Master Detective Archives: Rain Code Reviews
The definitive version of last year's gem.
A neon-lit murder mystery unable to uncover a deeper core.
Master Detective Archives: Rain Code delivers masterful craftsmanship of mysteries that players will delight in unravelling. Though the more hands-on gameplay mechanics aren’t groundbreaking and can feel a bit too easy, the strength of the narrative alone and cleverly created whodunnits make this a must-play for Danganronpa fans and anyone who loves channeling their inner detective.
Rain Code is a strange and quirky mystery adventure that just can't seem to step out of the shadow of its predecessor series, Danganronpa.
Rain Code is built by a team that knows how to make these kinds of games, and as a long-time fan of the themes Kodaka tends to write around, I was pretty moved by the end even though it nearly lost me in the beginning. If you’ve never been a fan of Kodaka’s mix of camp, heavyhanded themes, and theatrics, Rain Code will likely not grab you. But despite it feeling like Danganronpa’s distant cousin, it makes it clear this team doesn’t have to lean on Monokuma’s death game as a crutch and can build something new upon its bones instead. Hopefully, this means Kodaka can continue to let old things die on their own terms and make new things instead.
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.
Master Detective Archives: Rain Code is a solid follow-up to the Danganronpa franchise that demonstrates a heap of ambition from its developers and mostly lives up to its predecessor's impressive reputation. But while the game delivers an excellent cast of characters and some truly intriguing mysteries to solve, it also stumbles in its methods, introducing mechanics and locations that outstay their welcome and become frustratingly repetitive. Still, for fans of Dangaronpa and those who enjoy a good gruesome crime or two, it's definitely worth checking out.
While it has a vast amount of ideas that work individually, Rain Code rather feels like a missed opportunity that doesn't quite come together right.
A vividly arresting mystery adventure soaked in ambiance, personality, and a seemingly limitless imaginative streak. DualShockers was provided with a copy of the game for review purposes.
Master Detective Archives: Rain Code is a great detective and murder game that strives to take the visual novels a little further with mini-games, combats reminiscent of those of the RPG, exploration of scenarios and other mechanics, also exhibiting a superb technical section, although with some other performance problem.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Excluding a slow and sometimes labored pace and only occasionally intriguing exploration, Master Detective Archives: Rain Code is a great mix of visual novel, stylish visuals and detective adventure.
Review in Italian | Read full review
The overall package doesn't quite match up to any of the Danganronpa titles, but Rain Code's storytelling and characters make up for its minor shortcomings.
If you can look past (or appreciate) the brazen clichés and huge levels of fan service, Master Detective Archives: Rain Code is a phenomenal murder mystery visual novel. The gorgeous world, wonderful characters and genuinely well-constructed mysteries combine into a thoroughly enjoyable if bizarre experience. If other similar games like Danganronpa or Ace Attorney are your bag, this is definitely worth investigating.
Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE Plus is an absolute blast. Each mystery kept me on the edge of my seat as I franticly tried to solve the case with my team of colorful, though sometimes insane, fellow detectives. There is a lot to love about Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE Plus, and fans of mysteries and the Danganronpa franchise will fall in love with it.
All in all, Master Detective Archives: Rain Code Plus delivers a fun mystery-filled visual novel experience, perfect for anyone who is a fan of Danganronpa or similar titles. There are a few frustrating elements here and there, but the whole package is a mostly solid narrative-focused adventure.
While not quite reaching the heights of the Danganronpa series, Master Detective Archives: Rain Code is great spiritual successor to the cult classic and whether this is the beginning of a new franchise or if it will be a stand-alone title, it marks a return to form for Tookyo Games.
Truthfully, our stay in Kanai Ward was a lot of fun, and we want to see more of the game's setting in the future. Master Detective Archive: RAIN CODE is a great narrative adventure with some truly satisfying detective work. It mostly comes down to this: approaching RAIN CODE like a visual novel with some unfortunate action elements means it's an enjoyable jaunt, and well-worth a look; expecting more from it beyond its engrossing world, charming mysteries, and charismatic cast, however, might make for a less than stellar stay in Kanai Ward for would-be master detectives.
All in all, I enjoyed Master Detective Archives: Rain Code and you probably will, too. The presentation is slick, the setting is gorgeous, and the premise is genuinely brilliant. Making rapid-fire deductions while dodging accusations and falsehoods is one way to make solving mysteries a heart-pounding experience.
But stick through to the end, and Rain Code eventually delivers a satisfyingly twisty adventure in spite of its shortcomings – helping to somewhat fill that Danganronpa void.
Master Detective Archives: Rain Code may tame Danganronpa’s anarchic spirit slightly, but it also greatly expands and improves on its formula with a more developed world, bold visuals, refined gameplay, and the best collection of whodunnits writer Kazutaka Kodaka has delivered to date. This is, simply put, one of the best, most ambitious visual novels in recent years. Get in on the ground floor, because Master Detective Archives has all the makings of a killer franchise.