SHUTEN ORDER

The story, characters, and gameplay of Shuten Order are genuinely enjoyable, but the translation doesn’t match the game’s innate quality. I’m not trying to discourage anyone from buying Shuten Order. It’s fantastic. I hope it’s as successful as Hundred Line. But I also sincerely hope that a patch comes out to fix up the English script. Blessed be the Shuten Order.

Despite its loud style, Shuten Order doesn’t land with the same explosive impact as its predecessors. It has a more tame energy, and seems more interested in being a true mystery story at the expense of Too Kyo Games’ more absurdist tendencies. That stuff is still in there of course, but it’s almost like Shuten Order takes itself a bit more seriously. And there’s something to that train of thought, especially since the biggest boon from its anthology-like structure is a greater emphasis on character development compared to games like Hundred Line or Rain Code. Many of the gameplay gimmicks ring hollow, with generic puzzles and busywork interrupting the stuff you actually care about and threatening to drag the momentum down. I mostly appreciated the novelty of this approach, especially as a fan of short stories as a format. Let’s just do without the slider puzzles next time, please!

Shuten Order is a multi-genre mystery that can feel like a real celebration of its gaming legacy as you unravel a pleasingly head-scratching conspiracy. Switching genres, however, means each can feel like a light touch. Still, with wonderful art and plenty of narrative variety, this is a gripping yarn more often than not, though one that struggles to stick its lengthy landing.

Shuten Order is an ambitious visual novel that tells an intriguing story with consistently engaging characters and more than a few twists and turns. Unfortunately, with the inclusion of five distinct forms of gameplay driving the story, it ultimately feels bloated and directionless, and not one of the sub-genre sections is polished enough to stand on its own two feet. I wholeheartedly commend the audacious, multi-genre effort, but Shuten Order would have benefited from a lot more focus.

Shuten Order is a unique and stylish murder mystery visual novel with wild narrative ambition, but its lack of consistent execution, pacing issues, and underwhelming gameplay variety keep it from reaching the heights of its inspirations. It could have been really good if it was about a third as long. Each side branch takes 5-10 hours when about two is the max they should have ran. Mystery fans and visual novel enthusiasts may appreciate the experience, but most players might wish for a more focused, narrow adventure.