The 25th Ward: The Silver Case Reviews
The 25th Ward's splintered narrative will frustrate and confuse, but also fascinate.
In the end, The 25th Ward takes the edge as it is a less clumsy, more playable experience even if it could be argued that the quality level is a wash. This is a fantastic experience for people who enjoy Suda51, visual novels or finding out of context quotes to annoy friends.
As a gamer, playing through The 25th Ward: The Silver Case had me thankful to be playing a game that would have otherwise been lost. Coming from the mind of a young Suda51, the story told is as juvenile as it is gripping and engaging. The 25th Ward: The Silver Case takes chances and pushes the boundaries of storytelling and character development. Some of the controls might not have aged well and a couple scenarios overstay their welcome, but The 25th Ward: The Silver Case is a game that deserves the attention of visual novel adventure fans as well as Suda51 groupies.
As fearlessly unconventional as the rest of Suda51's work, but even existing fans will have trouble deciphering the hidden depths beneath the surface level of surrealism.
If you're strictly concerned with comprehending a story then you can probably skip The 25th Ward: The Silver Case. However, if you're down to take some glimpses into a strange world that doesn't operate under the same rules as our own then you'll be treated to some of the sharpest dialogue and scenes seen in any game. I may not understand everything about The 25th Ward, but that's by design. After all, sometimes it's important to quit worrying about the minutia, and take time to appreciate the bigger picture.
The 25th Ward: The Silver Case offers another bit of insight into SUDA51's insane creativity, this time completely rebuilding a mobile phone title into the same framework as that of The Silver Case. While it doesn't quite have the same revelations of The Silver Case, there's still some rough charm left in the aftermath of Kamui Uehara.
This The 25th Ward remake is something that "had to be done", even just to preserve the memory of an almost lost videogame. Despite a catching plot, the rest of the experience is unfortunately imbued with slow and boring mechanics. You should consider the purchase if you are a Suda 51 fan only.
Review in Italian | Read full review
The game also attempts to push some boundaries which come off awkward rather than fun.
As helter-skelter as the game can be at times there will be folks who will love The 25th Ward. I mean, I personally tuned out of Evangelion toward the end but there are folks who love that series' confusing and, at times, raw and disturbing style. If you love games with an aesthetic and plot akin to an M.C. Escher lithograph, The 25th Ward: The Silver Case will be right up your alley. Or inverted stairs.
In short, The 25th Ward , with all its qualities but also its faults, is still a real good narrative game, but can to be a little too old and reserved for the patient players.
Review in French | Read full review
The 25th Ward has a few cool ideas, yet they're almost always held back by outdated ignorance and rampant misogyny, turning what could have been a powerful avant-garde adventure game into a frustratingly juvenile monument to phallocentrism.
In the end, The 25th Ward: The Silver Case is a weak game that will only appeal to Suda 51/fans of the original. Without this it's a slow moving, poorly designed and boring title that likely won't keep your interest. Combine this with a lack of voice acting and limited graphics and that is really the only appeal. Well, that and it's an easy platinum.
A psychodelic crime fiction from Suda51 that every Grasshopper Manufacture fan should play.
Review in Polish | Read full review
The 25th Ward: The Silver Case is a remaster of the old visual novel developed by Grasshopper Manufacture. Unfortunately, just because something is "remastered" doesn't mean it's better.
Review in Italian | Read full review
The 25th Ward: The Silver Case, while not for everyone, is still a unique visual novel experience that oozes creativity. Its gameplay elements do slightly bog it down, but the stylised writing, entertaining characters, and one of a kind story more than make up for it. It's a truly memorable adventure accompanied by wonderful music and artwork, all coming together to make something that visual novel fans should definitely look into. If okay with checking out something a bit different from what you are probably used to, then you are likely to have a great time going through the weird world of Ward 25 that nobody will be able to forget anytime soon.
In the best case scenario, this game should have been releases many years ago and probably on Gameboy console. This is not a game that belongs to 2018.
Review in Persian | Read full review
While The 25th Ward is still a great, gripping sci-fi crime story, it's really only going to appeal to big fans of the first game
The 25th Ward may not reach the high points of its predecessor, however, it is a visual novel with intriguing mysteries to those that take an interest in the stories. The 25th Ward hides a ton of secrets, but the most important and memorable aspect of it is how each player will face and interpret these mysteries.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
I enjoyed The 25th Ward: The Silver Case more than its prequel since the writing was better, the puzzles were much easier (except for the handful that were a bit cryptic) and thanks to how the control and gameplay mechanics have been improved considerably. Suda51 and NIS America have clearly been listening to fans and their constructive criticism, giving us a sequel that improves on everything The Silver Case upgraded port did on PlayStation 4, and the some.
To say that The 25th Ward is niche would be an understatement, but that's what's so impressive about it. It respects the intelligence of its players, allowing them to wade through the feverish surrealism that the game often depicts, and melds that perfectly with a traditional noir thriller than Raymond Chandler himself would have been proud of.