25th Ward: The Silver Case – PS4 Review

 
25th Ward: The Silver Case is a strange game indeed.  The game plays like a graphic novel/detective game with some very strong nostalgic hints to the classic game Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego? but is extremely confusing to the point of being unplayable
 
I have only had a couple of hours with 25^th Ward: The Silver Case and it is a difficult one to get to grips with. I like the mechanic of the game and feel like there is a lot to uncover here unfortunately though the narrative is extremely confusing and at times feel completely random. It may possibly be poor localisation that is to blame or perhaps it is just that this is my first time in this story and I need to play the previous game.

The press release for the game mentions the 1999 release The Silver Case which maybe needs to be played before this one as I completely struggle to follow what is going on or what is happening. The press release for 25^th Ward can is as follows:
About the game:
It has been five years since the events of 1999’s The Silver Case in the new 25th Ward that arose in the bayside area of Kanto. In a room of the “Bayside Tower Land” apartment complex, a woman is found murdered under mysterious circumstances. This sets off a series of seemingly random events bridging across multiple protagonists including The Silver Case’s Tokio Morishima. With all viewpoints assembled, a truly shocking pattern emerges…
 
Key Features:
A SUDA51 Trip -Set in the “Kill the Past” universe, the series continues its bleak look into a semi-futuristic world on the edge of collapse and the misfits and antiheroes that inhabit it.
 
Brave New World -The return of the signature “Film Window” system is brought to The 25th Ward for the first time! New visuals, sounds, and controls capture the game in a fresh perspective.
 
One Story, Many Sides –Explore this dark take on Tokyo from three different perspectives, “Correctness,” “Placebo,” and “Matchmaker.”
 
It is extremely difficult to review this game as I am struggling to follow the narrative and am often times confused as to what is going on but I feel like there is something good at the heart of the game.  I shall endeavour to bring a more in-depth review in time but for now, I’m afraid it just isn’t possible.

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