Master Detective Archives: Rain Code Review

thesixthaxis.com:

Waking up, as we all do at some point in our lives, in a train station storage room with an unfortunate spell of amnesia, our hero Yuma Kokohead rushes to catch a train he was invited to board. Without time to work out who he is, why he would have been invited, or basically any other details, he quickly establishes that he and the others on the train are Master Detectives with the World Detective Organization and are they have all received the same summons. There’s one problem with this: there are six Master Detectives on the train and there should only be five…

This thoroughly Danganronpa-style twist kicks off a series of events that will see the player, through Yuma of course, solve a variety of different mysterious and often complex murders. He isn’t alone though, and is joined by Shinigami, a God of Death which whom he forged a pact at the price of the memories he lost. This relationship forms one of the core mysteries, but there are others that are revealed through the game, punctuating its mysteries.

One important point to keep in mind is that all of the Master Detectives in the game possess a power called a Forensic Forte. These powers are unique to each individual and give a specialised skill for investigative work, such as the ability to sense all lifeforms within a set radius or create a perfect disguise, right down to changing height and voice. These Fortes then affect the gameplay, narrative and even the aesthetic of the game in some instances.

At its core, Rain Code is a visual novel, with all of the suggestive writing, fan service, and bizarre events you would expect from the genre, but the core gameplay that lies beneath these trappings shine through. Master Detective Archives just does not stop, constantly