Fans of mystery sleuthing titles are always looking for more enjoyable experiences to bite off in the ever-growing genre that has been around and popular for quite some time. The original concept for Rain Code was teased as far back as 2018 with the first trailer finally appearing a few years later in 2021. With the lead artist of Danganronpa leading the direction of character design visually, it caught a lot of attention while seemingly aiming to make itself distinct for its own strengths along the way. This idea of a new dark fantasy adventure seemed like a great new way for the genre to help itself stick out. Does Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE actually manage to stand out or does it end up being derivative?
The story begins with a young man waking up in a closet with no memory of who he is or why he's there. After quickly rummaging through his things he comes to discover his name is Yuma and he's apparently a master detective on his way to catch a train. After running through the station he barely makes it in time. Here he meets a handful of other detectives who all begin to doubt one another's legitimacy to be there. After a series of events a murder occurs and Yuma is left alone to investigate and try to sort all of the pieces together. This case leads him to the destination of Kanai Ward, a city where it never stops raining and a dark secret seems to be hiding under the noses of all the people in the quiet shut-off city. This in the midst of uncovering that he has a rather unwelcome assistant only he can see known as Shinigami, a death god whom he apparently made a deal with. In return for her services Yuma lost his memory and is able to venture into the mystery labyrinth and fully uncover the truth of murder cases like no one ever has before. Together they head off to find the truth of the city and just who exactly Yuma was before he lost his memory.
The core loop in Rain Code consists of a few different styles. The meat of time is spent in Kanai Ward which Yuma can explore and examine. He can speak with characters and even take on their requests that can be fulfilled within the chapter they're obtained. Eventually as one would expect, a murder will take place and Yuma will find himself intertwined with the mystery. This begins the investigation scenario in which Yuma will have access to crime scenes and is able to examine elements of his surroundings in order to piece things together. In his investigations he'll also be aided by Shinigami and another master detective. A key element of master detectives is that they all have unique abilities known as fortes. These fortes are almost like super powers in a way and allow these master detective to do feats no other people could do such as the ability to hear nearly anything from wildly far distances or being able to recreate a crime scene from the moment it was discovered. These skills are wildly useful and make Yuma able to fully investigate to the best of his ability thanks to allies he has in tow. The investigation itself is simply examining things and making key observations, with these turning into keys to use when the case gets ever closer to the finale.
Once Yuma has gathered enough evidence to piece together a crime, Shinigami is able to transform into her truth death god self and take him to the Mystery Labyrinth. This is where Rain Code really just devolves into Danganronpa in its purest form with the only exclusion being the court room element. Despite being called a labyrinth, there's no real mysterious exploration here and Yuma instead walks down a mostly linear path with occasional off-shoots he must explore. Along the way he'll often need to respond to quick time events in order to piece together what has happened or use evidence to unlock a door quickly. He'll also face off against phantoms of antagonists or criminals standing in his path who will try to counter Yuma and require him to use his available evidence to counter their statements. For those who haven't played Danganronpa this will be entirely new, but these minigames almost make the title just feel like yet another entry in the franchise to its detriment. It starts to lose a little bit of its own identity here and feel like the same song and dance done before instead of feeling like a truly brand new puzzle element.
The worst of these minigames is basically just hangman wherein Yuma is on a time limit to throw knives at letters on a spinning barrel that Shinigami is situated in while trying to come up with the word needed to sort together a thought. This is by far the worst of the minigames in both design and just in general. There's also an unsavory reward of getting to see Shinigami in a different bikini every time the puzzle is solved, a rather tasteless decision that's one of many the title suffers from. All these minigames also dragon Yuma's stamina if he messes up or fails, but this is rarely ever an issue unless purposefully choosing incorrect answers. The only benefit of doing well is a higher score at the end of the case which will increase Yuma's detective level, but it isn't terribly important in the grand scheme of things.
The requests that can be found in Kanai Ward are often highlights of the entire experience. These are typically short little missions given to Yuma by random NPCs or previously-encountered characters that Yuma often has some minor input in. His answers can often change their outcomes for better or worse and also help build up the sense of mystery and sadness brewing in the city. Although entirely optional, they make for some of the most simple but interesting storytelling there is to offer, especially given it's really the only time Yuma's decisions have any impact. The only flaw is these quests are only available in the chapters they're first made available, but they're usually quick to do and there's a clear warning when Yuma won't be able to turn back in the main story to finish them up.
The characters of titles like Rain Code, Danganronpa, Ace Attorney and others are really the draw of what makes them most interesting. It's why the rather mediocre and at times offensive writing of Rain Code comes off as so infuriating. While Yuma is mainly a kind, caring amnesiac who is trying to do his best, his second in command of Shinigami is wildly annoying for the vast majority of the story. She's often boiled down to crude jokes much to Yuma's displeasure which just aren't funny. She comes off as having the maturity of a middle schooler but worse because there's no escape from here. One case in particular has her trash talking another female character for having a small chest and referring to her as “uggo” for the entirety. It's not funny the first time, and every subsequent time is equally unfunny. It's played off as her being jealous of Yuma being close to her, but it's just frustrating the writers just flat out don't know how to write women. The same case deals with a girls school and includes a side character obsessed with being perverted around these school children to the point he implies being willing to get into bed with Yuma dressed up as a school girl. It's most frustrating because there's absolutely good story to be found in this title, but the poor writing of the team just makes it borderline unbearable to enjoy at times. This is the sort of writing that was most common in manga or anime of the early 2000s and it's disappointing to see it pop up here so frequently to an uncomfortable degree. It was even momentarily exciting to see one of the main cast identified without a gender, perhaps non-binary, and is easily one of the highlights of the entire experience. Only for Shinigami in particular to sit and ponder whether or not this character is a girl or a boy, completely disregarding their identity to a frustrating degree.
Where Rain Code shines brightest is the soundtrack, as the music is an absolute delight through and through and well worth listening to while playing each case. The visuals are nice enough but leave a bit to be desired as there's a blurriness to everything that can be off-putting. Interestingly the in-game visuals feel superior to the pre-rendered cutscenes which feel fake and plasticy at times. It's also worth noting that the lip syncing doesn't come close to hitting the mark. Although the localization team likely tried their best, there's numerous awkward instances where a character will finish talking but their lips will just keep moving. The voice acting itself, however, is fantastic and each actor did a fantastic job filling their role and bringing the cast to life. Perhaps the biggest gameplay flaw of all is that load times can be long at times, which is especially jarring between gameplay segments such as traversing from one zone to the next.
Closing Comments:
Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE feels a bit like another entry into the Danganronpa series simply without the school approach, leaving it feeling like it's not really standing on its own two legs. The highlights end up being the investigation elements and many side quests which are the most somewhat original parts it could manage. The main story will keep players engaged, but it's a shame it's held back by outdated elements disguised as “humor” that only those stuck in an edgy school kid mindset could enjoy. It's easy to see how many will still be able to look past the flaws and enjoy the overall experience, but it's a shame they had to exist at all due to poor writing that feels as though it's from those who never consumed anything but their own creations. For those who have enjoyed Danganronpa this will likely be at least mostly enjoyable through and through, but it's a shame Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE couldn't find a good footing to stand up and feel like a truly original title.
3.0/5
Master Detective Archives: Rain Code
Adventure
Systems
-
- Top Critic Rating: 78/100 Critics Recommend: 69%
- Platform(s)
- Switch
- Released
- June 30, 2023
- Developer
- Spike Chunsoft, Too Kyo Games
- Publisher(s)
- Spike Chunsoft
- How Long To Beat
- 30 Hours
