[TL;DR, ★★★★/out of four rating]
The Silver Case, also known as renown game designer SUDA51's debut title, who is most well-known these days for creating No More Heroes and Killer7. After having left Human Entertainment to fulfill his wish to create something original due to only having worked on pre-existing projects at the time, the game studio Grasshopper Manufacture was formed, and such this visual novel called The Silver Case was created. Previously only being japan only, 17 years after its original release on the playstation 1, The Silver Case made its way to the west with this English release, and oh boy was it glorious. Featuring new and touched-up artworks, UI, and the entire presentation as a whole, without removing any of its original charm. This right here is a remaster done right. Oh, and have I mentioned that well-known composer Akira Yamaoka remixed some of the original songs? Don't worry though, the original stuff is still preserved and toggleble inside the games option menu at will.

But what makes The Silver Case such a special game for so many of us you ask? Let me try to bring you closer and help you decide if this is something for you without spoiling the fun of it, because this VN is best experienced as blind as possible.

[PLOT/WRITING]
Its the year 1999 and the dawn of a new millenium when the 24 Wards of Tokyo are plagued by a string of serial murders. The detectives of the 24 Wards Heinous Crimes Unit have a main suspect in mind, but what are his motives and intentions? That's when you enter the shoes of the main protagonist, or more accurately bystander as I would describe him, who gets caught up in-between everything while all of the events unfold around him. You also get to experience everything from another perspective in parallel if you so choose, which I strongly recommend you do. It fills in some of the blank spots and answers some important questions, which overall provide the full "The Silver Case" experience. In a nutshell, the plot involves detective work, political drama, and social shenanigans. I can't go any further in-depth because that would ruin everything, but if any of that peaked your interest, good. Now you've got a vague idea about its plot, but what about how it's written, you may certainly ask? 

SUDA51, Masahi Ooka and Sako Kato, the writers of The Silver Case, delivered some stellar writing. I have never seen a work of literature that is presented the way The Silver Case is. With its bureaucratic feel, it paints the game's world in great detail. It perfectly reflects what a cold, lonely, and unnerving place the 24 Wards of Tokyo are. It all just feels too believable and almost real. Yet not everything is a totally bleak and cold hellhole. Its cast of well-written characters remind you that there is some humanity left in this world and sometimes even crack a joke or two. Yet at the end of the day, they will definitely make sure to remind you what kind of place the 24 Wards of Tokyo really are. Shoutouts to Tetsu my beloved.

This leads us into another very important thing when talking about The Silver Case and its "gameplay," and yes, this visual novel features gameplay segments. Why did I use quotations? More on that below.


[GAMEPLAY]
While reading through the usual dialogue boxes provided in any visual novel, The Silver Case occasionally requires you to walk around in a first-person perspective through 3D environments. Those environments oftentimes feature puzzles, log-files for more information about everything, or just triggers that advance the game. This is where this otherwise absolute gem of a game falls a bit flat. This part of the game really didn't age well. Mind you, while you have to do it somewhat often, it's just a fragment of the whole experience, and yet this can be a deciding factor in whether you like the game or not. Walking around in these environments can feel awkward, out of place, or just plain pointless. It's a grid-based system seen in a lot of old-school dungeon crawlers that don't have much to do in them. The Silver Case would've done just as well, if not better, without it. Yet it can provide a certain feeling that makes the world seem more believable and real; I'll give it that. At the end of the day, it really comes down to personal preference.

On a puzzle stand-point, those are just fine, even if they are a bit cryptic at times but that's just SUDA51's style. These puzzles usually involve numbers, because who doesn't love numbers? The real puzzle-solving isn't in the puzzles though; it's in piecing together the bits and pieces of information presented in the writing to get a complete picture of everything. This type of puzzle is another part of what makes The Silver Case great. Some of you may like it, some of you may dislike it; it's up to personal preference once again.

Now that my main criticism and some explanation of the puzzles presented in the game are out of the way, let's move onto another strong point of The Silver Case. Its presentation as a whole.

[PRESENTATION/MUSIC]
Like previously mentioned, The Silver Case features some of the most incredible atmospheric writing, but we are talking about a visual novel here. Another huge part of what makes a visual novel great is its audio and visual presentation, and The Silver Case got you covered on both fronts to great success.

Takashi Miyamoto, the main character designer and illustrator of The Silver Case hit a home run with his realistic yet uncanny character depictions. I cannot put into words how much this suits my fancy, but be the judge for yourself. It should really speak for itself. The legendary Masafumi Takada, the main composer of The Silver Case wasn't just sleeping either. These days most well known for composing songs for the series Danganronpa, No More Heroes and Killer7; you should be aware of how legendary this man's work is, and yes, he also delivered here. Combining its incredible audio, visuals, and writing, these three components are what make this game great and beloved to this day.

[CONCLUSION]
If any of this seems like it could be to your liking, buy it and try it for yourself. It might be a slow burn for you or just not totally your cup of tea, but hey, there is always the refund option on Steam. At last, can you lend me 50,000 yen?