Time for a Murder Mystery
Are you game for a good murder mystery? Think you have what it takes to be a top-notch detective? The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story from Square Enix allows gamers to solve enticing murder mysteries. Players will scour videos for clues and solve mysteries in this beautiful and compelling title.
The Centennial Case is an FMV game and, as such, relies heavily on a story told through the cinematics. Luckily the game’s plot plays out beautifully across. The game benefits from a solid production team. The Centennial Case was directed by Koichiro Ito, known for Metal Gear Solid V. Likewise, Koichiro Ito, producer of The Naked Director’ acted as the game’s Cinematographer and Scenario Director.
The game begins at a book signing for mystery author Hakura Kagami. Soon, a young man named Eiji arrives and invites Hakura and her editor Akari Yamase to his family estate located near Mount Fuji to write a story. However, we are then shown a news clip describing how skeletal remains of unknown gender and age were found at the estate. Determining whose remains were found and how they died is up to you.
In The Centennial Case You’re the Detective
Throughout the game, you’ll use your sleuthing skills to solve four murders that span a century. Playing as Hakura, you’ll investigate crimes taking place in 1922, 1972, and 2022. In a creative twist, Akari finds a novel by one of Eiji’s ancestors printed in an old magazine that might just hold the key to solving the murders. Unfortunately, the magazine is missing pages and rassled with holes. To fill in the blanks, Hakura imagines herself as the protagonist, which is rather inventive.
To solve mysteries, players will make use of the cognitive reasoning space. Here, the player connects clues to a mystery to access hypotheses. To truly solve a crime, though, you’ll need to uncover various clues and unlock multiple hypotheses. It is through hypotheses that you’ll solve cases. To do so, players must present a hypothesis. While developing hypotheses are fun, the best part of the game is when you get to interact with the narrative.
You’ll have the chance to interact with the cinematics at different points throughout the game via dialogue choices. Some of the dialogue does feel stilted. However, this is likely because the game was originally written in Japanese before being translated into English. However, The Centennial Case more than makes up for this with its compelling mysteries and engaging gameplay. Additionally, there were times when the acting felt inauthentic. Overall, however, The Centennial Case proves itself to be an entertaining mystery adventure.
My only real complaint is that I wish there were more frequent dialogue options. The narrative is compelling, and the game boasts high-quality cinematography. It’s definitely an entertaining adventure. Still, the game would benefit from providing players with more chances to let their personalities shine through via dialogue choices.
With an engaging plot, complex mysteries to unravel and an aesthetically pleasing setting, this title is more than worth its $19.99 price tag. Yes, the dialogue feels unnatural at times but that doesn’t do much to detract from the game’s intrigue. Beyond a doubt, The Centennial Case is an excellent game for any murder mystery fan.
