Root Film

Root Film tells a wonderfully winding, thrilling mystery in a true Edogawa Ranpo style, but what's more important is that Root Film is a gorgeous visualisation of an often-ignored but deeply valuable part of Japan. If you walk away from this game with a deep desire to see Shimane for yourself, then you've played it the right way.

When it comes to storytelling, Root Film is a gem and a great example of how to evoke anxiety and curiosity using written word and spot-on music. Sadly, the story is linear, but vivid characters and a cool mystery to solve make up for it. [05/2021, p.65]

Murder mysteries are a wonderful genre of any medium that have near limitless potential and Root Film is a great entry that fans of other similar visual novels are likely to find enjoyment from. While it may not have a ton in the gameplay department due to focusing much more on the storytelling, it does its job well and the build up to uncovering the criminal in a fun who-done-it moment is worthwhile no matter the case at hand. Titles like these are hard to discuss due to the spoiler nature of murder mysteries, but anyone looking for a new mystery series that’s a mix of wonderful comedy and serious murder drama should check out Root Film.

Despite my problems with some of the storytelling, I enjoyed Root Film a lot. The beautiful anime-style art and relatable characters are more than enough to make up for my temporary frustrations, and I was happy to just be along for the ride. As an avid mystery game fan, I’ll guzzle down as many of these as publishers translate, so the fact that it wasn’t a perfect 10/10 doesn’t bother me, as long as the ending is satisfying – which for Root Film, it is. It gets my recommendation.

Root Film is the kind of game you recommend to a friend who is wanting to get into visual novels. It was hard not to compare it to its peers, but I think some of that is a bit fair. It felt like an earnest attempt at a love letter to a subgenre of visual novels. The attempt was surely appreciated, and makes it impossible for me to dislike the game in its entirety. On its own, I feel the game is just short of greatness, but that in no way makes it bad or even mediocre. The presentation and characters carry the experience, and the game made me laugh out loud more times than I could count. I wish there could have been some more complexity in the game’s writing, but so often do visual novel writers fail when it comes to penning good dialogue for the characters. I’d be more than interested in checking out a third possible game in this series if we’re lucky enough to see one.

Root Film builds off of what its predecessor did well while managing to feel very distinct and more grown-up than Root Letter. The Switch version’s portability makes it much easier to get those hours in than the PS4 version, but those who weren’t fans of Root Letter or who are on the fence might want to wait until a sale or pick up the digital version of the game. For fans of murder mysteries, there are plenty of cases to get stuck into and rich locations to explore. We think it is worth the full price but can’t blame people for being put off by the hefty price tag.

Root Film is an incredibly stylish and beautiful adventure visual novel held down by a few flimsy opening chapters. The pacing takes a dramatic hit due to a lack of direction, which caused me to step away several times. However, the second half is where the stars align and provide a solid and memorable conclusion to those who stick around.

Root Film is a visual novel that shares some points with other genres. Its plot ends up feeling too cumbersome and takes some time to pick up momentum during the first half of the game, along with an exploration that doesn't transmit the player a clear sense of purpose, only to then become much more compelling later on. This can be a problem for those not persistent enough, but players who won't put it down will enjoy a much more engaging effort closer to the end of the experience.

Root Film is a story first and foremost. Admittedly, this is a pretty good story with fun twists and some memorable characters. I would have loved to have experienced it in literally any form other than a video game. The gameplay is dull and rarely gives the player any urgency or control over what’s happening. Visually the game is fine but rarely does it do anything that makes it truly stand out. Animating the characters or key scenes would’ve worked wonders, especially with the filmmaking theme. But combined with the frustrating controls and repetitive music, Root Film becomes a drag to play through. I sincerely hope that this story will be adapted into other forms, because there is a lot of potential here. A video game simply shouldn’t have made the cut.