Root Film Reviews
If everything that I’ve said about Root Film so far hasn’t convinced you of its greatness as a visual novel, then I’m not sure what will. If you’re even slightly interested in visual novels or are just a fan of good mysteries in general, your life will only be better for picking up Root Film.
Root Film takes players on a lovely tour of the Shimane Prefecture, giving them a glimpse of historical places, customs, and characters as they work to solve grisly mysteries. Unfortunately, the journey is the only compelling thing about this weak visual novel, as its story is somehow told too quickly and the game is filled with things that waste the player’s time. It’s far too drawn-out, yet somehow too short at the same time.
Root Film lives up to the idea of mystery and suspense. As a visual novel alone it is worth the purchase, but to add icing to the cake this game has fantastic visuals and an amazing soundtrack to go with it. There are several chapters, and the different character’s stories and perspectives keep the game fresh. If you like a good murder mystery story full of suspense, then this is the visual novel for you!
For fans of mystery point-and-click adventures, Root Film will capture your attention with its mysterious (yet fun) narrative.
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.
Root Film features a great mystery filled story with plenty of twists but some poor exploration and a few predictable mysteries hold it back.
Root Film is a janky visual novel, but it makes up for its shortcomings with likable characters, a unique background setting, and most importantly, a lengthy story worth giving a crap about.
However, the writing is a bit of a letdown. The character interactions are solid, and seeing their interplay is a delight. There’s also an impressive level of detail paid to the minutiae of film-making that we rarely see. Unfortunately, this level of care doesn’t touch all corners of the experience. The character's connection to the primary narrative is tenuous. Outside of the very first mystery, the protagonist's motivations for remaining involved in these murders don’t feel warranted. This is especially problematic when it comes to Rintaro’s chapters, which comprise the brunt of the game’s 15 or so hours. The writing is able to somewhat successfully sidestep this problem, through sheer force of intrigue, but it’s not wholly successful.
In the end, it’s absolutely an enjoyable experience thanks to the way the character interactions work with its setting and themes, but doesn’t have enough to stand out from its niche.
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 tells a gripping and engaging tale of mystery. I was at the edge of my seat, trying to figure out how they’d explain cases. Though it is worth noting that I did feel like there are leaps of logic. Furthermore, two parts were easily predicted. I wouldn’t hold that against Root Film for the fact that the journey was fun. It’s full of laughs and physical comedy. The banter alone is worth the price of admission.
After Root Letter's lackluster launch, Root Film, a big improvement over its predecessor, is cursed by that connection and may not reach the wider audience it deserves.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Root Film does a great job at holding your attention throughout the 15-20 hours you'll spend with it. The truth behind the film project from ten years ago is an intriguing one to uncover and you'll discover plenty of dark secrets along the way. Despite being a game with lots of death in it, it also manages to be a love letter to the Shimane region in Japan. The endearing characters you meet will also help keep the game feeling light despite some of its intense subject matter.
Overall, Root Film is a great mystery style Visual Novel with some Phoenix Wright style interrogations, just with only words instead of evidence. The characters are all quirky and entertaining, the mysteries are usually quite reasonable to figure out, and if not the interrogation is a little easier on subjects that may be unknown. There are some localization issues, but those can be fairly easily overlooked for the story. Could Root Film have been better? Yes, there's room for improvement, perhaps making the animations a little more dynamic, or adding a little more player interaction to keep the viewer entertained, but Root Film certainly does provide a mystery tale worth exploring.
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 an excellent example of visual mystery novels. With an impeccably conducted storyline, its story has very interesting cases and the voices help to give the necessary drama to the events. Thanks to this, the small problems are practically irrelevant and anyone looking for a good game of the genre is likely to have guaranteed fun.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
While Root Film doesn’t quite meet the standard of its excellent predecessor, Root Letter, it’s still a thoroughly entertaining visual novel, especially for those who are into murder mysteries. It isn’t afraid to dip its toes into some pretty serious topics, and does so in a respectful manner, but it also employs a bit of humour to lighten the mood when necessary. Forgive its localisation issues, and you have a fine way to step into the shoes of an investigator for just over a dozen of hours.
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.
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.
Overall I've had a rocky relationship with games that lean heavily on the visual novel feel, though right off the bat I'll say that Root Film manages to far exceed the norm in the space...