The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story

It's a darn enjoyable multi-generation experience that has a lot of unusual mysteries, so it stands strong on its own merits. If you're a fan of mystery games, then it's absolutely worth a shot. The strong acting and good use of FMV help it to stand out from the crowd, and it's almost as much praise and criticism that I wished it were a movie or television show that I could just sit back and watch.

Shijima Story is a great narrative experience for any crime story and mystery fan. Even though there are some hand-holding and some limitations, it's qualitative writing. Great pacing and characters are enough to hold you through this great live-action experience that provides a feeling like you are watching an excellent TV show with its remarkable cast, great costumes and vivid story points.

The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story has a story full of mystery and great performances by the actors. This title will be judged by its cover. However, it's not until you play it that you understand its real value as an entertaining title in a genre that not many gamers play in the West.

While it might not be the perfect FMV game, The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story is pretty darn close. With the entwined stories, spectacular acting, and lengthy scenes, it truly is an interactive experience fans of the genre should not miss. And I’d personally love to see Haruka get tangled up in more adventures such as this one. She’s a character that speaks to my soul. Let me traipse around Japan solving crimes with her, please and thank you in advance.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story, but it’s definitely an oddity in today’s gaming landscape. It’s more “interactive film” than a video game, and you should definitely go into it with the mindset that it’s something that’s meant to be watched instead of played.

Years after releasing games from established franchises or western indies, Square Enix took a different direction with impressive new Japanese titles. The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story was a surprise. And a great one.

The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story is an exceptional game in almost every way. I want to sing the praises of this game far and wide, yet its “gameplay” sections largely hold it back from being an absolute masterpiece. The story it presents is gripping and tragic. Its cast is marvelous in delivering their performances, even when faced with the monumental task to play entirely separate characters in different time periods. Everything about its music is stunning. There are so many amazing aspects to this high-budget FMV mystery adventure, but its execution on what it has players do to solve its various mysteries is truly its biggest Achilles’ heel.

More than just a FMV, we play and live the Centennial Case. Death & Immortality, side by side, in a strong story with heros brings to life by a sold casting.

The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story is a great example of FMV done right, with a captivating mystery and engaging investigations throughout.

The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story is a memorable, impactful, and well-written mystery adventure boasting sublime voice work and live-action talent that elevates the experience to a new level altogether. Even when accounting for the not-so-subtly implemented drab padding and potentially unwieldy controls on consoles, those faults don’t detract from the riveting storytelling any curious detective should dive into. I’m sincerely hoping this title manages to perform well despite its undoubtedly niche appeal.

The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story shows us a hundred years of the Shijima clan amidst mysteries, deaths and intrigues. It does so with an interesting story, which works well and which, albeit with some strange events, follows a coherent and understandable plot. Gameplay is simple, with some interesting ideas and a few too many hints that reduce the need to think and to guess what happened. Even with this limitation, it still remains a fun gaming experience, that will bring crime fans on a century-long journey for a considerable number of hours.

There isn’t much of a “playable game” here, but if you like the idea of resolving mysteries, it is a very interesting title.

The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story is a game that offers us a very different experience compared to the others. It should have several endings to be able to see all the aspects but the gameplay is very poor. If you enjoy Japanese productions, you will love this game.

The Centennial Case A Shijima Story is a well-written and acted investigative game; with undoubted charm, but with not always optimal pacing management.

The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story tells a thrilling tale of greed, family and death. It is beautifully shot and manages to achieve a level of quality rarely seen in the genre. The detective segments are great but are far too easy due to visual clues plastered throughout. While there are issues with the game, it is still an enjoyable experience that will keep you guessing throughout.

The Centennial Case is a unique experiment, and a solid one at that, with a good central plot and a few missteps too, first of all its high price. A good choice for the visual novel fans.

While the action and UI hinder some enjoyment, this is a well-crafted mystery that aspiring detectives and FMV connoisseurs alike will enjoy. [Issue#16, p.140]

It's handsomely shot, produced and scored, solidly acted. [Issue#373, p.108]

In the history of gaming there have been experiences where everything about the game is fantastic except for the actual gameplay. The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story falls into this category. The well-written story keeps the player captivated through the entire playthrough while the music perfectly complements each scene. The acting cast is top notch, especially if the original Japanese audio track is used. The hexagon system of coming to a hypothesis can get quickly tedious, and with no penalty for a wrong conclusion or choices that have any impact more than the illusion of involvement, there isn’t any replay value. But the lackluster gameplay aside, The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story is a wonderful story that should be experienced and one of the better attempts at an FMV game.

The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story is an exceptional grouping of semi-connected detective stories. Experiencing a whodunnit while marginally helping piece the mystery together was a great combination. While much of the investigations are too guided, getting to watch the suspects react as you place down piece after piece of evidence is completely worth it. The game never works better than it does when you just get to sit back and enjoy watching the story unfold.

The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story is a journey into a century of moments of a family and, in a way, of an entire country as well. It touches on its mythology, traditions and contradictions, without leaving its mark to the end. There is no doubt that we are talking about a timeless production that will attract only a certain type of fans, but it is also true that the quality of the direction and the acting of the sequences make it a really interesting and eye-catching experiment.

If you fancy yourself a bit of a budding sleuth and enjoy a good murder mystery, you’ll love The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story. The narrative is rich and twisting, and even as it jumps between time periods it always manages to keep you engaged. As long as you don’t mind a bit of ham and cheese (and stay away from the English dub), you’ll have a grand old time with this whodunnit.

If you take it more like a movie than a game and you are fond of this kind of story, you will surely enjoy The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story. If not...there are infinitely better games out there.

The Centennial Case attempts to engage the player / spectator, but lacks the bite of a Telling Lies or the simple but welcome interactivity with the scenarios of an Ace Attorney. The quality of the cast's interpretations is discreet and the story manages to arouse interest in those who play, but without creating the urge to discover the truth that must distinguish every good thriller. It is an experience that may be appreciated by lovers of mystery, but which does not derive all the possible benefits that a greater contextualization in Japanese culture and history could have given. In other words, the Square Enix adventure succeeds only in part, while it could have shown much more grit and character.

An intriguing live-action mystery drama with solid narrative and some clever supernatural twist, flawed by some poor staging choices and tight gameplay mechanics.

If you enjoy FMV games and miss the PC period when only such releases were around, this is the game for you.

Quotation forthcoming.