The Centennial Case : A Shijima Story

It’s not every time that gamers have access to a story that presents them with multiple twists and turns with a lot of depth and justification. That’s why playing The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story makes for one of the more impressive video game releases in recent memory.

Story and Setting

The Centennial Case plays out like a classic TV drama and murder mystery with multiple clichés and generic cheesiness expected from those types of shows. However, this is also what makes it worth watching. Disguises, misdirection and farfetched murders will have you on the edge of your seat as you make a serious attempt to crack the case. The game takes place over the course of multiple periods of Japanese history, with your narrator being Haruka Kagami, a mystery novelist investigating a 100-year old murder case. While visiting the estate for her research, another murder happens, and suddenly as Kagami, you’re presented with a lot to deal with at once.

As more and more begins to unfold, you may find some familiar tropes from similar tropes. In the long run though, you’ll be deeply immersed into the storytelling to an extent where you’re no longer bothered by any generic plot points being presented.

Gameplay

Based on classic whodunit detective stories, this game already displays its uniqueness with the presentation. Rather than 3D modelled characters, it uses a mix of live action and digital elements to create its setting. By adding live action for the characters, they are able to avoid the pitfalls of games like Ace Attorney or L.A. Noire. In The Centennial Case, you’re able to interrogate with suspects that aren’t a dead giveaway on guilt. Their facial cues will be hard to decipher. So in order to solve cases, you’ll have to add other elements to your investigation including the analysis of statements made by characters in the game.

In order to solve a mystery, you’ll be presented with different phases including the Incident Phase, Reasoning Phase and Solution Phase. In each one, you’ll have a role to play.

The Incident Phase has you watching the scenario and interacting with the cast to learn more and gather some clues that pop up on your screen. The game gives you an ability to pause and rewind the scenes here, learning any important details that may have been missed.

After this phase is the reasoning phase where you’re taken to the Cognitive reasoning space where you can actually gather your thoughts on-screen and piece together all that you’ve gathered on a puzzle. Lastly, the solution phase is where you find the right hypothesis and figure out who the killer is.

Verdict

The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story is definitely one of the more addictive games you’ll come across, and the narrative is presented in a way that has you intrigued enough to learn more.

Pros

• Fun cast of characters
• Interesting mysteries

Cons

• Could have been a little more challenging
• Shorter than expected