The 25th Ward: The Silver Case

 PlayStation 4
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 36 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 36
  3. Negative: 6 out of 36
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  1. DeadSix
    Apr 9, 2018
    7
    The 25th Ward: Silver Case offers a complex mystery that mixes supernatural and surrealism into a blender but fails to leave a proper lasting impact. There are three stories that the game offers, the Placebo, Correctness, and Match Maker. Each line follows a different side of the story with different characters but their are connections present.

    This is a port from a mobile game from    The 25th Ward: Silver Case offers a complex mystery that mixes supernatural and surrealism into a blender but fails to leave a proper lasting impact. There are three stories that the game offers, the Placebo, Correctness, and Match Maker. Each line follows a different side of the story with different characters but their are connections present.

    This is a port from a mobile game from 2005 and its interface is clunky and sometimes not responsive, especially in the segments where you have to move your character or when you are using the menu to save or load a game. There is no voice acting and the constant clicking sound from the dialogue appearing every time on screen will get annoying to the point where muting the audio is the only alternative solution.

    There are 100 possible endings in the game so replay-ability value is there but to get the true end you are required to view all of them and even with that, more questions are raised then answered. Unless you played the original game, take a pass.    … Expand
  2. SnappyGR
    Sep 3, 2019
    7
    Snappy Game Reviews - Down the rabbit hole

    It’s been a whole year since the remaster of Grasshopper Manufacture’s first game The Silver Case launched overseas for the first time. Based on the original PlayStation game by the legendary SUDA51, published in 1999, this bizarre visual novel still managed to blow me away even 18 years after its original launch. As a SUDA51 enthusiast, I was    Snappy Game Reviews - Down the rabbit hole

    It’s been a whole year since the remaster of Grasshopper Manufacture’s first game The Silver Case launched overseas for the first time. Based on the original PlayStation game by the legendary SUDA51, published in 1999, this bizarre visual novel still managed to blow me away even 18 years after its original launch. As a SUDA51 enthusiast, I was able to pick up several references from more recent Grasshopper Manufacturer titles such as Killer7 and No More Heroes which made the already compelling story even more of a pleasure to experience. Despite it being a work of fiction, The Silver Case has a very distinct late 90’s suburban Japan vibe to it and those who resided in the 24 Wards felt like real, unapologetic people.

    I believe this speaks volumes about both the quality of the original script and the English translation as well. Back when I first picked up The Silver Case I had no idea that there had been a sequel released for mobile phones in 2005 but I was extremely happy to hear that there were plans for a worldwide release of the remaster of The 25th Ward: The Silver Case as well. Given the embryonic state of mobile gaming in 2005, I would be lying if I told you I wasn’t at least a little sceptical about the quality of the game but my doubts quickly dissipated as I made my way back into the world of Kamui Uehara and rejoined the Heinous Crime Unit.

    Without going into spoiler territory the story picks up almost half a decade after the events of the original game, the sequel envisions a dystopian city where there’s a very peculiar community. In the said community, the most privileged have access to this new lifestyle, a “perfect” city, practically without negative aspects and completely without criminal activity. However, those who live there must obey the rules that have been set for this perfect society. Whoever makes the smallest mistake isn’t punished like in a normal society, instead, they’re instantly shot or turned into some sort of brain dead being. These events are stringed together by rather bizarre moments and twists that make for a very enjoyable and very dark, unpredictable story only pushed even farther by the mostly skewed colour palette and strange, at times even purposely ugly character portraits.

    Although this is a Goichi Suda game, only the first scenario was written by him with the two others being written by Masahi Ooka and Masahiro Yuki. While the first scenario has the typical over the top SUDA51 style that could be compared to some of Quentin Tarantino’s works the other two are less chaotic and more concise chapters in the message they want to convey. The 25th Ward: The Silver Case mainly explores themes such as the moral and ethical issues of corrupted authorities that should defend the law and protect the people and how in turn that mould the behaviour of ordinary citizens based on the social hierarchy.
    The game is a traditional visual novel with very minimalist interactions thrown in throughout each of its nearly 20 chapters which are divided into three different scenarios. This isn’t a huge deal if you manage to get into the insane plot and, just like in the original game, ignore the typewriter sound that the text scrolling makes. At times you’re allowed to roam freely through long corridors, talk to some characters and even enter keywords but these usually feel like stilted interactions that are only there for the sake of giving the player something to do.

    The 25th Ward: The Silver Case is ambitious, but its ambition doesn’t quite manage to achieve the same brilliance as its predecessor. It still shares the same interesting lore and I’d argue that some of its characters are more charismatic than most of the cast of the original game but there’s a certain “something” that’s missing on top of the inferior soundtrack and overall plot. Despite this, The 25th Ward: The Silver Case still is a fairly interesting visual novel and a small piece of Grasshopper Manufacture’s history, which goes without saying that this is yet another must-play for any SUDA51 fan.    … Expand
  3. Luke23d
    Mar 26, 2021
    10
    Definitely worth a buy if you like suda's writing. Storytelling is very unique
  4. ThisLifeSucks
    Nov 19, 2019
    10
    The sequel of the already fantastic Silver Case delivers even more with an even more cryptic story, but an even more flawless execution. This is the pinnacle of style. The soundtrack was done by Akira Yamaoka, making it the perfect experience for a visual novel.
  5. threesan
    May 30, 2022
    10
    One of the most creative and unique stories/settings I've ever seen in a visual novel. Lovely striking artstyle as well. Truly kino.
  6. natopomato
    Jul 14, 2022
    10
    Kind of like a magical experience, really. The 25th Ward seems like a real place after completing the game. a perfect utopia of sorts. Be prepared to spend time with it's denizens through out the story.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
68

Mixed or average reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 15
  3. Negative: 1 out of 15
  1. Cubed3
    Apr 24, 2018
    80
    The 25th Ward: The Silver Case, while not for everyone, is still a unique visual novel experience that oozes creativity. Its gameplay elements do slightly bog it down, but the stylised writing, entertaining characters, and one of a kind story more than make up for it. It's a truly memorable adventure accompanied by wonderful music and artwork, all coming together to make something that visual novel fans should definitely look into.
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  2. Meristation
    Apr 18, 2018
    72
    The 25th Ward is an interesting game which has an intricate story with complex moments that makes hard to know what's happening. Besides that having three different stories that get crisscross at some point, a good soundtrack with many types of music and some moments that are like retro games are its best points.
    Read full review
  3. Gameblog.fr
    Apr 2, 2018
    70
    Quotation forthcoming.
    Read full review
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