Root Film Review (Nintendo Switch)

Review code used, with many thanks to PQube

Like any good species (bees, humans, bears, etc.), visual novels come in all shapes and sizes… and genres. There are romantic visual novels, comedic ones, and in the case of Root Film delving deep into the mystery genre.

Prologue: What is this game?

Root Film LadiesGamers — Let’s hope humanity never actually comes to this… as plausible as it would be.

Root Film proudly proclaims itself as “A Mystery & Suspense story set in Shimane prefecture” right underneath the main title, along with the idea of “Memories brought back by hidden records”. So if filmmaking, ghost stories, and getting to the bottom of mysterious murder cases is something that tickles your fancy, then Root Film may just be the game you have been waiting for.

Chapter 1: Premise

The game starts in Studio Yagumo, aptly named after one of our protagonists: Max Yagumo. Max is a burgeoning film director, who specializes in ghost and occult films.

While it may sound like Max is living the dream of a star director, what with having his own studio and all, he is actually struggling to catch his big break. He and his only two employees (Magari the film editor and his surreptitiously silent cameraman) are contacted by a well-known producer in order to take part in a film competition. This is just the big break Studio Yagumo needs!

Max will be going up against two other directors, each will be competing to make the best horror movie revival of a project that was cancelled suspiciously ten years ago for unknown reasons. While out scouting locations, Studio Yagumo gets caught up in a series of suspicious deaths and takes it upon themselves to help solve the murder!

Chapter 2: Gameplay and Mechanics

Root Film is mostly a visual novel. As such, you will be following the characters around, reading (or listening to) the text. There are some interesting gameplay mechanics that really add to the story and make the player a more active participant as well.

Max (and our other protagonist: Riho) have a form of synesthesia that, when activated, will make important words and phrases pop out. This is an excellent power to have in order to remember important clues related to whichever case you happen to be working on.

Eventually, when the player has progressed far enough into the story, you will enter into “Max Mode”; this mode is basically an interrogation that allows players to reveal what happened and who is guilty by selecting the right clues from the ones collected with the synesthesia powers.

Choosing the correct clues during Max Mode will fill the bar at the top of the screen; when the bar reaches the end, the truth is revealed!

While on the hunt for the truth, players will be taken on a tour of Shimane prefecture in Japan. As a film crew, Studio Yagumo is scouting locations for their shoot and thus stumble across many beautiful places, all of which are pulled from real-life locations in Japan.

The game is not only a well written, and thought-provoking mystery, but it is equally a powerful tourist brochure. After playing Root Film I want to travel through Shimane prefecture and see all of the sights!

Solution: Visuals and Sound

The visuals are amazing! If you like anime, then you will like Root Film. All of the characters are brimming with personality, and each backdrop is so vibrant! Many backdrops drawn from this game were pulled directly from real places in Shimane, which adds an extra layer of intrigue. Players can actually travel, in real life, to the locations where this game’s story takes place!

The sound is top-notch as well. All of the lines are fully voiced in Japanese, and the voice acting is excellent. The soundtrack is superb as well. There is one song, in particular, that sounds a little bit like the theme song to the Pink Panther cartoon. On top of that, when the situation is tense, the music is full of suspense.

The underscoring perfectly sets the mood for each scene, and it would not be as good of a game without such stellar music.

Conclusion

Root Film lives up to the idea of mystery and suspense. As a visual novel alone it is worth the purchase, but to add icing to the cake this game has fantastic visuals and an amazing soundtrack to go with it. There are several chapters, and the different character’s stories and perspectives keep the game fresh.

If you like a good murder mystery story full of suspense, then this is the visual novel for you!

Final Verdict: I like it a lot