Chase: Cold Case Investigations Review (3DS)
Chase: Cold Case Investigations ~Distant Memories~ is a detective-mystery game that sees a a pair of detectives, Shounosuke Nanase and his assistant Koto Amekura, trying to find the truth behind an explosion that happened 5 years ago after receiving a tip that this was to conceal a murder.
Taisuke Kanasaki, best known for his work on Hotel Dusk: Room 215 and its sequel, directs Cold Case Investigations and it’s clear that he’s able to tell a solid story no matter the length of his game. Cold Case Investigations only lasts a small handful of hours, which is to be expected for a digital-only budget-priced title on the 3DS eShop, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t great! I’m a big fan of murder mystery stories and although brief, this was a ride that gripped me the further it went on and left me shocked with some of its twists and turns.
This was a ride that gripped me the further it went on.
For a case that was closed several years ago and due to the brief nature of the game, the conclusion does feel that it comes across a little too easy but it is satisfying – although it does leave on a massive cliffhanger! The cast is small and there’s very little in the way of character development, but watching the case unfold with its various twists and turns makes for an engrossing experience, and it’s easy to complete within one sitting. It might not be a meaty experience and you’re mostly just taken along for the ride, but for the price it’s easy to tell you to buy it and I’m looking forward to the next episode!
It’s a visual novel and so there isn’t much in the way of gameplay, but you have choices to make although it’s a linear experience and choosing the wrong option will force you to pick the correct one. If you fail enough times you’re taken to a game over screen, but then you can reload and be pretty much where you were when you failed. You can investigate a couple of crime scenes via photos too, but again, you can’t fail these. All in all it’s its story that pushes you forward and I enjoyed the plot, atmosphere and characters, and it has scratched that murder-mystery itch!
It has scratched that murder-mystery itch!
It’s budget shows in its art and music as, whilst I quite like the art, it can be rather stiff and the music abruptly changes from track to track and it can be a bit jarring. There isn’t a lot of variety in the music and it usually has tracks that aim to keep a level of suspense, whilst I like the visuals more as they fit the atmosphere and the character designs are great – being an anime-styled game, it’s nice to see that the designs remain grounded. There is no voice-acting in any form, but the localisation seems solid and the subtitles are easy to read, although a little pixelated.
Chase: Cold Case Investigations ~Distant Memories~ may have a title longer than the length of the game itself, where it clocks in around 2-3 hours, but for how cheap it is on the eShop it makes for an easy buy. I’m patiently waiting for word of a second episode to continue the plot that wasn’t wrapped up here, but Chase as a series now has a fan in me.
- Super Mario Odyssey Celebrates its One Year Anniversary - October 28, 2018
- Dragon Ball Z KAI Final Chapters Review (Anime) - October 28, 2018
- Resident Evil 2 Remake Gets a Steelbook Edition in Europe - October 24, 2018
