Master Detective Archives: Rain Code’s Powerful Potential

Persona 5. Fire Emblem Three Houses. NieR Automata.

I bet that’s not how you expected this article to start (*insert a cheeky grin and a puhuhuhu here*).

But I think that these 3 games and Master Detective Archives: Rain Code – or more specifically, its future – have one massively important thing in common:

The potential to set the gaming world on fire.

Before I go any further, I just want to clarify that this won’t be a review of Rain Code but I’m still going to keep things spoiler free. As a story driven game, it’s best experienced for yourself and for anyone interested in checking it out, I would definitely give it a thumbs up as a potential hidden gem of 2023. Rain Code is sarcastic, sassy, and self-aware in the best of ways, and I had an absolute blast with it.

That said, I will be discussing the game and its core mechanics, as well as some details about its spiritual predecessors (aka Danganronpa) so buyer beware.

Getting back to the 3 games from the start of this spiel: each of these games came from established developers and IP. Outside the confines of our avid JRPG community, these franchises all had at least some wider recognition. But while they may have been critically well received previously, they weren’t exactly mainstream smash hits or recognized as household names amongst more casual gaming audiences.

But NOW. Things have changed:

Persona 5, Fire Emblem Three Houses, and NieR Automata changed the game for each of their respective franchises and created whole new discussions in the gaming sphere, even inviting various imitators over the years who were inspired by their innovations or enticed by the results of their success.

And while Rain Code itself hasn’t made the same kind of paradigm-shifting splash, I think that what comes next from the creative minds behind this game has the potential to do just that.

Now to be honest: I’ve beaten Rain Code recently myself, and previously I’d played some of the Danganronpa series too. But have I played every single game made by Spike Chunsoft or designed by Kazutaka Kodaka? Nope, nor am I the most experienced gamer out there when it comes to the wider visual novel or point-and-click/walking sim narrative adventure genres. They’re something I’ve delved into more deeply relatively recently as far as my personal gaming history goes.

I’m also not a game developer or industry analyst or anything else professional like that. I’ve dabbled in video game journalism as an unpaid passion pursuit over the past 6 years, but that’s it. So, you can take all that I’m about to say with a grain of salt.

But I am a well-rounded, experienced gamer with eyes, ears, a moderately well-functioning brain, and – perhaps most dangerously of all – an opinion. So here goes:

TLDR, I think the evolution we see from the early days of Danganronpa to now with Rain Code demonstrates the potential to create a mainstream smash hit with the next iteration of this formula that could spread noteworthy buzz for the narrative adventure and visual novel genres at large.

Who’s spear heading this potential? Chiefly, the aforementioned Kazutaka Kodaka, character designer Rui Komatsuzaki, and composer Masafumi Takada – along with other notable creative minds like Kotaro Uchikoshi who form the core of fledgling studio Too Kyo Games.

While you may associate the Danganronpa series immediately with the name of Spike Chunsoft – whose label is in fact on the box for Rain Code too – Kodaka and crew actually left Spike after Rain Code’s development had started, likely for the increased creative freedom that comes with being independent (including complete control over IP and input regarding game direction and related business decisions).

As a result, writing this article has been tricky – Too Kyo Games is built on talent to be sure, standing on the shoulders of some of the most well renowned designers and writers in the visual novel space. But especially in the current macroeconomic sphere, being an independent is risky, so losing the backing and support of an established group like Spike could mean longer, trickier development cycles for this team.

Will Rain Code get a sequel? Who knows. Will Too Kyo Games be putting out new titles every few years in a regular (ish) cadence? Again, don’t know. If and when those games come to market, will they have the resources and support to get translated, localized, and published for international audiences outside of Japan? Damn I hope so – especially given how important good localization is for these kinds of games to ensure accessibility across languages.

But enough doom and gloom – the reason I wanted to write this piece wasn’t to speculate on doubts; rather, I felt inspired by the potential I saw in the core experience that is Rain Code.

So, what is Rain Code? It’s a narrative-heavy adventure game that plays with the boundaries of visual novels by pushing the envelope with even more “action” elements than its Danganronpa predecessors. Players assume the role of Yuma Kokohead (no, really, that’s his name) who is haunted by a spirit named Shinigami. Through a series of bizarre events, Yuma finds himself learning the ropes as a detective in the neon, rain-riddled city of Kanai Ward.

Throughout his adventure, Yuma meets several “master detectives,” each equipped with their own fortes (aka abilities) that help them solve all manner of crimes. In true Danganronpa style, players can expect a healthy serving of chaos and murder, providing engaging mysteries to unravel.

For Danganronpa initiates, many of Rain Code’s mechanics will prove familiar. In each of the game’s chapters, you’ll investigate the environment and talk to NPCs to collect clues and evidence that will serve as your ammunition for cracking cases.

But Rain Code breaks you out of the classroom setting and whodunnit trials, making some refreshing changes to Danganronpa’s formula. Not only is the game’s environment larger and more varied with a whole city to explore, but the more interactive elements of the gameplay have evolved too.

For starters, it may seem like a superficial change, but Rain Code swaps the traditional first-person perspective for a third-person one. This means that when you’re in sequences like the “Reasoning Death Matches” (this game’s equivalent for Danganronpa’s Class Trials and its main “mini game” or “combat” sequence for lack of a better term), Rain Code can play more with dimensionality.

Rather than just words floating across a screen in a 2-dimensional plane that you can shoot down with truth bullets like in Danganronpa, these same words (representing key falsehoods that you’ll have to cut down with Yuma’s Solution Blade in order to solve mysteries) can now come at you.

By making the player character someone you see and manipulate on the screen, you’ll have to dip, dodge, duck, dive, and dodge these statements while still making sure to select the right evidence to cut through the right contradictions and take down the enemies standing in your way on the path to the truth.

It’s a seemingly simple change, but an important one. Reasoning Death Matches take the Dangonronpa Class Trials’ Nonstop Debate mechanics and elevates them by making them that much more interactive, asking the player to manage a few more inputs in an additional plane of movement.

I could keep rattling off more examples of how Rain Code evolves each of Danganronpa’s traditional gameplay sequences – from investigation phases to the trials and even the closing arguments (returning in the form of “Deduction Denouement”), but my main point is in how the game elevates interactivity.

And while Rain Code certainly demonstrates growth in this arena, some elements of the game’s interactivity still aren’t quite hitting the mark and *this* is where I think they can step things up – taking a wonderfully whacky “want to see this story unfold” type of game and pushing it into the sphere of a “must PLAY” experience (emphasis on play).

Because yes, it’s still a narrative adventure with visual novel-esque elements but at its heart, what makes Rain Code a game is the fact that you play it. Again, I feel like what I’m saying sounds super obvious, but stick with me. What Rain Code and its successor have to answer is the all-important question of “WHY?”

Why is this a game you play rather than just a novel you read or a show you watch? What is your role as the player rather than a more passive consumer like a reader or a watcher? How do the actions you complete relate to the drama on screen and push the narrative forward?

Sometimes in Rain Code, the clear “why” behind its interactive gameplay elements is a bit weak or missing for me. For example, when it comes time to solve the mystery in each of Rain Code’s chapters, Yuma enters a realm called the Mystery Labyrinth. Here is where things like the Reasoning Death Matches and other core mini-game elements take place.

Unlike in Danganronpa’s original Class Trials, Yuma will run through various hallways in the Mystery Labyrinth between mini-game sequences. But these hallways are just repetitive corridors that lack interactive elements. You just run through them until the characters’ dialogue runs out and you enter the next room where the next gameplay sequence occurs.

Why is the player tasked with running down these corridors? Sure, it’s (slightly) more interactive than the static setting of Danganronpa’s Class Trials, but it’s almost an illusion or facsimile of interactivity. And sure, it gives you something to do while characters are talking by letting you push the analog stick forward to run, but why?

What does it add to the player experience? Why does the game have you do it? Is it simply to occupy your time during dialogue? Or could Rain Code have done something more to elevate the experience in the Mystery Labyrinth? Could the environment have had hidden collectibles for you to find, resources to use in Reasoning Death Matches or other sequences like the Shinigami Puzzles, or artifacts for you to interact with that add to the worldbuilding via the occasional Easter egg?

These corridors are just one example – but one that I found particularly prominent because running down these hallways gave me so much time to think during my 40 ish hour playthrough. I could also expound on various gameplay mechanics that the Mystery Labyrinth introduces and then abandons or only uses once or twice again in subsequent chapters, but I think I’ve made my core point.

Essentially, what I’m saying here is that if Too Kyo Games could close the loop by more concretely answering the question of why behind the implementation of their gamified elements within the narrative, they could push their games that much further forward.

Let me give an example of what I mean by “closing the loop” from one of the games that does it best (at least, in my opinion). Take the Confidants from Persona 5 for instance. Confidants are the evolution of Social Links from previous Persona games. By spending time with important NPCs, players engage in optional side stories.

These side stories help to flesh out the game world, but leveling up your relationships with Confidants doesn’t just have some nice little side story benefits. Deepening your bonds can also grant you an array of new abilities and passive benefits that greatly impact your gameplay experience, especially in the game’s dungeons.

From greater experience gains to swapping characters mid-battle to even different gun skills and other tactical advantages, these abilities are game-changing and make leveling up Confidants feel that much more rewarding and integral to the core gameplay loop than previous Social Link systems (which, outside of your party members, only had the benefit of adding experience when fusing Personas).

So the “why” here is incredibly clear in how Persona 5 takes the social link system and adds layers to it with Confidants. “Why” does the player need to spend valuable time hanging out with Confidants? Narratively, it adds to character development and world building. Mechanically, it grants game-changing abilities and passive boosts that impact the player’s chances of success both in and out of dungeons.

From designated action to player input to twofold benefits across narrative and gameplay, this feature from Persona 5 implements interactivity in a way that is both motivating and satisfying for the player, driving them to want to engage with the system.

This is something that Rain Code’s successor could do too. While the Mystery Labyrinth iterates in many ways on the Class Trials of the Danganronpa series, and Kanai Ward expands the environmental possibilities especially when paired with the new third-person perspective, there are just a few missing links in the motivating factors behind how the game approaches interactivity.

The team at the heart of Too Kyo games have a fantastic pedigree when it comes to character-driven, visual storytelling. They’ve got the unique style, the character writing, and the narrative know-how in spades.

(Side note: they could and should teach a masterclass in character portraits because my god, the sheer range and expressiveness of these 2D character artworks accompanying Rain Code’s dialogue is damn near astounding.)

But if they could marry their narrative and aesthetic fortes with consistently engaging gameplay elements that more satisfyingly connect what the player does with why they do it, then they could have a smash hit on their hands with even greater critical acclaim and word of mouth than their previous games (which is saying something, given the generally positive reception Rain Code has had – albeit within a somewhat finite or niche audience).

There’s also some more technical polish they could put on their next game (for example, even though it’s designed exclusively for the Switch, the game doesn’t always run the smoothest especially in handheld, and while the voice acting was fantastic regardless of dub vs. sub, the lip sync for 3D character models was basically non-existent).

But some technical rough edges can often be easily forgiven in light of a truly compelling narrative and gameplay experience. So that’s where I stand on Rain Code, Too Kyo Games, and the potential of whatever they do next. I look to the future with high hopes that they could continue along the path of evolution that they’ve already shown from one title to the next, and absolutely shatter expectations by pulling in an even larger audience than they’ve traditionally had.

I truly believe that they have the potential to create THE entry point game for the narrative adventure and visual novel genres, opening the doors to new players who haven’t previously engaged with these types of experiences. Rain Code is already a good place for many players to dip their toes into these waters, but what comes next could prove even more approachable and enticing to global audiences. The only other Japanese team/franchise that could rival this potential (especially in the West) would be Capcom and the Ace Attorney games.

But what do you think? Do you see the same potential? Or am I off my rocker? We’d love to hear your thoughts on Rain Code, Too Kyo Games, and these narrative-driven gaming experiences as a whole!