Occultic Dead (Free Occultic Horror ADV) Introduction, Impressions, and Strategy Notes

An adventure game labeled as occult horror.Occultic DeadThis is an introductory article.
Up until now, I have introduced the following on this blog:True Murasame』『Hitomisaki』『SHADOWThis is a work by Urata, the author of "[Title of previous work]".

This work deals with themes such as spirits, but it also has mystery elements.
This game offers an interesting and fair deduction game experience thanks to its unique occult-related setting.
The completion time was a little over 5 hours.

Game Overview

Miya Dojima, along with her friend Ayase, participates in a project to film paranormal phenomena.
Miya and her friends participated with a light heart, but things took an unexpected turn and the situation became serious.
In that situation, I was introduced to a company that deals with paranormal phenomena, and I desperately sought their help.

This story primarily unfolds from the perspectives of two characters: Gaku Aratani, who works for the "Takimine Office," a company that handles paranormal cases, and Miya Dojima.
The point of view automatically switches as the story progresses.

After the introductory part of each episode ends, a screen for selecting actions will appear.
Each episode is,Verification → Investigation → Consideration → SolutionYou can clear it by following this process.

"Verification" is like confirming the details of an incident.
Its role is to re-examine the sequence of events and clarify what the problems are and what remains a mystery.
We will clarify what we know at this point and what information is missing, and then define what we will do in the subsequent investigation phase.

The "investigation" involves physically going out and examining the information gaps that were revealed during the verification process.
It will be necessary to conduct interviews about the incident and investigate the scene.
Important information will be saved in the form of a record and used in the analysis in the next part.

You can end the investigation at any time you feel you have gathered enough information.
Even if the investigation ends, it can be resumed.
It's not entirely clear whether you've gathered all the information needed to complete the game, but you will get hints about how much information you need to collect.

Once we have gathered enough information, the next step is the "Discussion" section.
Here, you will choose options to advance your deductions and get closer to the truth of the case.
If sufficient information is not gathered during the investigation phase, the correct answer option may not be displayed.

Once you've solidified your deductions here, you select the next "solution" part.
If you are constructing an incorrect analysis, a message will be displayed indicating that something feels slightly off.
If you choose the solution part based on an incorrect deduction, you will get a bad ending and it will be game over.
The reason for a game over is either that your reasoning is wrong or that you haven't gathered enough information from your investigation.
You won't get stuck no matter where you save, so check the information and think carefully.

Review (no spoilers)

I thoroughly enjoyed completing the game until the very end.
While it deals with the occult, it also has mystery elements, like the author's previous works, making it a suspenseful adventure.
I found the unique settings and interpretations of paranormal phenomena and their mechanisms very interesting.

The difficulty level could be described as average to slightly difficult.
In the worst-case scenario, it's not impossible to clear it by brute force, but considering all the possible combinations of choices, it would be quite difficult.
You will need to deduce things based on the information revealed in the investigation.

The investigation part involves walking around a fairly large city, so it might be a little difficult until you memorize the map layout.
However, the places where you can obtain valuable information are almost always locations where important characters are present.
It's probably best to just talk to them.
I don't think there are (almost) any malicious points that require you to investigate specific locations without any context.

This work is divided into multiple episodes.
Each episode is generally self-contained, but unresolved mysteries from previous episodes are carried over, eventually expanding into a larger mystery at the end.
The way the subtly laid plot points are resolved at the end is just as satisfying as in previous works.

If you've played Urata's previous works, I think you'll be able to enjoy this one with confidence.
It's a manageable length, so if you're interested, why not give it a try?

Strategy Notes (Contains Spoilers)

In this article, I'll share some tips and hints about the points in this game that I personally struggled with.
I have not included any direct words such as the perpetrator's name.
I think the points where people get stuck vary greatly from person to person, so I hope this is helpful if it's useful to you.

Kizuna-kun's Story

The investigation part was a little difficult.
We quickly found four pieces of information about people (Nishijo + 3 suspects) and three pieces of evidence in the park (a bench, the base of a tree, and under a tree).
However, the last one was difficult to find, and I ended up searching around town quite a bit.
By checking several utility poles near the office, you can find the file "Streetlight Notice".
The problem was that I barely remembered any of the points Takemaru was concerned about.

The Most Terrifying Evil Spirits

I found it difficult to identify the culprit and point out the suspicious aspects.
The book gives clear hints on what to watch out for, but the actual culprit's testimony is so subtle that I couldn't figure it out at all.
The clue is that this person somehow knows how to perform an exorcism.

Dark Rider Arc

Once we've gathered five pieces of information, we'll begin our analysis, but the analysis itself is quite complex.
You can proceed by selecting one of the following options.
I hope this will be helpful for those who are finding it particularly difficult.

- Regarding the perpetrator's motive
There are other victims → Because he killed Yuriko Fuwa → He committed some kind of evil deed → Regarding other people that Dark Rider might target

- About the perpetrator himself
He knows Sakaigaoka City inside and out → He completely erases all traces of himself → He only targets those who have committed crimes.

The last case

I think you won't know how to set the necessary flags unless you fail once and get a game over.
After getting a game over and checking the hints, try again.

Specifically, after identifying the culprit through analysis, it's necessary to conduct further investigations to gather more information before beginning the solution process.
I think identifying the culprit isn't too difficult if you consider them as someone who could have connections to the previous suspects.

Review (contains spoilers)

I'll share some memorable scenes from this film and write my thoughts on it.
This contains spoilers about the culprit and the truth behind the incident, so we strongly advise against viewing it if you haven't played the game yet.

Even though my best friend quit, I wondered if I would really quit so easily myself. It felt a little strange.
I initially thought it was just for the sake of the story, but after finishing the game, it makes sense.

I suspected a happy ending would be unlikely, since the missing girl has become a ghost.
I was feeling incredibly helpless because he had already passed away, and then Numai's tears deeply moved me.

The explanation that people with strong psychic abilities often die in many other timelines, resulting in a higher purity of soul, somehow made sense to me.

Akishima's intense expression misled me into thinking he was a dangerous guy.
In reality, all he wanted was to help Yuriko, so he was acting like the protagonist of a time loop story.

I was excited, thinking a death game-like scenario was about to begin, but there was absolutely no way for my master to survive, so it was simply an execution.
Since Kanda uploaded it to the internet, does that mean Kanda designed Kizuna-kun?
Kanda is truly impressive with his highly provocative lines that get on your nerves.

Normally, Takimine is a sharp and cool guy, but when he's out of touch with reality, he's really out of touch with reality, which makes those around him cringe.
As expected of the eccentric JIN.

Miya appears to be a sensible person, but she's actually quite impulsive, so this is probably how Numai would perceive her.
Numai is one of my favorite characters because, despite being a little shy, he's quite positive and tackles various things with a good attitude.
I can't help but want to cheer them on.

I'm worried about Numai because he's not very experienced with women and gets carried away easily with just a little compliment.
Anzai's moral compass is broken, but one could also say that he's simply being honest with his own curiosity and desires.

Although Genmyo dies immediately in the first episode, it is revealed in later episodes that she was a very capable individual.
I'm sorry for making you think of me as just a stepping stone in the prologue.
The idea of Gen getting stronger after death is cool, like something out of 'HUNTER×HUNTER' (just wanted to say that).

It became clear that Azuma wasn't providing information with the intention of having people commit evil deeds, but simply wanted to help because he empathized with his client.
It offers risky methods to those who intend to harm others, and since its basis is helping people, it's difficult to simply label it as evil.
It seems that Azuma has its own standards, but I get the feeling that they are aware that eavesdropping and doing things secretly is something that should never be done.
Didn't they just directly ask Takimine and the others to "teach them"?

I believe Azuma is responsible for helping a dispute that didn't need a clear-cut resolution escalate to the point where someone died.
Is it true that you like human beings?
The job of a detective, which allows him to carefully observe things he likes, might be his true calling.

The first episode of Takimine's bonus scenario started like a comedy, but the ending was so moving that it was impossible not to shed tears.
The reason why Takimine was crying in the main story was revealed, and I was surprised to learn that there were such circumstances.
Ultimately, I was able to be with Poppy as a cat, so I'm glad about that.

The bonus scenes that delve into the connections to titles like "Shin Murasame" and "SHADOW" are a welcome addition for fans of the series.
While it's not directly related to this particular work, it likely serves as a reward for fans who have followed the series.
I feel a little lonely because I don't see the characters from "Hitomisaki" very often.

Takashima's younger brother appears to be in a position similar to the Hell Puppeteer from "The Kindaichi Case Files," acting as a crime coordinator. I wonder if we'll ever see a resolution to this case.

I was amazed by the accurate fortune-telling regarding the characters in "SHADOW".
"You seem to be aiming to be a smart person, but give up on that idea" is straightforward and excellent advice, but it also feels a little cruel.
If Shintani is capable of this level of fortune-telling, then Miya might become an even more amazing fortune teller if she trains hard enough.