Master Detective Archives: Rain Code Reviews
A neon-lit murder mystery unable to uncover a deeper core.
The overall package doesn't quite match up to any of the Danganronpa titles, but Rain Code's storytelling and characters make up for its minor shortcomings.
Rain Code is a strange and quirky mystery adventure that just can't seem to step out of the shadow of its predecessor series, Danganronpa.
Rain Code is built by a team that knows how to make these kinds of games, and as a long-time fan of the themes Kodaka tends to write around, I was pretty moved by the end even though it nearly lost me in the beginning. If you’ve never been a fan of Kodaka’s mix of camp, heavyhanded themes, and theatrics, Rain Code will likely not grab you. But despite it feeling like Danganronpa’s distant cousin, it makes it clear this team doesn’t have to lean on Monokuma’s death game as a crutch and can build something new upon its bones instead. Hopefully, this means Kodaka can continue to let old things die on their own terms and make new things instead.
Master Detective Archives: Rain Code is a great detective and murder game that strives to take the visual novels a little further with mini-games, combats reminiscent of those of the RPG, exploration of scenarios and other mechanics, also exhibiting a superb technical section, although with some other performance problem.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
If you can look past (or appreciate) the brazen clichés and huge levels of fan service, Master Detective Archives: Rain Code is a phenomenal murder mystery visual novel. The gorgeous world, wonderful characters and genuinely well-constructed mysteries combine into a thoroughly enjoyable if bizarre experience. If other similar games like Danganronpa or Ace Attorney are your bag, this is definitely worth investigating.
Excluding a slow and sometimes labored pace and only occasionally intriguing exploration, Master Detective Archives: Rain Code is a great mix of visual novel, stylish visuals and detective adventure.
Review in Italian | Read full review
While it has a vast amount of ideas that work individually, Rain Code rather feels like a missed opportunity that doesn't quite come together right.
Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE manages to live up to its mystery adventure predecessor and establish a name of its own in the process. Removing the shroud of mystery around each case was intriguing, and made for some of the best twists that I couldn't have seen coming. The wonderfully eccentric cast balances out the dark and gritty narrative in a way that manages to create a stellar adventure of investigation and seeking the truth at any cost.
While not quite reaching the heights of the Danganronpa series, Master Detective Archives: Rain Code is great spiritual successor to the cult classic and whether this is the beginning of a new franchise or if it will be a stand-alone title, it marks a return to form for Tookyo Games.
All in all, I enjoyed Master Detective Archives: Rain Code and you probably will, too. The presentation is slick, the setting is gorgeous, and the premise is genuinely brilliant. Making rapid-fire deductions while dodging accusations and falsehoods is one way to make solving mysteries a heart-pounding experience.
Master Detective Archives: Rain Code is a great game that really goes deep into each of its cases to prove who the real culprit is, sometimes to a fault. The Mystery Labyrinths can tend to go on for a bit despite knowing who the real culprit is halfway through and Shinigami's sense of humor can get a tad annoying at times. It also doesn't help that after going through a few hours of how the crime was committed, you then basically get to relive the entire crime two more times which at that point just feels like the game is padding itself. Overall though, if you're up for solving some mysteries with a purple ghost sidekick, Master Detective Archives: Rain Code is definitely worth checking out.
But stick through to the end, and Rain Code eventually delivers a satisfyingly twisty adventure in spite of its shortcomings – helping to somewhat fill that Danganronpa void.
Master Detective Archives: Rain Code may tame Danganronpa’s anarchic spirit slightly, but it also greatly expands and improves on its formula with a more developed world, bold visuals, refined gameplay, and the best collection of whodunnits writer Kazutaka Kodaka has delivered to date. This is, simply put, one of the best, most ambitious visual novels in recent years. Get in on the ground floor, because Master Detective Archives has all the makings of a killer franchise.
An intriguing adventure with noir overtones and 100% japanese madness, featuring an intriguing story involving a team of super-detectives, an unscrupulous multinational corporation remotely reminiscent of Resident Evil's Umbrella Corporation, and a protagonist whose past and future are shrouded in a thick blanket of mystery.
Review in Italian | Read full review
If we could extrapolate the essence of the narrative sector of Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE, our judgment on the production would be much more flattering.
Review in Italian | Read full review
A vividly arresting mystery adventure soaked in ambiance, personality, and a seemingly limitless imaginative streak. DualShockers was provided with a copy of the game for review purposes.
So, whether you are a fan of Spike Chunsoft’s previous work or a detective enthusiast, you should certainly pick up Master Detective Archives: Rain Code. Persona fans may even enjoy the RPG mechanics and the environment that almost seems reminiscent of its layout. I hope to see more projects like this from the developers, where it can potentially step away from its predecessor to become something else entirely.
Master Detective Archives: Rain Code is a solid follow-up to the Danganronpa franchise that demonstrates a heap of ambition from its developers and mostly lives up to its predecessor's impressive reputation. But while the game delivers an excellent cast of characters and some truly intriguing mysteries to solve, it also stumbles in its methods, introducing mechanics and locations that outstay their welcome and become frustratingly repetitive. Still, for fans of Dangaronpa and those who enjoy a good gruesome crime or two, it's definitely worth checking out.
A solid mystery adventure title that will delight Danganronpa fans and newcomers.