Finally, some visual novel food.
What They Say:
A hapless student named Wato Hojo finds himself among a group of talented detectives and must take part in their investigation to stop a prolific serial killer that hides among their ranks. Can they solve the case before they’re all eliminated?
Content:
Ever since the release of Raging Loop on modern platforms, I would say that I have been starved for high-quality visual novels, and there weren’t exactly many releases for a couple of years before that game. The days of excellent series like Zero Escape, Danganronpa, Kara no Shoujo, Ace Attorney, and more are far behind us.
But, finally, there is truly a successor to these with Process of Elimination, the first amazing murder mystery/death game-style visual novel in a very long time. It is not perfect by any means and it certainly wears its Danganronpa inspiration on its sleeve, but it shows what you can do when you take what’s already been done and put your own spin on it.
Process of Elimination tells the story of the Incompetent Detective, who is thrusted into a group of the best detectives in the world, with several of them being trapped on an island together with a massive serial killer known as the Quartering Duke hunting them down one by one.
In true Danganronpa fashion, most chapters have to do with a murder and an investigation into figuring out who the killer is. The difference is that these are all detectives, so investigations play out in an intriguing Clue-style grid system.
You control everyone on the board and have them collect evidence, use their turns to whittle down an investigation until they figure it out, and analyze evidence. You have to collect every piece of evidence and complete the investigation before your turns run out.
There are some slight variations to this formula, such as collecting evidence while someone is trying to kill you and so on that occasionally pop up. This gameplay mechanic of investigation is unique, to say the least, and somewhat fun at times.
I will note that the game doesn’t explain the mechanics of this part well at all, which is where frustration largely comes into play. Take it from me, when you choose to move a character, there is a special option to move them anywhere on the map in exchange for them not being able to assist in the investigation for that turn. Use this often and every investigation part will be a breeze; sadly, I didn’t realize it existed until the final chapter when you have to use it.
Outside of the investigations, perhaps the most disappointing part about Process of Elimination is how easy the interrogations and accusations are. Danganronpa and Ace Attorney alike make these parts drawn out epics that go on for hours whereas Process of Elimination wraps up the murderer in each chapter in a matter of 15 minutes at best with little challenge involved.
This is unfortunate and far too simple, especially since these are all detectives and the murders should be far more elaborate than what we get. In the process, some of the murders and solutions seem way too simple and predictable while others don’t get enough detail so you honestly have to guess who the killer is since there isn’t enough info.
That said, this is one of the more surprising visual novels. To be clear, the killers, victims, and mastermind are all predictable and I guessed most of them right from the start. However, what shocked me was what order they went in, which was quite surprising.
The same goes for the mastermind, who is quite obvious if you’ve played this type of visual novel before. That said, they are the one character who has an epic Ace Attorney-level finale that felt like something truly special and a battle to the end with a mastermind detective who is genuinely unstoppable. It’s just a shame that this is the only instance of this.
But when push comes to shove, Process of Elimination doesn’t hold back in its writing. The characters are phenomenal, even if they all generally fall into the Danganronpa tropes of the Shuichi-like protagonist, Nagito/Oma-like crazed member, Kaede-style main girl, athletic girl, overly protective dude, occult person, busty lady, annoying little lady, and so on.
Process of Elimination feels a little short overall, with my playthrough capping at only around 12 hours. You could go a little longer or shorter, depending on your read speed, but that is quite swift considering how many chapters there are.
This is a positive and a negative at once. On the one hand, I felt like the pacing was phenomenal. As soon as I was ready for another murder to push the plot forward, it instantly happened and investigations never felt like a chore like in other similar games.
But at the same time, I also felt like there was a level of depth missing at times from most of the murders and motivations. A longer sequel with a deeper mystery could resolve this, but Process of Elimination is a fantastic start to what is, hopefully, a new visual novel series that will cure this long-running drought.
In Summary:
Process of Elimination is the bright shining hope that murder mystery and death game-style visual novels have been looking for. It is a return to the long-awaited days of series like Danganronpa, Ace Attorney, and Zero Escape. While it wears its inspiration clearly on its sleeves in every facet, it does more than enough to cement itself as a great new series in the making.
The writing is fantastic, the pacing is excellent, and the characters — though tropey — are memorable and have solid character designs. Having a cast of detectives killing each other off is terrific, especially with the grid-based investigation system, even if the murders themselves don’t take full advantage of the intelligence and skill of these characters.
While I want some more depth in the future, Process of Elimination was the breath of fresh air I’ve needed from the cruddy visual novels we’ve had for the last several years.
Grade: B+
Publisher: NIS America
Age Rating: 17+
Release Date: April 11, 2023
MSRP: $39.99
Platform: Switch (reviewed), PlayStation
This review was done with a review copy provided by the publisher. We are grateful for their continued support.
