The Silver Case

First time on console for one of the first Suda 51's games. Love it or hate it... it's up to you but this is one of the most peculiar adventure ever made.

The Silver case is a different experience compared to other visual novel games. Its plot, soundtrack and interaction levels make it quite special but in contrast it has some confusing moments.

The Silver Case is a tough one: the first game from Suda51 has an intriguing gameplay, but it hasn't aged too well. At the end of the day, it's a must-have if you're a fan of the Japanese game designer, but most of all if you love the graphic novels.

After being released exclusively for PlayStation in the Japanese market in 1999, Goichi Suda’s visual novel crosses over to the West. In its PS4 edition, it is also enriched with two new chapters. A mature and interesting script and an excellent soundtrack are the strong suit of this otherwise slow paced game, with a weird and clumsy control interface.

The Silver Case is definitely not for everyone. While it’s visuals and presentation may prove interesting to some, the issues with its gameplay and some of its storytelling could turn off others. Those unfamiliar with Suda’s style may find the themes and pacing of the game remarkably slow. But fans of Suda’s work will definitely enjoy The Silver Case as it showcases his unique style incredibly well. Regardless of its setbacks, the PS4 release of The Silver Case is a unique and complex experience that could easily draw in those who are open to playing something undeniably strange and different.

The Silver Case is a interesting murder story which follows two different perspectives: the story of a detective and the story of a freelance writer. The game has some useless dialogue and frustrating movement controllers, but delivers a lot of content.

In the end, The Silver Case oozes style yet completely fails to deliver in substance. It has the bones of an interesting story with an intriguing setting that's never fully explored, but it trips over itself through disjointed narrative that is more tell than show. It may be tempting to attribute this to some deliberate attempt at abstract absurdism, but in truth it's simply a poorly written and executed script. Fans of Suda51 may very well find something to love in The Silver Case's erratic weirdness, but those with a passing interest or who are in search of an engaging visual novel would be better served looking elsewhere.

In the end, The Silver Case is a strange, but interesting title. I can’t really fault it too much for its design. This is a game from 1999 after all, but some of the dialog choices made and what could have been fixed a bit in a new translation could have helped the hokey exchanges from time to time. While it’s not a bad game, it is most certainly an acquired taste, but when you dive into it, the story is what will propel you to keep going, and it’s actually not bad as long as you can look past the old mechanics.

The Silver Case isn’t a bad game by any means, but it is definitely suited to a specific audience due to its story-heavy nature and difficult puzzles.

Fight your way through the hideous mechanics and there's a fantastic narrative tucked away in there, a typically Suda-esque yarn that's equal parts compelling, unpredictable and offensive. [July 2016, p.91]

By today’s standards, The Silver Case is not a great game. It’s a chore to navigate, the pacing is dreadfully slow at times, and the visual presentation, while unique, begins to grate on the eyes after a while. However, when this came out in 1999, it was unlike anything else available at the time, and allowed Suda51 to begin his career as one of the most original developers in the industry. The story is bizarre but cool, the setting is fun, and the style bounces all over the place (in a good way). Not the best game when looked at in a 2017 context, but for an HD re-release of a genre-bending convention breaker, it does its job.

A visual novel with a good story, but a bad rhythm, no voices, and poor gameplay. Like Deadly Premonition, only the most hardcore gamers may enjoy it.

Quotation forthcoming.