Spike Chunsoft, the publisher and co-developer ofNew Master Detective Archives: Rain Code, has released a new trailer for the upcoming dark fantasy mystery game. AlthoughRain Codewas announced over a year agoin November 2021, not much has been revealed about the game, other than that it seems to star a young boy named Yuma Kokohead, who is accompanied by a ghost-like sentient being with horns.
The developers, Spike Chunsoft and Too Kyo Games, callNew Master Detective Archives: Rain Codea “lucid-noir adventure,” which falls in line with the two studios’ prior work. Several members of the development team previously contributed to theDanganronpaseries and both IPs were created by writer Kazutaka Kodaka.
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Along with a couple of character illustrations,Spike Chunsofthas now released an introductory trailer forNew Master Detective Archives: Rain Codeto share a few more details about the game. The ghost, it turns out, is a young girl named Shinigami who can apparently transform herself at will into a “Puffy Death God.” In the video, she does most of the talking and reveals that “some kind of freaky, creepy thing is going to happen in town today.” While Yuma appears a bit trepidatious at the prospect, Shinigami seems to be very excited.
A bit more about protagonist Yuma Kokohead is also uncovered in the trailer. Dubbed an “Amnesiac Detective in Training,” the kid woke up in a train station and sets out to do some sleuthing. However, strange things keep happening around him, so Shinigami steps in to help him out and provide some useful detective training.
The trailer also introduces a place called the Mystery Labyrinth, where puzzling events from real life “materialize.” Successfully navigating their way through the labyrinth will lead Yuma and Shinigama to solving the mysteries, but they must first defeat Mystery Phantoms, which are bosses that stand in the way of the truth. The video ends by showing a quick montage of a number of different characters, though it’s unclear if they will be playable or simply NPCs. Along with its general quirkiness, this ensemble of characters is one reason whyMaster Detective Archives: Rain Codehas been compared toPersona 5.
Overall, it seems likeRain Codewill present an engaging, unorthodox gameplay experience that should appeal to fans of some of Spike Chunsoft’s previous games.Danganronpa, for example, features a robotic teddy bear named Monokuma who forces high school students to murder each other. Another IP from the publisher/developer is themind-bending adventure gameAI: The Somnium Filesand its sequel,in which the player investigates a series of murders by entering the subconscious of suspects.
New Master Detective Archives: Rain Codeis currently in development for the Nintendo Switch, with a planned 2023 release.
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