Spike Chunsoft's Master Detective Archives: Rain Code forecast for spring 2023

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Announcements by Jack Allin
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Lucid-noir mystery by the creators of the Danganronpa series unveiled for Nintendo Switch

Being a detective-in-training is hard enough. Being an apprentice detective with amnesia is even harder. And being an amnesiac wannabe detective haunted by a spirit while investigating mysteries in a city beset by neverending rain ... well, that just makes you the protagonist of Master Detective Archives: Rain Code, an upcoming new "lucid-noir" mystery from the creators of Danganronpa.

The game is set in Kanai Ward, a city under the strict control of a megacorporation that cannot be opposed by average citizens, leaving many crimes unsolved. Only Master Detectives with unique individual powers can uncover the truth, and even then only by entering a realm known as the Mystery Labyrinth, where "the rules of reality don't apply" and many "gimmicks and traps" await to ensnare unsuspecting sleuths. Then there are the phantoms that must be fought in a battle of wits.

Yuma Kokohead is a young man wishing to join the World Detective Organization, but his past is unknown, even to himself. Perhaps owing to his loss of memory, Yuka's lack of self-confidence "results in a tendency to frequently complain," though he also "possesses a strong sense of justice and selflessly tries to help anyone in need." Yuma is accompanied by Shinigami, a "death god" contracted to haunt him in a surprisingly "cheerful and chatty" way. Visible only to Yuma, Shinigami usually appears in her spirit form except in the Mystery Labyrinth, where she "transforms into a humanoid form and has the power to intervene in matters." Together the two must thoroughly scour the city in search of clues and evidence, tackling the most difficult cases in Kanai Ward.

Character models display a decidedly anime influence, but the city itself is a fully 3D environment with a variety of crimes scenes and other locations to explore. Before long the Mystery Labyrinth will become accessible, which is filled with puzzles to solve and "changes in appearance as you move through it." Here you must confront Mystery Phantoms, each of which embodies "the will of the person who is trying to cover up the case," though not necessarily the culprit themselves. Competing in Reasoning Death Matches, they will "argue against your deductions" while you expose their contradictions with evidence and "dodge their barrage of lies and slash the contradictions to pieces with the Solution Blade."

For now, Master Detective Archives: Rain Code is only scheduled to launch on the Nintendo Switch sometime next spring, though given the developer's track record in porting their games, there's reason to expect this one will eventually be released on other platforms later on.