufficient, y’know? I can’t say that’s any extra of an absurd setup than one thing like Xenoblade Chronicles or mainly any Zelda sport. 

Yuma, waking up with zero reminiscences, rushes to hop on a prepare, the place he meets 5 different detectives from the World Detective Organisation (WDO). Because the identify suggests, they’re an elite group of grasp detectives who excel at fixing unsolved mysteries. Most of them have particular powers, although they’re hilariously restricted in ways in which all the time made me snigger. 

For instance, one grasp detective you meet early on can commune with the useless by sporting their garments. Appears fairly helpful for fixing a homicide! Besides she will solely use garments which can be roughly her dimension, and provided that they’re not ugly garments. One other can imprint photographs from his mind into digital units, which additionally appears fairly helpful, however he’s an outdated man, and as his reminiscences fade (in a short time, as a result of once more, he’s outdated), so does the image on the system. 

I’ve strayed off the trail of the story I used to be telling right here, however it’s necessary to set the scene for what’s to return. You could know that this sport is deeply humorous, deeply unusual, and totally unhinged in the most effective methods. 

So Yuma, he’s on this prepare, chatting up these detectives. Possibly they’ll know who he’s, proper? Since they’re all a part of the WDO. Nope — most detectives work alone, so that they don’t know one another. Some on-train shenanigans occur, there’s a homicide to unravel – don’t fear, I’ll be avoiding most main spoilers on this evaluation – after which we get into the investigation side of the sport. 

There shall be an enormous quantity of people that bounce off Rain Code throughout the first investigation. It’s alleged to be a tutorial, however as I discussed within the intro, there’s been no enhancing right here. You get bombarded with mechanic after mechanic, and whereas there’s some tutorialising in place, for probably the most half you’re thrown proper right into a trial by fireplace. It’s exhausting. I’ve had the sport for a few weeks, and your complete first week of this sport was me enjoying the primary case in small chunks as a result of making an attempt to mainline it unexpectedly was far too overwhelming for my drained mind. 

It doesn’t assist that the primary case is as complicated and messy as each case that follows it. In contrast to one thing like Ace Lawyer, which can ease you into complexity, Rain Code prepares you for the sort of considering you’ll have to be profitable proper from the get go. It’s a compelling case, don’t get me incorrect, however the twists and turns in that first case alone can be over-the-top for a full sport, not to mention a tutorial. 

The gameplay itself is damaged up into two facets, very equally to Ace Lawyer. The primary section is the investigation, the place you’ll have a look by way of the scene of the crime or thriller, gathering as a lot data as you’ll be able to. These come within the type of answer keys, that are bite-sized items of knowledge that make up the information of the case. There’s probably not any technique to miss answer keys, so investigations aren’t all that troublesome to determine — that’s superb, as a result of the following section is a convoluted mess.

When you’re completed together with your investigations, it’s time to go into the Thriller Labyrinth. Right here, Shinigami, your loss of life god pal, turns into a really busty lady, due to course she does, and you must piece collectively the thriller by way of a sequence of motion sequences, minigames, and ridiculous logic. 

The Labyrinth sections go as follows: you’ll wander down a hallway for a bit, have some conversations, then enter a Reasoning Dying Match, Rain Code’s type of fight. The phantom you’re up towards will throw phrases at you, and also you’ll must dodge irrelevant statements and refute others together with your answer keys. You do that a couple of occasions, going between hallway wandering and fight scenes, sometimes dipping again into the crime scene to collect some extra clues.

I’ve talked about Ace Lawyer loads on this evaluation, and I’m going to do it once more: Reasoning Dying Matches are merely a dressed up model of Ace Lawyer’s courtroom sections. It truly could be somewhat higher, because you don’t should scroll by way of mountains of proof to seek out the suitable piece — as an alternative, every refutable assertion offers you three completely different answer keys to select from. It’s nonetheless lots difficult although, particularly within the warmth of the second as you’re dodging statements and dealing your mind to try to determine it out. 

There are different minigames, like one the place you must throw swords at a barrel to spell out phrases. Naturally, Shinigami is in a bikini within the barrel, and fires out when you remedy the puzzle. 

Oh yeah, I ought to most likely point out that Shinigami is sexy on a regular basis. Like, each different sentence out of her mouth is about her boobs, or about how turned on she is, or how a lot she loves mysteries. That final one doesn’t sound so unhealthy, however it’s much less about what she says, and extra about how she says it. 

Different characters fare much better, and are literally one of many strongest factors of the sport. Rain Code’s characters are phenomenally well-realised, well-performed, and for probably the most half, well-written. There are a couple of moments right here and there the place it’s clear the localisation isn’t fairly proper, however I can’t sing sufficient praises for the characters on this sport. 

The story itself is fairly compelling too. You’re teaming up with a bunch of cool detectives to uncover the secrets and techniques of a worldwide thriller, whereas trapped in a corporate-controlled metropolis wherein it’s all the time raining. Fixing mysteries round city helps edge you nearer to discovering out what the massive image is, and it comes collectively competently effectively — with just one twist, on the again finish of the sport, feeling notably misplaced. You’ll understand it whenever you get there, and it’s not tremendous nice.

I discussed in my intro that it seems like there’s been subsequent to no enhancing performed right here, and I need to reiterate that within the strongest phrases. Every thriller has like eight twists to it, usually feeling convoluted and ridiculous, and there are far too many gameplay mechanics for a sport like this. Some sections go on for method too lengthy, some characters speak far an excessive amount of, and Shinigami received’t shut the hell up about her boobs. It’s a sport that takes extremes to extremes, in nearly each side, and whereas that’s exhausting, it’s additionally sort of endearing in a method. 

There shall be lots of comparisons to Danganronpa, given the director, lead artist, and composer all made that sequence what it’s. Truthfully although, after having performed Rain Code, there’s not a substantial amount of connective tissue. Whereas Danganronpa asks you to focus closely on the characters, Rain Code is all in regards to the world you’re in, the mysteries but unsolved. It pulls the main focus again and asks you to consider the state of the world — not simply in-game, however our personal world too. 

That in-game world positive is gorgeous although. It’s darkish, grim, and exquisite, a rain-soaked metropolis full of neon indicators and folks making an attempt to profit from their time on this planet. The artwork course is flawless, the character design is phenomenal, and it’s all held collectively by a soundtrack that pulls completely zero punches. 

It’s all contrasted by Thriller Labyrinths, the place as an alternative of darkish and dire, we see a bombastic, colour-filled wonderland, full with magical woman transformations and glam rock-inspired enemies. Rain Code’s considerate use of color in any situation is nearly unmatched in any sport that involves thoughts, and it virtually offsets any of the blurriness that comes when enjoying handheld. Nonetheless, the body price is generally stable, the sport appears good as a rule, and it manages to tug off two totally disparate artwork instructions with out dropping the ball. That’s an achievement. 

Grasp Detective Archives: Rain Code doesn’t shrink back from being deeply unusual. It’s a pleasant thriller sport within the vein of Ace Lawyer with each dial turned as much as 11. Its artwork course, music, world design, and gameplay are all stable, even when there’s far an excessive amount of of every thing, and regardless of some suspect writing with sure characters, it’s arduous to have a look at it too harshly. My solely want is that, if there’s to be a sequel sometime, anyone brings in an editor and trims down a number of the fats. 

Score: 4/5