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A cyberpunk mystery with Danganronpa vibes - Master Detective Archives: Rain Code Quick Review

2K View2023-07-07

Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE

9.3

ActionRPGAdventureStory Rich

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PLAY IT OR SKIP IT?

Play it, especially if you’re a fan of Danganronpa or the Ace Attorney games. Master Detective Archives: Rain Code is a near-perfect combination of old-school mystery solving and fantasy storytelling. You play as Yuma Kokohead, a detective who’s lost his memory after striking a deal with a mischievous spirit named Shinigami. Thanks to his spirit pact, Yuma can transform unsolved mysteries into labyrinths that will guide him towards the truth of any case. This unique approach to mystery-solving makes every investigation feel fresh and dynamic. Whether I was solving puzzles, talking to witnesses, or searching for clues, I felt invested in each case I tried to crack. A lot of games have tried to imitate Danganronpa, but this really feels like the first true spiritual successor to the series.

TIME PLAYED

I played around seven hours of Rain Code, which got me through the first two chapters of the game. While I devoted most of my playtime to the main storyline, I also took on several optional side quests. The quests I completed were pretty short, but they were all well-written and helped to flesh out the game’s world. Based on estimates I’ve seen, it looks like Rain Code will take between twenty and thirty hours to complete. The devs have also announced some DLC side stories, so it looks like I have plenty of sleuthing ahead of me!

WHAT’S AWESOME

• Amazing tutorial. Playing through tutorials can feel like a chore, but Rain Code is a blast to play from the very start. Stepping into the shoes of an amnesiac might be a cliché, but it’s a great way to make learning gameplay mechanics feel like a natural part of the story. Some of the dialogue in the tutorial is absolutely hilarious, and I was completely charmed during its opening scenes. I never felt like I was waiting for the game to take the training wheels off so that I could actually play. The tutorial was just as engrossing as everything else was.

• Fantastic story. Master Detective Archives: Rain Code is a fast-paced thrill ride packed with twists and turns. I’m a huge fan of mystery novels, and I’ve completed every Danganronpa game, but Rain Code still managed to surprise me on several occasions. Some of the cases I investigated were pretty gruesome, but there’s a light, playful tone to the dialogue that kept things from feeling overly dour. Every mystery I solved was masterfully constructed, and it felt amazing to watch the pieces of a case come together once I collected enough clues. The investigations are the star of the show here, but Rain Code also has a fantastic cast filled with vibrant, likable characters. It’s an extremely engaging game that I didn’t want to put down.

• Incredible neo-noir atmosphere. Rain Code looks and feels like an anime version of Blade Runner. Most of the game takes place in Kanai Ward, a rainy city filled with gloomy skies and neon lights. It’s almost always dark outside, but the city is bursting with life, and it really felt like it was a character in the game. The noir vibes are enhanced by the fantastic jazzy soundtrack, which was created by Danganronpa composer Masafumi Takada. Another Danganronpa alumni, Rui Komatsuzaki, created the character designs, so everyone I talked to was stylish and filled with personality

• Great progression system. Even though Rain Code is driven by its story, I had plenty of chances to upgrade my character and improve my detective skills. As I played through the game, I earned Detective Points, which I could spend on character upgrades. Most of my points came from cracking big cases or finishing side quests, but I also earned points from random tasks, like exploring and interacting with objects. I’ve never met a skill tree I didn’t love, so I found this feedback loop to be extremely addictive. It really felt like I was being rewarded for my excellent detective work.

WHAT SUCKS

• Occasional framerate drops. I didn’t experience any major performance issues while playing Rain Code, but I could definitely tell that my Switch was struggling to keep up when I was in busier parts of the city. There were also a few instances where I felt like I was stuck on a loading screen for a little too long. All of these issues were pretty minor, but they were a little more noticeable when my Switch was docked. This is a fantastic game, and a few moments of stuttering didn’t detract from my experience, but it’s still something to keep in mind.

• There are times when the fan service can feel a little excessive. Shinigami, my spirit partner, went through a magical girl transformation sequence every time we visited the labyrinth. During these scenes, she was constantly talking about her jiggle physics or making other sexual comments, and it could definitely be a little annoying. Most of the characters in Rain Code aren’t fan service-y, and I didn’t think it was a big deal, but if you’re sensitive to that sort of thing, you might not love this game as much as I did.

Review written by TapTap editor @Ndi

💬 Are you ready to explore magical labyrinths to get to the heart of mysteries in Master Detective Archives, or would you rather solve cases the old-fashioned way? Let us know in the comments!