Did you ever say that visual novels would break out of the niche? Elimination process is another recent example of Japanese graphic adventures trying their way to success, behind a decidedly animated movement beneath the surface. If there is a publisher to thank for making this genre almost popular it is Nippon Ichi Software: it may be because of its global network and its very rich publication calendar, but the NIS structure is solid, branched, conscious of being able to bring It pulls out of the hat otherwise very timid titles that would have been ghosts of video games a few years ago.
Elimination Process is not the perfect investigative novel, it has some twists, its characters and some fairly predictable antics, but it is still anchored around a great dream: telling a quite satisfying story, enrich it with twists and investigations of the game.
Will it be like this? Let's find out together Removal Process Review if the arrival in Europe gives new life to this game.
Killer among us
If you dreamed of finally entering the investigative novel genre controlling a detective, NIS has prepared fourteen for you, all characterized and quite deep: our heroes will have to investigate a series of quite brutal murders, carried out by a murderer in series. We are on Morgue Island and our protagonist is the youngest member to join the alliance of detectives that is formed to discover the murderer. Process of Elimination tries to go in a different direction than usual, throwing huge moments of dialogue between secondary characters and a healthy dose of investigation, deduction and investigation into the mix.
Each detective has been designed with criteria, both aesthetic and character, thanks to code names that immediately convey to the player the nature of each one: it will be through the enormous amount of dialogues that we will be able to direct the story. towards one of the endings. What you won't have to worry about is how easily you fail the game and arrive at the last decision made: in its process of directing some plot elements towards multiple epilogues, Process of Elimination's narrative lengthens and shortens like an accordion , alternating moments of specific decisions with others less marked and palpable, in any case easily manageable through the ubiquitous save function. Although it may not be incredible for those who chew Japanese visual novels, the story is well crafted, especially thanks to the cast that, according to Japanese tradition, pushes us to get attached to this or that character without crossing the saccharine line of an extremely exaggerated film. narrative.
The Elimination Process detective team.
If there is one element that emerges imperatively from the investigation game of Process of Elimination, it is undoubtedly the concept of team: it will be the collaboration between detectives the key to explore each research opportunity, enlist the help of certain characters to solve specific puzzles, move them around the map to explore different areas simultaneously or activate special abilities, depending on the peculiarities of each one. If this mechanism seems like a distraction to you, don't be alarmed: the game provides prompts both to clarify the complexity of the investigation of a specific point and to highlight evidence that is more important than others.
In general, the logic of the game advances sufficiently, making research and the use of human resources a strategic element that should not be wasted, inviting us to understand, as we advance, the characteristics and strengths of the characters, who, as already was mentioned, they will know how to conquer you and delight you with the characterization.
The wheel of investigations moves well and the pace, the diversity of game options, the choices and the puzzles throw flour on a mass that remains fluid and fortunately never solidifies too much: the truth is that sometimes the solution is simple, sometimes almost guided, perhaps so that no one gets too stuck in some places. There is a "but", which becomes even greater given the amount of dialogue and text present: forget about spanish. While this may not be a problem for most people, even the most skilled can miss details in the rivers of writing that will populate their screens.
Final note, pretty quick: the technical aspect is nice, achieved by the art of the secondary characters and a basic graphical ambition that is clearly not a priority, but the real advantage remains being able to play it on the move on Nintendo Switch.
Conclusions
Tested version Nintendo Switch digital delivery Nintendo eShop Price 39,90 € Holygamerz.com 7.0 Readers (2) 7.4 your voteThanks to a colorful cast of characters, Process of Elimination easily entertains, even if the gameplay is too intense to be satisfying. The story is pleasant, the detectives manage to liven up a lot of dialogue, although the amount of text - in English - is sometimes overwhelming and risks overwhelming palates less inclined to Japanese narration. Thanks to a non-trivial price and a duration that will be around a dozen hours, Process of Elimination has multiple endings and decent replayability. It's not the title that will attract new people, but those who love the genre will appreciate it.
PRO
- Cast of supporting characters
- The plot is left to play.
- Interesting game system
AGAINST
- Often easy, guided puzzle solving.
- Too many, too many dialogues.
- English will be a limitation for many.
