The 25th Ward: The Silver Case Reviews
The 25th Ward: The Silver Case has got a unique style, but its script could use some serious edits. Paired with its cryptic and frustrating puzzles, and you've got a game best suited for those with a lot of patience.
There isn’t much interactivity to be found here as you’re mostly going along for a ride. You will go through a lot of long long stretches with little to do other than watching the story unfold. Eventually, the gameplay does slow down at times, but it’s clear that you are picking up this game for the story. If you are a fan of Suda51’s work, you may want this for your collection. This title has a similar feel to others like Killer7 and No More Heroes. You can also get this if you’re are a fan of Visual Novels with a good murder mystery with bits of puzzle solving added in for good measure. Just remember that this game is definitely not for everyone.
The rest of the game is full of profanity to the point Limp Bizkit would have to call their mums to apologise, and at points, the excellent story pivoted into pure juvenility. I’m not sure if this was a mistranslation or if Suda51 intentionally tried to cause outrage, but in any case, it just feels like it’s trying too hard, which in my eyes is more offensive than actually offending the player by including boob jokes, or multiple F-bombs. It would have been more impactful if the game’s jokes landed in any way, or if there was a reason behind what was being said, but that certainly wasn’t the case. The 25th Ward: The Silver Case is a tale of two halves: the first being a well-written murder mystery that dives head-first into the surreal and is a joy to watch, and the second half is like a petulant teenager who is trying to cause a ruckus because they didn’t get enough attention growing up. The plot though saves the game and managed to captivate me enough to explore every single ending. Even though I had no idea what was going on half the time, I still had to play until it was complete to get closure on the story. The visual novel playstyle isn’t for everyone but if you can put that, and the crass humour to one side, The 25th Ward: The Silver Case is one hell of a strange game to behold.
Honestly, The 25th Ward: The Silver Case offers up an intriguing story and interesting, creepy atmosphere that fans of visual novel adventure games should enjoy quite a bit.
The 25th Ward: The Silver Case is not without some flaws. But the twisting story, puzzle design and its cast of characters make it a title worth playing, especially if you have played The Silver Case. It’s limited gameplay choices feel dated and the whole game lacks voice acting which for this modern remake holds it back from being a great game from the mind of a great writer.
This is a game for true fans of Suda51. The narrative is chaotic and it's difficult to follow. But the story is interesting.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The 25th Ward: The Silver Case shows exactly why Japanese studios are so good at crafting visual novels; they’re not afraid to take risks and confuse the audience in the interest of telling a unique story. Suda51 may be more well-known for other titles, but this ranks among his classics, and it’s a must-play for fans of visual novels.
The Silver Case, besides being weird as hell, is a solid visual novel game. The story works well despite its division into three campaigns and if you can struggle through the puzzles you’ll find an enjoyable experience for any Suda51 fan. Just be prepared for crazy.
As a fan of Suda51 and a gamer in general, the fact we can play The 25th Ward: The Silver Case in English after all these years and the fact it's been saved from digital hell makes me thankful and happy. The narrative of The 25th Ward: The Silver Case is both crazy and unique, offering you a lot to think about and probably a lot you won't understand – yet the story really sticks with you after playing and keeps you thinking. True, the game does have some flaws and the controls aren't as modernised as they could be, but once you are used to them and deep within the tri-layered story you really do begin to appreciate how crazy Suda51 can get.