SHADOW (Free, Undercover School Caste ADV) Introduction, Impressions, and Strategy Tips

This is "SHADOW," the latest work by Urata, who has released many mystery and suspense games, such as the RPG Maker adventure games "Murasame" and "Hitomisaki."
The story has been released gradually, starting with Chapter 1, and now Chapter 4, the final chapter, has been released.

I really wanted to play this kind of game, which makes me want to know what happens next, all at once, so I was eagerly awaiting its completion.
I played it all in one go, excitedly.The completion time was approximately 5 hours.
Each chapter doesn't take much time, so you can enjoy it as if you were watching an hour-long drama.

Game Overview

The genre is described as "A school caste-based adventure game with a focus on covert operations."
The story revolves around the protagonist, Kurusu Kyoya, a transfer student who gets caught up in a bullying problem and reluctantly takes on the task of resolving it.

Even though I say I'll solve it, I won't be solving it head-on like a hero of justice.
Rather than openly taking the lead, I'll start by working behind the scenes to prepare for a resolution.
Once we've gathered enough evidence to resolve the problem and enough material for retaliation to make it impossible for the other party to resist any further, we'll move on to the resolution phase.

It's exhilarating to see them not only use clean methods but also dirty ones without hesitation.
As the individual problems are solved, the true mastermind pulling the strings behind the series of events gradually comes into view, and the mystery of who this mastermind is is a crucial point of this story.

As you progress through the scenario section, the action section will begin, where you will take the necessary actions to solve the problem.

You will actually explore the school grounds, investigate people and objects, and take the necessary actions.
You can check the necessary actions from the "Notes" screen in the menu.

By reviewing your notes, you can learn about the actions you need to take and their priorities.

Since there is a time limit for the action phase, it is very important to check the priority of your actions.
Once you enter the action phase, be sure to check it.

As you explore the school grounds, people and locations related to necessary actions will be marked with an exclamation mark (!).
Since there may be choices with both correct and incorrect answers, it's a good idea to save your game beforehand.

Once you have completed all the necessary actions, the screen will appear as shown in the image, and you will proceed to the solution section.
Even in the solution section, you may encounter choices, so please pay attention.

Review (no spoilers)

The appeal of this work lies, above all, in its compelling storyline.
One of my favorite death game-themed manga is called "Tomodachi Game."
The way the protagonist, like in that story, foresees the future, plans meticulously, and defeats his opponents by any means necessary is incredibly satisfying.
The first half of the film contains stressful scenes, such as bullying, which makes the catharsis of the resolution all the more powerful.

Just like in his previous works, I believe the refined dialogue, stripped of unnecessary elements, is what contributes to the excellent pacing of this film.
I feel the writing strikes a good balance, neither too much nor too little information, making it consistently easy for players to read.
I think being able to write like this is either an innate talent or the result of training, and I find it amazing.

The gameplay itself was very easy to understand, as it was structured like a quest system, clearly outlining what needed to be done.
If no information had been provided and we were simply asked to explore in a general way, I might have found each action phase tedious.
I felt a sense of accomplishment as I completed each task necessary to advance the story.

The save and retry functions are also stress-free and user-friendly.
Even if you get a game over and haven't saved, you can restart from the first day of the action sequence.
Whether you're a player who prefers careful deduction or one who relies on brute force, you can play with confidence.

This game was created using RPG Maker MV, so it supports not only keyboard controls but also mouse controls.
When I wanted to talk to someone in the classroom, I could simply click on them, and they would automatically move to the shortest path, which was more convenient than using the keyboard.
As someone playing on a tablet, I found it convenient that I could move to the target and start a conversation with just one touch.

I think this work combines the satisfaction of getting revenge for what was done to you with the satisfaction of solving a mystery through deduction.
The scenario is very well-written, and I would recommend this work to many people.

Strategy Notes (Contains Spoilers)

Basically, if you always save when you enter an action phase, you shouldn't get stuck.
Furthermore, saving your game before talking to someone will make things even more secure.
Even if you get a game over, you can start over from day one, so you might not even need to worry about that.

In this section, I'll focus on the options that might leave you confused and write down notes on the correct answers.
Please note that this list does not include all possible options.

CHAPTER 1

As this is only the first action phase, there is plenty of time.
Even if you make a few wrong choices, it won't cause much of a problem.
Let's start by persuading Mikazuki and then proceed to take the necessary actions one by one.
You can get the trash to scatter on Fukamizu's desk from the trash area accessible from the north side of the connecting corridor on the first floor.

- Persuading Mikazuki
"He said self-deprecatingly, 'Kurihara's plan was perfect, wasn't it?'"

CHAPTER 2

Since the deadline is short, there's a chance you'll get a game over even if you try every possible strategy.

- Persuading Soma
"I'd like to ask just how dangerous a guy Tobisaki is."

Instructions for Inui
"Skeptical attitude" "Secretly taking photos from a jacket pocket"

Irie's place of confinement
"basement"

The real culprit
"Inlet"

CHAPTER 3

Day 1
- Akutsu's puppetization
"We will completely reject Akutsu's ideas and then try to persuade him."
It's a bit tricky because you can't immediately tell if it's correct or incorrect.

Day 2
• Notes ⇒ Suspected culprit ⇒ Makishima ⇒ "Arimura's situation"
・Akutsu ⇒ "To publicly shame a specific person"

Day 3
• Notes ⇒ Prevent the perpetrator's objective ⇒ The perpetrator has another objective ⇒ Rules of this meeting ⇒ Elimination of the captors
- Memo ⇒ A trap for the culprit, talk to Makishima ⇒ Threaten him with a bluff

CHAPTER 4

Day 2
- Makishima and the principal persuaded him in the staff room ⇒ "We will take full responsibility."

Day 3
- Talk to Watase ⇒ "Bring up Sakaki in conversation"

Day 4
- Notes ⇒ Uncovering the mastermind's motives ⇒ "An experiment" ⇒ "I intend to detonate it" ⇒ "I have no intention of harming the sacrifice"
The analysis is only complete if all answers are correct, so a brute-force approach would be extremely difficult.

Day 5
- Memo ⇒ Confrontation with the mastermind ⇒ "Gymnasium"

Review (contains spoilers)

*This contains some spoilers for another work, "Murasame," so please be careful if you haven't played it yet.

Each episode is self-contained, yet the larger mystery of the entire story is gradually revealed, which made it feel like an hour-long suspense drama and was very enjoyable.
Watching things unfold one after another exactly as Kurusu had planned was incredibly satisfying to play.

In the second half, the story escalates with the introduction of poison gas generators and bombs, but this created a good sense of tension as a stage setting.
Just when you think the problem is solved, there's another twist, which, as with their previous works, is truly impressive.

Regarding the true culprit in Chapter 2, I was surprised when the option to name the culprit suddenly appeared, just when I thought the mystery was solved.
I remembered the author's character "Murasame" and nominated Irie, who was also the one being bullied, and I was happy that I got it right.

As a fan of the series, I was a little pleased to see characters like "Murasame" and "Hitomisaki" making subtle appearances.
Sezaki is now a police officer, his superior is Detective Yasuda, and Takashima is a drug dealer in a dubious profession.
The fact that Sezaki is now a police officer suggests that at least several years have passed since "Murasame" and "Hitomisaki."

Below, I will write my impressions, focusing mainly on the characters.

Kyouya Kurusu
As Kurosaki also pointed out, he is, in a sense, a very kind-hearted character, befitting a protagonist.
He's a loyal person who always repays his debts, but he's also flexible, and I personally liked him.
He was intelligent, calm, and a reassuring person to be around.
They are someone you definitely don't want to make an enemy of.

- Soichi Akutsu
In terms of Fate-style alignments, he was a typical "Lawful Good" character.
Although his sense of justice can sometimes get out of control, he's fundamentally a good guy, so he's one of my favorite characters.

Towards the end, he shows flexibility by acknowledging Kurusu's actions, even though they contradict his own beliefs, and deciding that cooperating with him is the best course of action. This is one of my favorite scenes.
The fact that he resorts to dark tactics in the epilogue suggests he's matured as a character.

・Ichi Inui
When he first visited Kurusu's room, I thought he was a more thoughtful character, but from the middle of the story onward, he completely becomes a muscle-bound idiot.
Perhaps it's because they tried to avoid overlapping with Soma's character.
He was practically Kurusu's partner, and played a crucial role at key moments.
He's one of the characters who brings comfort to the story, so I'm relieved that he wasn't the mastermind.

Junpei Tobisaki
He was a completely unhinged, utterly deranged type of person—a textbook example of evil.
Even if it wasn't something he planned, he seems like a sadist who gets pleasure from beating people for an hour every day.
Unlike Asagi in "Murasame," he remained a complete villain until the end.

Shun Irie
If Tobisaki is a straightforward villain, then Irie gives the impression of being a twisted kind of evil.
In a sense, if supply and demand were balanced, I think it would have been better to just leave things as they were.
It all started when Kurusu egged Inui on, so in a way, it's Kurusu's responsibility, but since it was a relationship that no one could have predicted, perhaps it couldn't be helped.

Yugo Soma
As for Tobisaki's entourage, there aren't many depictions of Soma himself doing terrible things, so he doesn't leave a particularly bad impression.
In fact, after Chapter 2, he becomes aware of his own weaknesses and then cooperates with Kurusu, which I even found cool.
I like these kinds of relatable, human characters.

・Yuno Shinsui
He's a kind character, like a saint.
Although he fades into the background after Chapter 2, he left a strong impression on me because he was the first victim.
Playing magical girl games in her room is her own business, but... if it were exposed, it wouldn't be surprising if she committed suicide.

Karen Kurihara & Ayumi Koda
She was a very clear-cut female villain.
The bullying was pretty brutal even before the plan was finalized, so I was left with the impression that it was really nasty.
From Chapter 2 onwards, I was completely intimidated by Kurusu, and as for Koda, I found her strange, ladylike way of speaking quite amusing.
It would be fine if Yuno, the victim, had forgiven him, but in reality, there were no actual repercussions.
If Kurusu hadn't punished me, I might have become a twisted adult, so in that sense, I guess I was lucky.

・Mikazuki Rin
He was the kind of handsome character who, despite not doing anything wrong, always ended up losing out.
However, Kurusu came to his rescue, and he became a reliable partner, just like Inui.
Her embarrassed expression was just as cute as Yuno's.

- Shinobu Amamiya
He's quick to change his tune, and I didn't have a good impression of him to begin with, so I wasn't particularly surprised when I found out he was the mastermind behind the plan.
In a way, he seemed like an interesting character who could become a good rival to Kurusu.

・Mai Sakaki

This monster, in this film, felt like it had the most outrageous and bizarre true nature.
Even Amamiya didn't go so far as to plan murder; his motive was based on a cost-benefit analysis of adjusting interpersonal relationships.
However, in Sakaki's case, he is actively pursuing the path of killing.
They are making moves that even surprise Kurosaki, such as getting close to the identity of the person who wrote the plan without any information Kurosaki possesses, and even hijacking the plan.
His sharp intellect and ferocious personality made him a compelling and attractive villain.

・Kana Watase

I had a strong impression that this character was always being treated unfairly, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for them.
I thought that after being physically beaten up by Tobisaki and mentally beaten down by Mai, his young mental strength wouldn't be able to withstand it.
In the end, spurred on by Kurusu, I ignited my own fighting spirit and stood up.
Initially, he was someone who disliked Kurusu based solely on unreliable rumors, but by the end, he became a character you wanted to root for.

・Yamada
He's a straightforward villain, and not particularly intelligent either.
Since they would soon face consequences, they weren't a particularly stressful presence.
However, considering that the power harassment against Kurosaki was a contributing factor to the series of incidents, I think he's a truly hopeless person.
In this day and age, I think power harassment and sexual harassment are far too risky, but I get the feeling that people of this age still do them with outdated attitudes.

Yoko Makishima
I think he was the kind of teacher who avoided conflict, a fairly common type in that sense.
I didn't dislike them that much because they weren't actively harming anyone.
He's a bit of a petty villain, but his lack of intelligence is also endearing.
The scene where he finally snaps at the principal was incredibly satisfying, and it made me re-evaluate him.
It might just be that I yelled without thinking about the consequences.

・Wataru Kurosaki
He's the mastermind, but after reading the sub-scenarios, there are parts where I feel a bit sorry for him, so I have mixed feelings.
He probably didn't expect to be stabbed by Kurosaki, but considering the trap he had set, he's quite insidious at heart.
However, the difference between Kurosaki and Kurusu was that they were both willing to act for the sake of others.
In turn, Kurusu was saved by the person who helped him, and he was able to return to school.
I think that was the difference between him and Kurosaki, who couldn't trust people until the very end.
Kurosaki has also hinted at having had some troubles in the past, which is a bit intriguing.

·principal
This character was the one who irritated me the most in this work.
It's fair to say that allowing teachers like Yamada to run rampant is what led to this incident.
Even when trying to persuade him to relinquish the right to select the sacrifice, he's only trying to avoid responsibility, to the point where Makishima seems almost cute.
Furthermore, even in the epilogue, they continue to place all the blame on Kurusu, who resolved the situation with minimal casualties, and dismiss him completely.
While many villains appeared in this film, if asked who the worst villain was, I would say this principal.