This article introduces "Jūni-katei," a free mystery visual novel game by Nakarabo.
This is a classic closed-circle mystery game reminiscent of the masterpiece sound novel game "Kamaitachi no Yoru".
I like mystery games, so when I saw it in the new releases section of "Freem!", I was intrigued and decided to play it.
I realized after playing that I had previously played and written an article about it.Deep Sea – DokaiI was surprised to learn that it was by the same author as "[Title of previous work]".
The completion time was approximately 3 hours.
Game overview + review (no spoilers)
The story begins when the protagonist, newspaper reporter Agasa Komiya, visits the Baker House, a Western-style house located deep in the mountains of Kobe, to conduct an interview.
Based on information that the family was gathered to decide on the next head of the household, I attempted to conduct an impromptu interview, but was refused by the butler.
Komiya was about to give up and turn back, but the bad weather made it difficult to descend the mountain, so he asked if he could take shelter from the rain at the inn.
Komiya somehow managed to get into the mansion, but the family's potential heirs were all in a tense mood as they awaited the public release of the will regarding the inheritance.
And on the very night the will was announced, a murder occurred.
Will Komiya be able to unravel the mystery of the will and find the culprit?
The character silhouettes had a texture reminiscent of "Kamaitachi no Yoru 2," giving them a strong presence, and the font was easy to read.
The graphics are abundant and elaborate, leaving nothing to be desired.
In terms of functionality, in addition to regular saves, it also features quick saves (short-term memory), quick loads (rapid recall), and autosaves.
The ability to adjust the text display speed and skip already-read text made for a very comfortable user experience.
If I had to ask for one thing, I would have liked to be able to see a list of the endings I've viewed.
If you miss that chance, you'll enter a survival route reminiscent of the original "Kamaitachi no Yoru," where the number of victims increases rapidly in the second half.
Choosing the wrong option will take you off the deduction route, so it might be a bit challenging.
You need to carefully consider all the important options related to the case and choose the correct answer.
After completing the main story, new choices will appear, allowing you to enjoy side storylines.
The story, tricks, graphics, sound effects, and background music are all well-crafted, making this a game that fans of mystery games should definitely play.
Strategy Notes (Spoiler-Free)
I think the key to enjoying the game is to play it normally and explore different routes.
Basically, it's best to save after each choice and then try a different choice each time you reach an ending.
There are several scenes where you can enter the culprit's name, but even if you can identify the real culprit, it doesn't necessarily mean the case will be solved.
I think it's crucial to ensure that we don't overlook any important options related to the case and to keep a firm grasp on them.
The following sections list some of the choices necessary to solve the case in the main story.
There are no direct spoilers such as the culprit's name, but please be aware if you want to play the game on your own.
Hints for reaching ED2
Here are some options that are likely to be important in solving the culprit's trick.
From the middle of the game onward, the following choices will likely be crucial in order to enter the deduction route that leads to identifying the culprit.
(You can choose any of the omitted options, but I apologize if I've missed any.)
- To go along when Todo goes to investigate Mitamura's room.
In order to unravel the trick used by the culprit, it will be necessary to go and investigate.
Furthermore, it is important to select the correct questions from the options presented during the investigation.
- When it comes to making herbal tea, offer to let them handle it.
This part involves the trick used by the culprit, so I think I need to be involved.
- After everyone had fallen asleep, I didn't suspect Yoshikawa.
Choose the option, "But I was asleep too!"
- Don't bluff about knowing who the culprit is.
You'll have a chance to identify the culprit in the subsequent deduction scene, but if you can't narrow it down yet, brute-force deduction won't solve the case.
Let's simply choose "This doesn't narrow down the suspects."
- Pointing out the possibility that Ms. Mitamura lied.
If you don't choose this option, you will proceed to an unresolved ending.
In the subsequent deductions, choose the option that you believe to be correct.
- Check a different room, not Takuro's; there's a trick in the tea bag.
This is a necessary choice to unravel the culprit's trick.
If you select these correctly, you should proceed to the screen where you identify the culprit.
If you consider who would be able to use the trick from the last case, the culprit will become obvious.
Route to reach ED1
In ED2, the culprit's tricks are fully revealed, but the motive remains unclear.
If you can watch ED1, the mystery of the will and the culprit's motive will become clear.
- I'll use the restroom upon arrival at the building.
Open the door on the right.
- When you go on the treasure hunt, ask the twins for more details about the urban legend.
- There are now more options to chat with Torio-san, so I'll choose that.
・Choose "She's a very beautiful person."
- Select "Could it be that Risa-san is..."
If you choose these options, the story will then progress to you working with Nikaido to decipher the code.
Once you enter the route, you will reach ED1 by choosing the correct options regarding the cipher.
However, if you make a mistake along the way, you will be sent back to the main story route, so be sure to save as you go.
Review (contains spoilers)
This section contains information related to the perpetrator.
Please be aware that watching this before completing the game may spoil the enjoyment of the work.
The story was so gripping that I played through it in one go.
I recalled playing the Super Famicom version of "Kamaitachi no Yoru" a long time ago, and felt the same fear again.
In my first playthrough, I naturally entered the second half without knowing who the culprit was, and the story unfolded with everyone being killed one after another.
I suspected someone was faking being dead, but I wasn't entirely sure.
(Upon rereading the story after the main plot was resolved, it became clear that the real culprit hadn't been properly autopsied; it was only described as their clothes being red.)
Following my personal motto, "If you see twins in a mystery, suspect them of being the culprit," I thought either Maki or Miki was the killer.
I only saw the body from a distance by peeking through the window, and I assumed it was probably just someone pretending to be dead.
In my next playthrough, I focused on reaching the scene where the culprit is identified.
And somehow I managed to reach the point where it said, "I see. I think I know who the culprit is," and I entered the twins' names.
The deduction was progressing fairly well, making me think, "Is this the right answer?", but I was completely fooled by the narrative trick the author had set up.
I was captivated by the fact that the character is a silhouette, her bob haircut, and the name Miki.
After that, I diligently examined the options and somehow managed to reach the scene where a different culprit was identified.
By the time we got there, there was only one person who could use the trick to kill Takuro, so we were able to successfully identify that person and solve the case (ED2).
However, since the motive and the treasure hunt related to the will were left unresolved, I was searching around for ED1.
After that, I finally found the route to ED1 and played with great excitement.
The mystery surrounding the will was just as intricately crafted as the main story, and I was very satisfied.
After that, I explored various endings by choosing from the newly added options.
This might be unrelated to this work, but if a related game is made, I'd like to play it.
A collection of articles introducing recommended free games (novels and adventure games).
フリーのノベルゲームおすすめまとめ｜クリア時間と好みから探す
A compilation of gaming-related articles featured on this blog.