Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE Nintendo Switch Review

If you are a fan of murder mysteries, there is a huge chance you have heard of the Danganronpa series. With all its visual flair, wacky cast of characters, and mysteries, it is no wonder the series became such a huge hit with fans. Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE was revealed at September 2022’s Nintendo Direct and looked to follow in the footsteps of its predecessor, tonally and artistically. Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE was developed by Spike Chunsoft and Too Kyo Games. Spike Chinsoft are best known for the Danganronpa franchise, which swings from being a visual novel into interactive mini-game segments. The central focus being a ‘whodunit’ as you unravel mysteries of whom the culprit of murder might be.

 

Chunsoft’s roots can be traced as far back as the NES days, developing the earliest entries in the critically acclaimed Dragon Quest franchise, then known in the states as Dragon Warrior. Eventually, Chunsoft would merge with sister company Spike in 2012 to form Spike Chunsoft as we know it today. Not without their fair share of misses, such as J-Stars Victory Vs or the ill-fated Jump Force, Spike Chunsoft do have a long-standing success with Danganronpa. That is why a spiritual successor was exciting news, to say the least. With the reveal of Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE brought forth much fervor as it would be the first 3D title in the Danganronpa art style. Unique gameplay mechanics were also discussed briefly. This was shaping up to be a grand adventure for Spike Chunsoft.

You awaken in an unknown storage room at a train station with no recollection of how you got there and, even worse, who you are. Scavenging around the room, you find a report with your name and current mission. The protagonist soon discovers his identity to be Yuma Kokohead, a Master Detective for the World Detective Organization, or WDO for short. Yuma finds out he is to board the soon departing train, Amaterasu Express, to Kanai Ward on a mission for the WDO to meet up with the Nocturnal Detective Agency. Shortly after meeting with the fellow detectives on the train, chaos quickly ensues on your way to Kanai Ward, a city where it rains all day, every day.

It is on the Amaterasu Express where Yuma is awakened by Shinigami, a death god with mystifying abilities yet unknown to him. Shinigami serves as much of the comic relief in Master Detective Archive: Rain Code, as well as assisting Yuma in his crime solving escapades. As you somehow make your way back on the troubled ride back to Kanai Ward, the game officially begins once you complete the case on the Amaterasu Express. Once you arrive, you meet with Yakou, chief of the Nocturnal Detective Agency. From there, you are quickly introduced to a motley crew of fellow detectives. Halara, Desuhiko, Fubuki, and Vivia are a likeable cast with special powers the game describes as fortes.

 

Kanai Ward is cut off from most of the world by Amaterasu Corporation, a conglomerate seizing to get their hands on anything and everything in the city. Patrolling the streets are Amaterasu Corporations’ Peacekeepers, who act more akin to violent oppressors than peaceful protectors of the people. They are the direct opposition to any detective operating within the confines of the city. They will twist the truth at any turn they get, even accusing obviously innocent civilians of crimes to mask the truth. This is where Yuma comes in. As a rookie detective, you will take on various cases much at the behest of Yakou, as detective work is a dangerous business going against Amaterasu Corporation. Yuma will be spending most of the time in Kamasaki District, which is the central area of Kanai Ward.

In between main story cases, Yuma can take on side quests to help the distressed citizens of Kanai Ward. Yuma is unsure of himself and his lost memories but always looking to help where he can. As the story progresses, so does his character development. He works with Shinigami, with whom he made a pact with in exchange for her powers, leading to his lost memories. Shinigami is just as much of the main character as Yuma is since he is literally and figuratively chained to her. She is a sexual deviant and embraces a good murder case. She is the yang to Yuma’s yin. The banter that unfolds between the two is hysterical. Many moments had me burst out laughing, as Yuma is prudish in light of Shinigami’s dirty jokes.

Before something hits the fan, Shinigami goes from her ghost form into her physical form, allowing her to open up a portal to the mystery labyrinth, a place where mysteries take a physical form. While investigating in the real world, you are gathering clues for solving cases. Exposing the truth in the world does nothing, as Amaterasu Corporation will just bend the truth to their will. This is where venturing inside the mystery labyrinth comes into the picture. The gameplay mechanics found within also change drastically. Here, you will face phantom versions of culprits and other conspirators, who will throw you off to hide the truth. These segments are known as a reasoning death match.

 

All the deductions you find in your investigations will take shape in physical form as solution keys. Yuma also gains the truth sword in the mystery labyrinth, which he uses to slash falsehoods spewed out from the culprits. They will use whatever words possible to throw you off track, to mask the truth. Words will careen towards you in a few different colors and depending on which one they are, you must use a corresponding action to combat them. Once an emblazoned word comes at you, that's when you must choose which solution key contradicts their lies. The combination of mystery solving coupled with these action segments is unique and rarely seen in a game, if at all. The reasoning death matches are a lot of fun to play through.

In Master Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE, a lot of information is bestowed upon you in rapid fire succession. Not to worry as Master Detective Archives: Rain Code features extensive tutorials, detailed character bios and a glossary packed with terminology. There was never an instance where I was confused about any aspect during my playthrough, as every bit of information was available with at the press of a button. You can also press the minus button to bring up the backlog of dialogue in case you missed something or didn’t quite understand the context. As previous titles in Spike Chunsoft’s backlog of crime solving dramas, Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE is heavy on story elements and dialogue. The quality of life features greatly enhanced my enjoyment of the game.

The world found within is brimming with life despite the gloomy atmosphere. The art direction was done by the team behind Danganronpa, which has a distinctive art direction easily recognizable to any anime gaming enthusiast. The difference here being that Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE is fully realized in 3D. For a Switch title, it looks as beautiful as possible for such a huge title. Unfortunately, due to the aging hardware, certain aspects like random jitters, frame drops and visibly loading textures do happen often. This is more of a hardware issue, as you can tell the game runs the console to its limit. Neon signs illuminate the dark corners of Kanai Ward in beautiful detail. Neon lights bouncing off rain puddles are nothing short of pretty by Switch standards.

 

The characters are all made to be highly attractive, especially if you have played Danganronpa, as is par for the course. Big bright eyes, expressive emotions, and the like can all be found in Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE. The music selection is complimentary to the context of the game. Whenever Shinigami is up to her silly antics, the music reflexes that with playful fanfare. When investigating a murder scene, a dark and mysterious track plays, elevating the foreboding atmosphere with an extra layer of creepiness. There is a perfect balance between lighthearted moments, sad ones, and scary ones. The Mysteriful Edition of the game even comes packed with a CD and is well worthy of one.

The jokes told in the game were absolutely bonkers, even for an M-rated game. The sexual innuendos are enough to make any grown gamer blush. I won’t delve into this topic much, but there are plenty of wild jokes and fan service as long as Shinigami is around. If that kind of content strikes your fancy, you will not be disappointed. Each time you partake in the Shinigami puzzle mini-game, she will strike a unique pose each time you complete one. Under the direction of the writer of Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE, Kazutaka Kodaka, Shinigami was made to be as sexy as possible. A certain character will have a nose bleed moment and was hysterical to witness the ensuing banter.

 

Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE isn’t shy about tearjerker moments, too. A wide array of different emotions is felt throughout the story. From laughter, sorrow, and everything in between, the story was well done. The cast of characters becomes ever more lovable as the game progresses, and It's great to see how Yuma steadily progresses into a seasoned detective. In addition, this game is chock-full of references to other gaming franchises, including Dragon Quest. A lot of parallels were certainly made to a certain famous PlayStation 2 JRPG, but I will let you figure those out, as it was fun to point out.
 

Michael Nicolosi (@ChipmunksMikey)
Editor, NoobFeed