A real Suda 51 Trip: The Silver Case

Since finishing Soul Hackers, I decided to take on another raw Japanese game that has no chance of getting localized.
(Yeah, Soul Hackers actually happened, like I knew that was going to happen when I bought the Saturn version…)

I really enjoy Suda 51’s warped outlook on stories and gaming in general. The psychotic Killer7 was my first initiation into his works, and i was a fast fan after that.

You’re fucked.

Problem is, ‘Suda 51’ doesn’t really carry that same meaning anymore. As of late, since Grasshopper has hit it big, you see less works of art like Killer7 and more simple(r) mainstream-oriented titles like Lollipop Chainsaw and Shadows of the Damned(which I liked, mind you).

The era of the Silver Case and Killer7 aren’t nearly as accessible. The plots are obtuse, mature, and frequently expect the player to put thought into what they’re being exposed to. (Suda once said he had a similar, darker theme in mind for SotD, but naturally, EA made him simplify it.)

The Silver Case don’t play that. This was from Suda in his prime, firing on all creative and sanity-questionable cylinders.

In a city called the 24 Districts, a notorious serial killer is leaving death and horror in his wake.

Only a special team of police have a prayer of putting him away for good. Hopefully.

Much like Killer7, The Silver Case tries a lot of new things. The player experiments 3d environments and then interacts with them to find clues, bodies, and occasionally puzzles.

All backed up by some fantastic art design, and the compositions of the peerless Masafumi Takada.

The Silver Case most certainly is not for everyone. Also, it has a very steep language barrier. But if you want a taste of when A Suda 51 Trip really meant something, this is the bus to ride.