I wanted to play RAIN CODE. Since it was launched last year, I have to admit that it was one of my most anticipated games of 2023. And after playing it, I have to say that it is without a doubt the first major achievement of the Spike Chunsoft studio their games to the whole world. Not so much for the language, valued for its localization into Spanish, but for its global approach.
We’re talking about a twist on the very Japanese concept of the visual novel in video games, something Spike Chunsoft are experts at. Above all, Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE is a love letter to the Japanese detective genre that is taken to the next level with the introduction of the open world.
Welcome to Cluedo but in a cyberpunk version
Something I absolutely have to point out in Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE is the setting as it starts right in the credits. Rain Code makes it very clear what kind of game it is supposed to be and shows you from the start. We are in a futuristic world, a dystopian fantasy controlled by big corporations. An industrial neon world where residents are forced to live under a rain that never stops.
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In this sci-fi universe, only one thing stands in the way of these giant corporations: the World Detective Organization. Our protagonist belongs to this organization, Yuma Kokohead, who wakes up in a storage room with no memory at the start of the game. From here we see Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE begin to weave its own mystery world full of references to the detective and mystery genre. Each case and situation is a small tribute to the genre. Starting with the first one, set on a train, as a nod to one of the greatest detective stories of all time: Murder on the Orient Express. To these references we must add the game’s many nods to the genre and to its predecessors, such as Detective Conan.
It’s a universe where the world’s best detectives have their own psychic ability to uncover mysteries. Our protagonist has a nice Shinigami (the goddess of Japanese death) who will act as Watson. And with her, we and the strange duo embark on an exciting journey through the mysteries that the city of Kanai holds. Well-characterized and constructed characters, heartbreaking villains, and a 10-strong script are the hallmarks of the creators of Danganronpa, who also draw this story.
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From the genre of the visual novel to the RPG version
I have to say that the gameplay of Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE surprised me a lot, and for the better. Typically, mystery genre games are built around three tenets: conversation/mysteries, movement, and inventory. This means you’re basically talking to people, moving around in search of other puzzles, and collecting items or information in your inventory that will help you solve the puzzles. Up to here everything correct.
In Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE, we see how Spike Chunsoft wanted to bring a more playable aspect to solving puzzles. So they introduced mechanics that, while nothing new in the video game world, are new to the visual novel genre. For example, even though it’s a game point and click During the investigation stages of a crime, we can find ourselves in action scenes Quick Time Events to solve them.
In addition, solving the puzzles is not limited to a passive scene of choosing the right option. The game takes us into the universe of the Mysterious Labyrinth, an eerie dream world where the mystery takes the form of an enemy. Accompanied by Shinigami, Yuma has to make his way through this maze thanks to tactical combat and puzzle-solving. A proposal that, although risky for those not used to the Japanese genre, is very innovative and undoubtedly marks the path that visual novels should push.
In these combat phases we are not alone, our ability to solve puzzles will not be Yuma’s only weapon. A skill tree has been introduced in Master Detective. A system that allows us to perfect our combat technique as we get more skill points. The best part is that these skill points are earned through research. The game rewards exploration and every little conversation and observation will earn us these points. You really can’t help but immerse yourself in the complex universe that Spike Chunsoft creates.
We also find one of the most famous features of good RPGs: side missions! While I have to say they aren’t the best we’ve seen, they bring a breath of fresh air to the genre and offer an opportunity to earn more points for skill scaling.
An exceptional finish, artistically and technically
My experience in the technical part could not have been better. The game runs smoothly at all times, occasionally errors occur, which are more due to the inexperience of an open world. An example of this is the animation of the characters. Let’s say the game starts with three different animation engines: the cinematographic engine, where animations are prepended like a movie; that of conversations, preset animations, but the game engine in which we move and also have shorter conversations with other characters.
The quality of these formats decreases, the first seem great, fluid and well executed, the second correct and the third rather diffuse. And when our character talks to others outside of the preset animations, we can see that, for example, sometimes he doesn’t move his lips and other times he does. It doesn’t matter at all, but seems to be due to the studio’s inexperience with games of this format.
The same happens with the composition of the maps, since they are many open-world areas in which we can move almost freely. And I say almost because I also found weird design choices, like not being able to cross the street other than the crosswalk. We find an invisible wall that forces us to cross it even though no cars pass. It’s not a problem at all, but it also doesn’t make sense that you can’t.
However, this inexperience with the open world contrasts with the extraordinary care that has gone into designing the menus and user interface. Everything in Master Detective is part of the setting and its world, including elegant and useful text, glossaries and character guides. A constant guide for the user, as good as we’ve come to expect from the creators of the Danganronpa saga.
the start of something big
In short, Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE is without a doubt the start of something great. A bet on the part of its creators to make a 2.0 visual novel. The mystery, dialogues, and construction of iconic characters follow the usual line of study, which is excellent, but they’re also starting to add new elements that improve gameplay.
Something I don’t want to underestimate is the structure of the game. It is divided into several chapters, which always have the same structure: exploration and then we deal with the mysterious maze. At first it seemed to me that the game would repeat itself as each chapter would repeat the structure. However, the script manages to make each case unique and extraordinary, introducing factors that keep us captivated until the end of each case.
It’s not for everyone, but it’s an opening to the genre for many gamers who will no doubt find a very different game than what’s usually offered to us in the West. This is a fresh start for the genre and I can’t wait to see what’s next.
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