The Silver Case Reviews
Were one to be completely honest, the gameplay found in The Silver Case would garner it a middling score.
The Silver Case tells a fascinating murder mystery tale in a way only Suda 51 himself could. If you like visual novels give it a shot, but if you want good gameplay look elsewhere.
A solid HD release of a game that remains not for everyone.
The Silver Case is a pretty interesting game to recommend. It suffers from very bad pacing and an overflow of information with the most tacked game mechanics I’ve seen a while, but at the end of the day it still has the essence of a Suda51 game. With that said, if you’re a diehard fan of his work, you’ll definitely want to check it out and see just how far he’s come over the years. If you’re a fan of visual novels I’d probably recommend familiarizing yourself with his body of work before diving in.
I had been looking forward to playing The Silver Case from the moment NIS America announced they'd be bringing the remaster to the PlayStation 4, and I was certainly not disappointed. The game has aged greatly and is certainly an interesting release. The controls are not ideal but get the job done, so if you're up for the challenge, you should definitely take The Silver case for a spin. The extra chapters help to give players some new information that expands on the main game's story and are a very welcomed addition.
Goichi Suda's love letter to Noir is so striking and vivid that it's a game I'll not soon forget. By turns shocking, darkly humorous, confounding, and always creative, this was Suda-san's first game as an independent game developer, and through it we see so much of what would become Suda's trademarks; that same transgressive attitude, the same love for classical film and literature genres, and that same intensity in his storytelling (that will ultimately get overlooked by most critics).
A nuanced masterpiece.
The Silver Case is a rare breed of game that is a breath of fresh air in today's gaming landscape. The gameplay elements are somewhat rigid, but fans of gritty crime dramas or Suda51's distinct style will find a lot to like here.
The Silver Case takes a little time to find its footing, but it finishes more strongly than it begins, and is a real treat for genre fans.
The Silver Case greatest strength lies in keeping the player constantly interested and confused. Many moments of the story will seem absurd, leaving the player wanting to know more. Once the player continues to dwell into the game, mysteries change, new information is discovered and even more absurd things happen, restarting the feeling of complete confusion and interest once again. If you are searching for a highly complex and interesting story, The Silver Case is a great recommendation.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Despite the cumbersome controls, weird unresolved stories, and confusing interface, The Silver Case provides a really intriguing and unique gaming experience that, once the mechanics are learned, is a joy to behold. Its enticing tale of murder, insanity, and more, really shines through via the interesting characters and beguiling narrative style. This remaster has brought the old cult classic to life and introduced Westerners to a real treat that looked like never coming to realisation. No visual novel library would be complete without The Silver Case in it.
Sociological questions about mental illness and crime, unethical romantic relationships, and mysterious world building all combine into a game that demands you to think in ways many others do not.
While it's nice to see how far Suda 51 has come, only diehard adventure and Suda 51 fans will be able to appreciate this. The Silver Case hasn't aged well, and feels both clunky and underwhelming. This feels like a first attempt, and compared to many others, it's a novel one. Still, it's hard to appreciate the beauty of a mirror under all the dust, and The Silver Case is definitely a dusty one.
I suspect The Silver Case still has plenty more to offer beyond the point I’m at — I’ve only cleared the prologue chapter and the first main “case” in the Transmitter scenario — but I’m already thoroughly intrigued. If you’re looking for something very, very different from pretty much anything you’ve played before then The Silver Case is well worth checking out. I will certainly be continuing to do so in my own free time.
As noted, The Silver Case isn’t an experience that everyone will enjoy or want to engage with. I’ve seen people on Steam go so far as to request refunds because of the simple presence of the “solve the puzzle for me” button — it’s fair to say that people like that were never this game’s intended audience. If you’re up for what this game has to offer, though, which is a fascinating story told in a particularly fascinating way, you’ll have a thoroughly enjoyable time. And you’ll be left wanting more.
As a visual novel in 2017, The Silver Case is a huge disappointment.
The Suda-sensory Mother Lode The Silver Case, more than any virtual art piece I’ve experienced this year, is a product of its time. It is a reflection and speculation on the technological potential and cultural paranoia that partially defines the digital revolution and, more specifically, global internet culture from the late 90’s to the present day.
Although with all of this being said, if you are looking for an adventure/point-and-click style detective game, this is definitely one to take into consideration. The main issue I have with The Silver Case is that it shows its age all too well. You can easily tell by looking at and playing the game that it was originally released over 17 years ago. No amount of remastering is going to make this any better, unless the entire game was to be remade from the ground up, which just isn’t feasible at the moment. However, fans of Suda51 should absolutely pick this up and digest it at some point, as it is extremely fun to go back and see where his career with Grasshopper Manufacture all began. Everyone else should probably think hard before jumping in.
If you will enjoy The Silver Case is a very subjective question. If you love Suda51 and Visual Novels, like me, I´m sure you will enjoy it in some way or another, it still has a very Suda51-ish vibe in certain story moments and offers really interesting insights in his early steps, just don´t expect something like Killer7. However, its certainly not for everyone and defintely not a very good game nowadays, there are just too many flaws, too many uninspired characters and too many ideas squished into one little game.
All in all, The Silver Case is a long, enjoyable visual novel that is feeling the aches of time – The controls haven’t aged well, nor has some of the dialogue…But if you can fight through it, and battle against the urge to fall asleep during some of the lesser parts of the game and understand what the bloody hell is happening, you’ll possibly find yourself with a new gem courtesy of Suda51…