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| Lend Me 50,000 yen? |
Suda51 is one of the most creative and coolest game developers out there. One has to admire his humble and laid-back nature. In the past years, he and his studio, Grasshopper Manufacture, were responsible for some wacky, over-the-top titles such as No More Heroes, Lollipop Chainsaw, and the newly released, Let It Die. He was also behind the creation of cult classics such as the likes of Killer7 and Flower, Sun, and Rain. The Silver Case is Suda51 and Grasshopper Manufacture's debut title released back in 1999 on the original PlayStation. We follow the stories of detectives of Tokyo's 24 Wards as they track down the legendary serial killer, Kamui Uehara. Full of twists and turns, The Silver Case is oozing with mystery and packs some neat humor as well. It's a game I covered earlier this year in my "Top 10 Cult Games You Should Play" list and finally after staying Japan-only for 17 years, it got localized in English. With all that said, it's time we take a look at Suda's bizarre and forgotten gem.
STORY- The narrative is split into two arcs, "Transmitter" and "Placebo". In Transmitter, You take the role of a Special Forces solider who is transferred to Tokyo's 24 Wards after a missions takes a turn for the worse. He joins detectives Tetsugoro Kusabi, Sumio Kodai, Chizuru Hachisuka, Kiyoshi Morikawa, and their boss, Shinji Kotobuki as they must track down and apprehend Kamui Uehara. The Transmitter arc spans five cases, some of them are self-contained, which help fleshout the characters well and the rest follow the main of goal of hunting Kamui. Placebo is completely different from Transmitter. You follow near-broke freelance journalist Tokio Morishima as he takes on a job to uncover the hidden truths behind Kamui while exploring much of his past life and constantly running into danger. The Placebo arc also spans five episodes which often serve as recaps to those of Transmitter, so it's best to check them out after completing an episode of the latter. In comparison, I've found Placebo to be a little more engaging with it's likable and relatable lead and the supporting characters such as the wise bartender and his pet turtle, Red. That's not to say that Transmitter doesn't have great characters as well. Overall, I enjoyed both scenarios and while the story stays grim for most of the time, there's some occasional humor that lighten things up a bit.
 "Kill the Past" |
GAMEPLAY- The gameplay in The Silver Case is fairly simple. You navigate in first-person as you interact with the environments and speak to NPCs. There are the occasional puzzles which in the form of "Hit and Blow" puzzles, as well as deciphering codes to unlock doors. The controls will need a while to get used to, especially since you'll have to manually save every now and then. Other than that, you'll spend most of your time reading files and watching cut-scenes to advance in the game's narrative. It's a visual novel after all, so it's light in gameplay, but still it would've been interesting to incorporate some solid mechanics to add-in some variety.
PRESENTATION- The Silver Case has aged decently over time. It won't wow anyone with its in-game backgrounds, but that's understandable since it was on a pretty tight budget at the time. The HD edition helps smooth-out the game's rough edges and introduces new cinematics and additional music tracks. It's not the best out there, but it gets the job done. Masafumi Takada of Danganronpa and No More Heroes fame, composes the game's soundtrack and one has to say, he really came a long ever since working on The Silver Case. The game packs some catchy and memorable tracks such as that chilling opening theme and catchy ending theme but some can be a bit jarring such as the apartment theme and the one when checking up emails. The HD edition features remixes from Silent Hill composer, Akira Yamaoka, which rejuvenates some of the old tracks and is nice to listen to.
OVERALL- The Silver Case is among one of Suda51's best works and it's up there with No More Heroes, Killer7, and Flower, Sun, and Rain. Yes, the story may feel convoluted at times, but it was a memorable alongside its main leads. While the gameplay could have benefited from some variety, it can be excused since it's a story-heavy visual novel. All in all, if you're looking for a gripping mystery/thriller story, then The Silver Case is a must-play, assuming you can look past some of its shortcomings.
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You'll interact with the environment and read
case related files, but you'll mainly be watching cut-scenes.
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PRESENTATION- The Silver Case has aged decently over time. It won't wow anyone with its in-game backgrounds, but that's understandable since it was on a pretty tight budget at the time. The HD edition helps smooth-out the game's rough edges and introduces new cinematics and additional music tracks. It's not the best out there, but it gets the job done. Masafumi Takada of Danganronpa and No More Heroes fame, composes the game's soundtrack and one has to say, he really came a long ever since working on The Silver Case. The game packs some catchy and memorable tracks such as that chilling opening theme and catchy ending theme but some can be a bit jarring such as the apartment theme and the one when checking up emails. The HD edition features remixes from Silent Hill composer, Akira Yamaoka, which rejuvenates some of the old tracks and is nice to listen to.
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While it obviously shows its age, The Silver Case
gets a nice update in HD.
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OVERALL- The Silver Case is among one of Suda51's best works and it's up there with No More Heroes, Killer7, and Flower, Sun, and Rain. Yes, the story may feel convoluted at times, but it was a memorable alongside its main leads. While the gameplay could have benefited from some variety, it can be excused since it's a story-heavy visual novel. All in all, if you're looking for a gripping mystery/thriller story, then The Silver Case is a must-play, assuming you can look past some of its shortcomings.
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