The Mysteries of Ranko Togawa: Murder on the Marine Express Reviews
Murder on the Marine Express has plenty of issues, an unlikeable lead being chief among them. But, for better or worse, it doesn't overstay its welcome due to its two-hour length. For the budget price, genre fans can wishlist it and hope for a more developed sequel.
It's not a bad little game and it certainly has potential.
My original mental conclusion to The Mysteries of Ranko Togawa: Murder on the Marine Express was that it was perfectly average. But honestly, after reading my notes I disagree with myself: it's actually kind of subpar. No character growth and a predicable (mystery!) story make for a rather bland experience. I mean, it was okay, I guess, but that's the closest to a superlative I can use to describe the game. It's a good thing it only took me just under three hours to play, or I'd have given up at that point regardless of completing the game or not. It's the first in a series, and only time will tell if things will look up from here.
The characters, personality, and touch of murder in this virtual novel help make it worth a look
The Mysteries of Ranko Togawa: Murder on the Marine Express is an enjoyable visual novel that still needs some more development. Obviously, the developers of 1564 Studios are aware of what the game needs since they are continuing to update it, which is great to see. If you are interested in solving the Murder on the Marine Express mystery check out the demo available on The Mysteries of Ranko Togawa: Murder on the Marine Express Steam page.