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- M
- NIS America
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- NIS America
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- NIS America
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- NIS America
The 25th Ward: The Silver Case
Released On: Mar 13, 2018
68
8.2
All Platforms
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 15 Critic Reviews
68
33% Positive
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
60% Mixed
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
7% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 15 Critic Reviews
68
33% Positive
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
60% Mixed
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
7% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
To say that The 25th Ward is niche would be an understatement, but that’s what’s so impressive about it. It respects the intelligence of its players, allowing them to wade through the feverish surrealism that the game often depicts, and melds that perfectly with a traditional noir thriller than Raymond Chandler himself would have been proud of. Goichi Suda might be known for his action games today (and they’re usually very fine games in their own right), but what I wouldn’t give for him to go back for another spin or two at the visual novel.
The 25th Ward: The Silver Case takes chances and pushes the boundaries of storytelling and character development.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 37 User Ratings
8.2
76% Positive
28 Ratings
28 Ratings
8% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
16% Negative
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 37 User Ratings
8.2
76% Positive
28 Ratings
28 Ratings
8% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
16% Negative
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
Kind of like a magical experience, really. The 25th Ward seems like a real place after completing the game. a perfect utopia of sorts. Be prepared to spend time with it's denizens through out the story.
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PlayStation 4
One of the most creative and unique stories/settings I've ever seen in a visual novel. Lovely striking artstyle as well. Truly kino.
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PlayStation 4
The 25th Ward is an interesting game which has an intricate story with complex moments that makes hard to know what's happening. Besides that having three different stories that get crisscross at some point, a good soundtrack with many types of music and some moments that are like retro games are its best points.
If you have played and enjoyed the first case in this detective story by Suda51, then The 25th Ward can be a good choice for a few more hours of visual novel/ noir gameplay.
The 25th Ward: The Silver Case is a remaster of the old visual novel developed by Grasshopper Manufacture. Unfortunately, just because something is "remastered" doesn't mean it's better.
The 25th Ward: The Silver Case has all the makings of a classic, stylish Suda51 game that unfortunately is flat for Western audiences. While visual novels can be fantastic experiences, this one doesn’t hit the mark for being a novel or a video game. With unimaginative text and no audible dialogue, a game like this ought to rely on striking visuals to keep the player interested. Instead, we are treated to still images that change every few minutes and the occasional puzzle or mini-game to try and keep our attention.
The 25th Ward has a few cool ideas, yet they're almost always held back by outdated ignorance and rampant misogyny, turning what could have been a powerful avant-garde adventure game into a frustratingly juvenile monument to phallocentrism.
Definitely worth a buy if you like suda's writing. Storytelling is very unique
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PlayStation 4
The sequel of the already fantastic Silver Case delivers even more with an even more cryptic story, but an even more flawless execution. This is the pinnacle of style. The soundtrack was done by Akira Yamaoka, making it the perfect experience for a visual novel.
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PlayStation 4
Snappy Game Reviews - Down the rabbit hole
It’s been a whole year since the remaster of Grasshopper Manufacture’s first game The Silver Case launched overseas for the first time. Based on the original PlayStation game by the legendary SUDA51, published in 1999, this bizarre visual novel still managed to blow me away even 18 years after its original launch. As a SUDA51 enthusiast, I was able to pick up several references from more recent Grasshopper Manufacturer titles such as Killer7 and No More Heroes which made the already compelling story even more of a pleasure to experience. Despite it being a work of fiction, The Silver Case has a very distinct late 90’s suburban Japan vibe to it and those who resided in the 24 Wards felt like real, unapologetic people.
I believe this speaks volumes about both the quality of the original script and the English translation as well. Back when I first picked up The Silver Case I had no idea that there had been a sequel released for mobile phones in 2005 but I was extremely happy to hear that there were plans for a worldwide release of the remaster of The 25th Ward: The Silver Case as well. Given the embryonic state of mobile gaming in 2005, I would be lying if I told you I wasn’t at least a little sceptical about the quality of the game but my doubts quickly dissipated as I made my way back into the world of Kamui Uehara and rejoined the Heinous Crime Unit.
Without going into spoiler territory the story picks up almost half a decade after the events of the original game, the sequel envisions a dystopian city where there’s a very peculiar community. In the said community, the most privileged have access to this new lifestyle, a “perfect” city, practically without negative aspects and completely without criminal activity. However, those who live there must obey the rules that have been set for this perfect society. Whoever makes the smallest mistake isn’t punished like in a normal society, instead, they’re instantly shot or turned into some sort of brain dead being. These events are stringed together by rather bizarre moments and twists that make for a very enjoyable and very dark, unpredictable story only pushed even farther by the mostly skewed colour palette and strange, at times even purposely ugly character portraits.
Although this is a Goichi Suda game, only the first scenario was written by him with the two others being written by Masahi Ooka and Masahiro Yuki. While the first scenario has the typical over the top SUDA51 style that could be compared to some of Quentin Tarantino’s works the other two are less chaotic and more concise chapters in the message they want to convey. The 25th Ward: The Silver Case mainly explores themes such as the moral and ethical issues of corrupted authorities that should defend the law and protect the people and how in turn that mould the behaviour of ordinary citizens based on the social hierarchy.
The game is a traditional visual novel with very minimalist interactions thrown in throughout each of its nearly 20 chapters which are divided into three different scenarios. This isn’t a huge deal if you manage to get into the insane plot and, just like in the original game, ignore the typewriter sound that the text scrolling makes. At times you’re allowed to roam freely through long corridors, talk to some characters and even enter keywords but these usually feel like stilted interactions that are only there for the sake of giving the player something to do.
The 25th Ward: The Silver Case is ambitious, but its ambition doesn’t quite manage to achieve the same brilliance as its predecessor. It still shares the same interesting lore and I’d argue that some of its characters are more charismatic than most of the cast of the original game but there’s a certain “something” that’s missing on top of the inferior soundtrack and overall plot. Despite this, The 25th Ward: The Silver Case still is a fairly interesting visual novel and a small piece of Grasshopper Manufacture’s history, which goes without saying that this is yet another must-play for any SUDA51 fan.
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PlayStation 4
The 25th Ward: Silver Case offers a complex mystery that mixes supernatural and surrealism into a blender but fails to leave a proper lasting impact. There are three stories that the game offers, the Placebo, Correctness, and Match Maker. Each line follows a different side of the story with different characters but their are connections present.
This is a port from a mobile game from 2005 and its interface is clunky and sometimes not responsive, especially in the segments where you have to move your character or when you are using the menu to save or load a game. There is no voice acting and the constant clicking sound from the dialogue appearing every time on screen will get annoying to the point where muting the audio is the only alternative solution.
There are 100 possible endings in the game so replay-ability value is there but to get the true end you are required to view all of them and even with that, more questions are raised then answered. Unless you played the original game, take a pass.
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PlayStation 4
Summary It is five years since the events of 1999's "The Silver Case," set in the new 25th Ward that arose in the bayside area of Kanto. In a room of the "Bayside Tower Land" apartment complex, a woman is found murdered under mysterious circumstances. This sets off a series of seemingly random events throwing together multiple protagonists inclu...
Rated M
for Mature
Platforms:
- PC
- PlayStation 4
Initial Release Date: Mar 13, 2018
Developer:
- Grasshopper Manufacture
Publisher: NIS America
Genres:
