Master Detective Archives: Rain Code Plus (PS5)

by
Evan Norris
, posted 1 hour ago / 200 Views

Is there anything more gripping than a murder mystery? Kazutaka Kodaka doesn’t seem to think so. As the creator of the long-running Danganronpa series, he’s made a living spinning twisted tales of murderous mayhem. His latest project is Master Detective Archives: Rain Code, a spiritual successor of sorts to Danganronpa. First released on Nintendo Switch in 2023, it arrived on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series this October in an expanded edition called Master Detective Archives: Rain Code Plus. While this new version enjoys improved performance and a few extra bells and whistles, the core experience remains unchanged. That means a high body count, plenty of plot twists, lots of gallows humor, and a big cast of quirky, memorable characters.

Rain Code Plus takes place in Kanai Ward, a district cut off from the larger world, not to mention the reach of the unified government. The region is controlled instead by its largest employer, the shadowy Amaterasu Corporation, which uses a legion of “peacekeepers” to maintain order and an electronic blackout to limit information flowing in and out of the area. In order to investigate Amaterasu and ultimately peel back the many mysterious layers of Kanai Ward, the World Detective Organization sends multiple Master Detectives — the best and most accomplished of their order — into the region. Among those sent is Yuma Kokohead, a diminutive, unsure would-be detective struggling under the specter of amnesia. But that’s not the only thing weird about Yuma: he’s also haunted by Shinigami, a sassy, flirty, and dangerous death god.

In terms of story, setting, and characters, Rain Code Plus is a knockout — unsurprising given Kodaka’s earlier work on Danganronpa. The larger mystery of Kanai Ward will keep you engaged for dozens of hours, and the smaller murder mysteries throughout the game are truly twisted and clever, with plenty of revelations and red herrings. Then there are the idiosyncratic characters: Yuma, a likable protagonist who’s in way over his head; Shinigami, a bubbly, voluptuous harbinger of death who alternately dotes on and demeans Yuma; and a large cast of quirky supporting detectives and rivals.

These plot points and characters are only enhanced by the game’s art direction, which is stellar. Kanai Ward itself is absolutely riveting. From its grimy docks to its neon slums to its pristine aristocratic quarter, the region is bursting with personality. It’s also inundated with heavy, endless rain, which gives the proceedings the perfect film noir atmosphere. 

Everything is elevated once more by a moody, mysterious soundtrack by Masafumi Takada (also of Danganronpa fame) and exceptional voice acting across the board. Kaiji Tang as the beaten-down, overwhelmed, and endlessly hungry head detective Yakou Furio is especially good.

While the game’s strong focus on storytelling, art direction, and voice acting delivers plenty of riveting mysteries, explosive moments, and memorable characters, it comes at a cost: gameplay. Rain Code Plus is never as interactive, challenging, and open-ended as you want it to be, although it comes tantalizingly close at times.

Here’s how a typical mystery unfolds: as Yuma, you travel to the scene of the crime where you scour the surroundings, conduct interviews, and collect clues, all while Shinigami either encourages or antagonizes you in the background. After you’ve assembled the requisite number of hints and approach the moment of summation, Shinigami will whisk you away to an alternate plane of existence, the Mystery Labyrinth.

The physical incarnation of an unexplained mystery, the Labyrinth is where things get interesting. It’s here where the clues you collected in the real world turn into tangible keys to open doors and bypass traps. It’s also where the majority of the action takes place, in the form of mini-games and gimmicks. There are multiple choice questions, Shinigami Puzzles where you must spell out the answer to the question one letter at a time, quick-time events, crime scene recreations, and several others. The best and most involved mini-game — and the point at which the gameplay in Rain Code Plus comes closest to greatness — is the Reasoning Death Match.

Reasoning Death Matches are direct confrontations with the Mystery Phantoms trying to prevent Yuma from reaching the end of the Labyrinth and solving the case. They take place in an enclosed arena from an over-the-shoulder viewpoint. As Yuma, you must dodge the Phantom’s misleading statements — giant, physical letters that inflict damage. When you observe a contradiction embedded in the statement, you can set a Solution Key into your Solution Blade and literally slash through the statement, disproving it and weakening the Phantom. As the game progresses, the battles become more and more complex and intense.

These Death Matches are important because they add a bit of real-time danger and reflex-based action to the proceedings. Because so much of Rain Code Plus is spent passively watching dialogue or clicking through clues, the appearance of something that engages you both physically and mentally is a special treat. Regrettably, there’s not quite enough of this kind of challenging, engaging gameplay throughout. There are lots and lots of puzzles, yes, but the process to solving them is fairly guided and straightforward. There are also opportunities to take on missions throughout Kanai Ward, but they’re mostly fetch quests that don’t move the needle mechanically, even if they add substantially to the mood.

Depending on how many of those requests you accept, and how much you dally outside of the main quest line, you can expect to spend 35-45 hours in the rainy streets of Kanai Ward. As a result, Rain Code Plus represents a great value proposition. And it only improves when you consider that this ultimate version of the game arrives with five additional sub-stories previously released as DLC.

Also new to this Plus version are a host of technical improvements, including 4K compatibility, upgraded shading and textures, and, perhaps most meaningfully, reduced loading times. Finally, there’s now a Gallery Mode that allows players to revisit their favorite cut-scenes and music. None of these additions are earth-shattering, but they ensure this is the best, smoothest, and most technically stable version of the game.

In terms of murder mysteries, it doesn’t get much better than Master Detective Archives: Rain Code Plus. The setting is fascinating, the story provocative, the characters full of personality, and the game world dripping (literally) in atmosphere. The only area where it stumbles is gameplay, which, unfortunately, is the most important area. Still, even when the action is straightforward or undemanding, the game finds narrative and audiovisual ways to paper over the cracks. Fans of Danganronpa and of adventure games & visual novels in general should love it, regardless of any faults. You don’t need to be a Master Detective to see that.

This review is based on a digital copy of Master Detective Archives: Rain Code Plus for the PS5, provided by the publisher.

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