The Silver Case
Encyclopedia
is a video game developed by Goichi Suda
for Grasshopper Manufacture
. The game was originally released only in Japan for the PlayStation, although a planned worldwide re-release for the Nintendo DS
is currently in development.
Non-interactive story elements are presented in a unique style dubbed “Film Window” by the game's creators. While the story and dialogue proceeds in written text, other information and images regarding the story or presentation such as real-time 3D displays, real-life photographs, 2D illustrations, video, typography, texts, etc. are constantly changed and displayed in a series of frames that are automatically opened and closed as the main text displays.
The plot is separated into 2 scenarios that are titled “Transmitter” (written by Goichi Suda) and “Placebo” (written by Masahi Ooka and Sako Kato). In “Transmitter”, the detectives of the HMD hunt for the killer, and in “Placebo”, a freelance writer investigates the affair.
As the game was directed by Goichi Suda, his distinctive world-view, characters with vivid personalities, and unconventional and unexpected storylines give the game an attractively surreal aspect. Takashi Miyamoto's character designs and 2D illustrations add to this surreal mood, by giving mostly realistic figures and places the look of a slightly artificial, plastic finish. Additionally, Masafumi Takada's music succeeds in imparting a dark, conspiratorial atmosphere to the 24 Districts.
and Yahoo! Keitai
mobile phones. Silver Case, 25 Ward was also being remade for the Nintendo DS
, to be released in a package along with the original The Silver Case, but the expected release date for this version is currently unknown (see below).
On May 31, 2010, Goichi Suda teased fans by making a live broadcast of himself playing the game on an actual Nintendo DS, via Ustream
.
Goichi Suda
, is the CEO of Grasshopper Manufacture. The "51" in his nickname, Suda51, is a pun on his given name. In Japanese, "Go" means 5 and "ichi" means 1. His works include Moonlight Syndrome, The Silver Case, Flower, Sun and Rain, Michigan, killer7, the No More Heroes series, and most recently, Shadows...
for Grasshopper Manufacture
Grasshopper Manufacture
Grasshopper Manufacture, Inc. is a Japanese video game development house founded on March 30, 1998 in Suginami, Japan. Grasshopper gained mainstream attention in 2005 for the Nintendo GameCube and PlayStation 2 game Killer7...
. The game was originally released only in Japan for the PlayStation, although a planned worldwide re-release for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
is currently in development.
Gameplay
The player navigates their way through a series of situations in a first-person perspective. The player character can move from node to node on an invisible grid (but with the graphics drawn in real-time 3D), rotating their view horizontally and vertically, and selecting actions to carry out on various items in the environment, or in the character's inventory.Non-interactive story elements are presented in a unique style dubbed “Film Window” by the game's creators. While the story and dialogue proceeds in written text, other information and images regarding the story or presentation such as real-time 3D displays, real-life photographs, 2D illustrations, video, typography, texts, etc. are constantly changed and displayed in a series of frames that are automatically opened and closed as the main text displays.
Plot
In 1999, there exists an area called the "24 Districts". A series of mysterious and bizarre murders have happened there. Detectives of the High-degree Murder Division (HMD) in the 24 Districts Police Department investigate the case and find that they closely match the profile of a well-known killer, Kamui Uehara, who assassinated many key government figures one after another several years ago. Uehara was supposedly shot and killed by Kusabi, a veteran detective of the HMD, but current events seem to indicate that Uehara is still alive, and at large in the 24 Districts. Has the deadly assassin returned to life?The plot is separated into 2 scenarios that are titled “Transmitter” (written by Goichi Suda) and “Placebo” (written by Masahi Ooka and Sako Kato). In “Transmitter”, the detectives of the HMD hunt for the killer, and in “Placebo”, a freelance writer investigates the affair.
As the game was directed by Goichi Suda, his distinctive world-view, characters with vivid personalities, and unconventional and unexpected storylines give the game an attractively surreal aspect. Takashi Miyamoto's character designs and 2D illustrations add to this surreal mood, by giving mostly realistic figures and places the look of a slightly artificial, plastic finish. Additionally, Masafumi Takada's music succeeds in imparting a dark, conspiratorial atmosphere to the 24 Districts.
Versions and re-releases
The original PlayStation game was released only in Japan, on October 7, 1999.Silver Case, 25 Ward
Silver Case, 25 Ward (シルバー事件25区) adds an extra chapter to the original game, and is made up of several scenarios, each focusing on a different character involved in the plot of The Silver Case. The game was developed by Goichi Suda for Grasshopper Manufacture, and was only released in Japan on i-modeI-mode
NTT DoCoMo's i-mode is a mobile internet service popular in Japan. Unlike Wireless Application Protocol, i-mode encompasses a wider variety of internet standards, including web access, e-mail and the packet-switched network that delivers the data...
and Yahoo! Keitai
Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
mobile phones. Silver Case, 25 Ward was also being remade for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
, to be released in a package along with the original The Silver Case, but the expected release date for this version is currently unknown (see below).
Nintendo DS remake
During his "Punk's Not Dead" speech at the 2007 Game Developers Conference, Goichi Suda announced that The Silver Case, as well as Silver Case, 25 Ward, would be remade for the Nintendo DS. During an interview with Gamasutra, Suda initially confirmed that the game would see both an English translation and a worldwide release. However, on the 15th of July, 2009, Goichi Suda revealed that although the DS port was complete, it had not been released as he felt that, "it is certainly necessary to remake it properly to fit in with the current generation of gamers." The release of the NDS port of the game is currently on indefinite hold so that the development team could focus on No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle.On May 31, 2010, Goichi Suda teased fans by making a live broadcast of himself playing the game on an actual Nintendo DS, via Ustream
Ustream
Ustream is a website which consists of a network of diverse channels providing a platform for lifecasting and live video streaming of events online. Established in March 2007, the site has over 2,000,000 registered users who generate 1,500,000+ hours of live streamed content per month with over ten...
.