Status Check Detective (Free Mystery Adventure) Introduction and Review

I played the mystery adventure game "Status Detective" by Meimiya-sama.
This is an adventure game where you solve a murder case that occurred in the game world, using information from the status screen to make your deductions.
This was a very interesting work, with tricks and plot developments that made full use of the setting within the story.

On normal difficulty, it took me about two hours to complete the game.
(Until EXTRA is unlocked)

Game Overview (No spoilers, but mentions the early introductory part of the game)

This is a mystery adventure game set in the MMORPG world of "Omland," where you control the protagonist, Hyze, who has grown tired of being an adventurer and become a detective, and your goal is to solve murder cases.

In the game, your partner Kurano, who is also your spouse, has been arrested as a murderer. If you don't clear her name within four hours before midnight, you and Hyze will also be punished for joint responsibility.
Will rookie detective Hyze be able to successfully solve the case?

Basically, you read the text and click on the screen as needed to progress through the game.
In investigation mode, you collect clues by clicking on suspicious objects on the screen.
You can drag the background screen to move your viewpoint around, so you can look around the room and explore to see if there are any places to investigate.

Additionally, you can check the character status screen and past logs at any time during the game.

The past logs are surprisingly feature-rich; you can search for specific words and apply filters to display only logs that contain those words.
If you feel like you've heard something similar before, it's easier to search through past logs.

Since it's a mystery adventure game, questions will be posed at key points.
It's okay to make mistakes multiple times, but each time you make a mistake, the "Score" displayed in the upper right corner will decrease.
If you find it difficult, you can use the ■ (token) to get a hint.
In addition to the tokens you are given from the start, you can also obtain tokens by solving the puzzles described below.

You can find these kinds of puzzle-solving mini-games in various places throughout the game.
You can try this at any time.
Upon completion, you will receive a token that can be used to obtain hints.

You can choose the difficulty level at the start of the game.
I played on normal difficulty, but if you want a more challenging deduction experience, choosing hard mode might be a good idea.
Conversely, if you want to enjoy the story quickly, I think choosing the easy mode will reduce stress.

Alternatively, you can choose a unique mode called online mode.
This feature allows you to invite guest players to experience the story together.
The host will manage the game progress, and guests can only view documents and logs.
I didn't use this mode myself, but it might be interesting to use when doing a live stream with multiple people.

Review (no spoilers)

I was able to clear the game on normal difficulty in about two hours.
The game features many mysteries that utilize in-game systems and stats, so those familiar with RPGs should be able to easily immerse themselves in the story.

The fact that the status screen and ability scores are clues to solving the mystery is similar to what I previously introduced.The life of a snakeI think it shares a similar appeal with [another work/series].
The clues and foreshadowing needed to solve the mystery are presented quite fairly, so if you play again after the truth is revealed, you'll notice that various hints were provided.

Just like in the Ace Attorney series, the situation of the case changes constantly as new facts are revealed.
I won't go into details to avoid spoilers, but the core trick made full use of the game's in-game system, which was very brilliant.
Rather than feeling frustrated that I couldn't see through it, I felt a sense of exhilaration from being deceived.

Personally, I felt the difficulty level was somewhere between average and slightly high (Normal).
However, hints are available if needed, and it is possible to clear the game by trying all the options (although your score will decrease).
It's not a very long film, so why not enjoy it as if you were watching a two-hour mystery movie?

By the way, my favorite character is the protagonist, Hyze.
Despite his somewhat listless expression, he has a standard personality, and I like how he possesses both the sharpness and laid-back side typical of a detective.