Jisei: The First Case HD Review (Nintendo Switch)

Game: Jisei: The First Case HD
Genre: Visual Novel, Adventure, Simulation, Role-Playing
System: Nintendo Switch (also on Steam, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One)
Developer | Publisher: SakeVisual | Ratalaika Games
Age Rating: US T | EU 16+
Price: USD $4.99 | CAD $5.99 | AUS $7.99 | UK £4.99 | EU € 4,99
Release Date: July 24th, 2020

Review code used with many thanks to Ratalaika Games!

The First Case

Jisei: The First Case HD is a visual novel that allows you to play as a nameless boy who has the power to touch a dead body and experience their last couple minutes to see how that person died. A player must use this psychic ability and their investigation skills to help solve a crime that occurred in a coffee shop after stumbling upon a crime scene in the bathroom.

When You Die…

The game starts out with a woman on the ground with a hole in her chest in a pool of blood and what happens when a person dies is discussed. I always love it when my games get a little philosophical so it was definitely a neat opening to the game. This clever discussion of death is repeated when the player touches the body they found in the coffee shop’s bathroom and sees the woman’s last moments; her last moments end with “I wish…”.

The story has more plot twists than I was expecting and it definitely keeps your attention so you want to keep going. This case is completely solved in the game but the story itself is not completed within the game, hence The First Case. Make sure that you go back to the title screen after completing the game so you can watch the epilogue that will now be unlocked.

Well Drawn, Clear Interface

Most of the game is spent in the main area of the cafe and the scene is very detailed and carefully drawn. The menu board is actually written out with prices for each flavor and size for all the drinks that the coffee shop offers. The shelves of the store are completely stocked and you can tell that they really spent a lot of time creating the scene.

You also spend a brief amount of time in the coffee shop’s hallway, women’s bathroom, and men’s bathroom. They are all just as pleasant to look at.

Simple Gameplay

In each area, you are give the same options: move, examine room, and talk. You simply choose the option that you want and you are given some additional options, such as where you want to move or who you want to talk with. Once you’ve made your selection, you have additional options where you can decide what you want to say when interrogating the witnesses or speaking with the detective. Careful, though! Your choices have consequences!

You Are Free to Choose

Everyone knows the saying: “you are free to choose, but you are not free from the consequences of your choice”. This is something to keep in mind when playing Jisei. One aspect of the game that I loved was that there were unexpected consequences when you chose specific dialogue options. Make sure that you are saving your game quite often so you do not have to repeat large sections of story because you were arrested or murdered because in those situations, the game closes out to the main screen and you have to load your file from wherever you last saved.

Who Are You?

My biggest gripe with the game is that the title is never explained. Is Jisei your name? A specific group of people with powers? A place? I am assuming that it is the name of the protagonist because you are playing as a nameless person but your name still has not been revealed by the end of the game. It is not a big problem but as someone who likes catching all the tiny little details, it drove me crazy not finding out that information before the end of the game.

Great First Visual Novel Game

If you have never played a visual novel type game, Jisei: The First Case HD is an excellent start, as there are not a ton of options to confuse someone new to the genre and it is has a very interesting story line. It is also a very short game, as I spent under three hours in the game from start to finish and this included me taking detailed notes about the game. Someone simply focusing on the game could probably complete the game in two hours or less.

Jinsei: The First Case HD was my first visual novel game and it definitely has me more interested in the genre and trying out some other games. I will be continue the series as the games come out!

Final Verdict: I like it.