Root Film | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Kadokawa Games |
Publisher(s) |
|
Writer(s) | Hifumi Kono |
Platform(s) | Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 |
Release |
|
Genre(s) | Visual novel |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Root Film is an adventure visual novel video game by Kadokawa Games. The game is a spiritual successor to 2016's Root Letter visual novel and the second entry in the Kadokawa Mystery Games series. The game released on the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in Japan in July 2020, and on March 19, 2021 in North America and Europe.
The game plays as a murder mystery visual novel; much of the game is spent reading text to advance the story. [1] When the player is ready to accuse a suspect, a fighting video game-styled segment ensues. [2] Other segments include mini-games where inconsistencies must be fixed and stories put together into a narrative, similar to aspects of the Danganronpa and Ace Attorney series of games. [2]
Similar to its predecessor, Root Letter the game's fictional story takes place in the real-life Shimane Prefecture in Japan. [3] [4] The story follows dual protagonists; Rintaro Yagumo, an aspiring but poor film director, and Riho, an up-and-coming actress who hasn't quite had her breakthrough yet. [5] [1] In the game, a TV series called "Shimane Mystery Drama Project" has been green lit, and both Rintaro and Riho are excited this could be their breakthrough roles. [4] [1] However, a real life murder mysteriously occurs on the set very early on in the process and puts things to a halt, and the two, along with various other crew involved try to find out what happened. [4]
The game is generally considered a sequel [4] or successor [6] [7] to the Root Letter visual novel, grouped together by what is called the Kadokawa Games Mystery series moniker. [8] The two game's stories are unrelated and unconnected, but share thematic similarities, and many voice actors, to give a feeling of a running series. [9] [10] Sequel ideas for Root Letter were being considered as early as late 2016. [11] The game's existence as a formal project was known as early as October 2018, when it was announced under its tentative name Root Letter 2. [12] The game was formally revealed and announced under its official name, Root Film, a year later in October 2019. [1] [13]
The game was originally scheduled for release on April 23, 2020 in Japan, [5] but received a short delay to July 30, 2020. [4] The game was announced for an English localization in September 2020, with an intended Q1 2021 release date, [14] later solidified down to March 19, 2021. A limited edition version of the game was also announced for its Western release, which includes a 100 page art booklet packaged with the physical copy of the game. [14] [4]
Root Film received an 8/8/8/8 (32/40) rating from Japanese magazine Famitsu. [15] However, the game did not fare well on the Japanese video game charts; the PS4 version debuted at number 30 in the top 30 selling video games of the week, moving 1679 copies, and the Switch version charting somewhere under it. [16]
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
Metacritic | NS: 69/100
[17] PS4: 70/100 [18] |
Publication | Score |
---|---|
Adventure Gamers | [22] |
Nintendo Life | [20] |
Nintendo World Report | 5.5/10 [19] |
Push Square | [21] |
Root Film | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Kadokawa Games |
Publisher(s) |
|
Writer(s) | Hifumi Kono |
Platform(s) | Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 |
Release |
|
Genre(s) | Visual novel |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Root Film is an adventure visual novel video game by Kadokawa Games. The game is a spiritual successor to 2016's Root Letter visual novel and the second entry in the Kadokawa Mystery Games series. The game released on the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in Japan in July 2020, and on March 19, 2021 in North America and Europe.
The game plays as a murder mystery visual novel; much of the game is spent reading text to advance the story. [1] When the player is ready to accuse a suspect, a fighting video game-styled segment ensues. [2] Other segments include mini-games where inconsistencies must be fixed and stories put together into a narrative, similar to aspects of the Danganronpa and Ace Attorney series of games. [2]
Similar to its predecessor, Root Letter the game's fictional story takes place in the real-life Shimane Prefecture in Japan. [3] [4] The story follows dual protagonists; Rintaro Yagumo, an aspiring but poor film director, and Riho, an up-and-coming actress who hasn't quite had her breakthrough yet. [5] [1] In the game, a TV series called "Shimane Mystery Drama Project" has been green lit, and both Rintaro and Riho are excited this could be their breakthrough roles. [4] [1] However, a real life murder mysteriously occurs on the set very early on in the process and puts things to a halt, and the two, along with various other crew involved try to find out what happened. [4]
The game is generally considered a sequel [4] or successor [6] [7] to the Root Letter visual novel, grouped together by what is called the Kadokawa Games Mystery series moniker. [8] The two game's stories are unrelated and unconnected, but share thematic similarities, and many voice actors, to give a feeling of a running series. [9] [10] Sequel ideas for Root Letter were being considered as early as late 2016. [11] The game's existence as a formal project was known as early as October 2018, when it was announced under its tentative name Root Letter 2. [12] The game was formally revealed and announced under its official name, Root Film, a year later in October 2019. [1] [13]
The game was originally scheduled for release on April 23, 2020 in Japan, [5] but received a short delay to July 30, 2020. [4] The game was announced for an English localization in September 2020, with an intended Q1 2021 release date, [14] later solidified down to March 19, 2021. A limited edition version of the game was also announced for its Western release, which includes a 100 page art booklet packaged with the physical copy of the game. [14] [4]
Root Film received an 8/8/8/8 (32/40) rating from Japanese magazine Famitsu. [15] However, the game did not fare well on the Japanese video game charts; the PS4 version debuted at number 30 in the top 30 selling video games of the week, moving 1679 copies, and the Switch version charting somewhere under it. [16]
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
Metacritic | NS: 69/100
[17] PS4: 70/100 [18] |
Publication | Score |
---|---|
Adventure Gamers | [22] |
Nintendo Life | [20] |
Nintendo World Report | 5.5/10 [19] |
Push Square | [21] |