Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE Plus
Developer: Too Kyo Games
Publisher: Spike Chunsoft
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S (Reviewed), PC
Release Date: October 1, 2024
Price: $59.99 USD – Available Here
Overview
When it comes to Kazutaka Kodaka’s works, fans have adored the Danganronpa franchise and have been hoping to see this same manic magic captured again in some way. Since the Danganronpa series appears to have come to an end, things have been a bit hit and miss with the popular writer and director. Kazutaka managed to make a successful return to his roots with plenty of mysteries to solve in Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE when it arrived last year as a Switch exclusive and now Spike Chunsoft is making sure that everyone has a chance to see what this title has to offer in the form of an enhanced multiplatform release. Containing all of the previous DLC and other upgrades, does Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE Plus manage to keep players on the edge with its mysteries?
Story
Yuma Kokohead has awoken in a lost-and-found room with no memory of who or what he even is, with his only real clue being a note in his jacket stating his name and that he is meant to travel to the Kanai Ward on a soon departing train as a trainee for the World Detective Organization. Aboard this train he finds a number of other highly gifted detectives, many of which reveal that every member of the WDO has a special “Forensic Forte” supernatural ability that helps them solve cases. The only problem is, not only does the amnesiac Yuma have no clue what his ability is nor a way to prove his identity, a disastrous crisis unfolds before the train can even arrive at the Kanai Ward.
Amidst this crisis Yuma finds that his amnesia is a result of making something of a deal with the devil as a mysterious voice revealing itself to be a ghostly apparition by the name of Shinigami reveals herself to him, promising to assist Yuma in any way when it comes to solving cases, even in ways unimaginable to the already over-the-top abilities of the other detectives. With the help of Shinigami Yuma quickly finds himself embroiled in mystery after mystery that initially seem separate from one another but eventually culminate in massive twists and reveals that tie everything together in some rather shocking ways.
RAIN CODE Plus tells an incredibly interesting and gripping storyline spread across its multiple mysteries and just like any good mystery game, while each case may seem separate from another it soon becomes apparent that a grander scheme is at play as numerous twists and revelations come to light as Yuma, Shinigami, and his fellow detectives continue to solve cases and uncover more about the secrets that make the Kanai Ward what it is. This is a narrative that will keep players wanting to learn more at every turn, and thankfully the title manages to deliver that and then some. In fact, RAIN CODE Plus goes a step beyond the original release as it comes coupled with all of the DLC cases that were released for the Switch version post-release. These extra chapters are all available right from the very beginning of the game but considering they contain spoilers and introduce characters and events incredibly out of order from the main storyline players should wait until they clear the main game first.
That being said, these bonus cases are a great way to help the other characters in the game shine besides Yuma and Shinigami which is a good thing because the characters also happen to be one of RAIN CODE Plus’ strongest elements. As the main character Yuma works well with his amnesia allowing players to learn as he does all while making the amnesia a key plot point. Nearly every main character that works alongside Yuma is endearing in their own way and are just as unique as what fans of the writers would expect and, as mentioned before thanks to the extra content, they are given far more chance to shine outside of the main storyline as well. That being said, perhaps the character that really takes the cake among everyone else is Shinigami herself. She is completely irreverent to any serious scene, often mocking or teasing Yuna but obviously still willing to help nonetheless. Her innuendo and constant string of off-the-wall banter makes her a perfect match for Yuma and the dark situations he finds himself in. Sure, it is possible to see that she could be annoying for some, but for us she’s a perfect fit that balances the tone and themes of the game excellently.
Gameplay
When not talking or interacting with the colorful cast of characters in RAIN CODE Plus, players will generally be spending their time exploring the Kanai Ward or, most importantly, investigating the various crime scenes that they get involved in. Crime scenes all play out in a mostly similar manner, with Yuma being able to walk around and investigate objects both pertinent and negligible to the case but players are encouraged to investigate everything as even inconsequential items still reward them with Detective Points or DP. This DP works as a simple leveling system that also allows Yuma to unlock special abilities that will come into play during a much more involved gameplay element, the Mystery Dungeons, by increasing his health, making solving riddles a bit easier, or various other abilities though only a few can be equipped at a time.
While the general investigation element remains the same for most cases, what sets each one apart besides the obvious subject matter is that a different detective will accompany Yuma and assist him with their Forte in various ways. These Forte make for some incredibly interesting mechanics such as one case where players must obtain specific disguises to extract proper information from suspects or, in another case, rewind time partially though this isn’t quite as interesting despite how useful it might seem. As players search through a crime scene either alone or with a fellow detective they will uncover various specific clues and deduce how they play a factor into what happened as well, with these clues coming into play in the Shinigami’s Mystery Dungeon where she quite literally vomits them up as solution keys.
A lot of a Mystery Dungeon involves walking down an endless hallway with auto dialogue turned on to advance the unfortunately drawn out nature of the dungeon until players are challenged with a variety of different games. Some of these are as simple as deducing the right answer to a question with there being multiple correct answers, others involve quite literally placing Shinigami in a barrel and filling in a blank by throwing swords at her, quick time hopping to answer questions, or even taking part in a big “Attack on Titan” style encounter near the end of things. These mini-games can be rather wild and help keep things feeling at least somewhat fresh given how long and drawn out some Mystery Dungeons can be but perhaps the most involved sequences are the Reasoning Death Matches.
These pit Yuma against a twisted phantom resembling someone from the case that throws out accusations and random noise to try and damage Yuma’s argument and it is up to the player to figure out the proper solution key to slot into their blade as evidence and slice through the accusation, proving the contradiction right there and damaging the phantom. Players will need to dodge around accusations to keep their energy up, which is also hurt by failing other mini-games mentioned earlier. These numerous mini-games keep the Mystery Dungeons feeling unique even if they do drag on a bit too long at times, especially when certain elements are repeated, but between these and the exploration found in the Kanai Ward, players are in for quite a unique treat when it comes to solving these mysteries with the power of Shinigami at their side.
Audio & Visuals
While originally developed for the Nintendo Switch Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE Plus has been given a solid visual upgrade by Spike Chunsoft with its arrival on the Xbox Series X. This includes upscaling the visuals to 4K and dramatically reducing load times. Considering the stylish designs of the world and the character models the upscaling isn’t a significant improvement but it is still impressive nonetheless. Of course, this is thanks to the fact that the character models are impressively detailed and are just as memorable as one would expect from the creator of the Danganronpa franchise. Nearly every story character, be it as simple as our lead Yuma or as excessive as Shinigami can be and everything in-between is a delight. The neon lit streets of the Kanai Ward are also presented wonderfully and the Mystery Labyrinths feel like trippy versions of randomized dungeons that players would usually find in an RPG rather than a mystery game, portraying the confusing nature of a mystery perfectly.
The voice work for the title is also handled quite nicely with all of the characters given voice work fitting for their designs and personalities. It is interesting to note that Shinigami will likely be a hit or miss character for some thanks to her personality but personally she was a delight throughout the adventure both thanks to her mischievous and blunt statements as well as her often completely out-of-place writing at times all handled excellently by her voice actor. Of course, the Japanese voice track is available for those who wish to play using the original dub instead. As for the soundtrack RAIN CODE Plus uses a wonderfully fitting collection of jazz style music with slight noir undertones and some blues as well, making for an eclectic collection of background music that can be enjoyed both during gameplay as well as sampled through the main menu’s “Gallery” option once unlocked.
Overall
Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE Plus has never looked better and by providing all of the additional DLC for the original release together in this enhanced version, players on these new platforms will be able to experience the best that this twisting mystery detective game has to offer. With a great art style and gripping mysteries to uncover, players will find that the game rarely misses a beat thanks to its wonderful cast of characters and expanded content thanks to the bonus cases, even if the Mystery Dungeons can be a bit long in the teeth sometimes.
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