In downtown Philadelphia, the newly reopened Grand Bilderbilt Hotel becomes the site of a Japanese pop star’s mysterious death. You are a detective tasked to uncover the truth surrounding this seemingly unexplainable tragedy. Is this the work of supernatural entities haunting the historic hotel? Or is there a murderer hiding among the characters present that night?
Murder is Game Over: Murder Otaku starts off by introducing us to the victim, Rena Ishida, and the circumstances of her death which is reminiscent of a locked room puzzle. After a quick tutorial with Officer Adams, the player is free to roam around the hotel alongside Cleo, a sniffer dog who can seek out hidden clues. As the detective, we must interrogate the eight suspects inside the hotel, ask for their suspicions, and view their alibis. Though it is a straightforward process that the player repeats with the emergence of new clues and suspects, watching the characters’ stories unfold and creating our own guesses make the experience interesting and never monotonous.
Aside from its compelling narrative that is full of unexpected twists and turns, which I believe is the highlight of the experience, the game’s side quests also work to further engage the player and encourage exploration. There are two different collectibles scattered throughout the map, one of which allows access to a mini-game upon completion. Meanwhile, the player can trigger chase sequences with an Oni Statue at random, keeping the tension up further no matter where the player is in the game’s story. In normal difficulty, these chase sequences both catch the player off-guard and temporarily hinder or obstruct movement.
Still, the game does not pose any lasting consequences if you fail the chase. Also, in relation to the story’s narrative, it is not entirely clear why the Oni Statue appears as a threat to the detective protagonist. The detective is a staunch non-believer of the supernatural theory behind Rena’s death and shows no signs of wavering, so he could not be having delusions or hallucinations. The chase sequence is a great horror element included in the game, but it lacks purpose and reason consistent with the plot.
Moreover, the game is fairly linear in its sequence of events, with only the previously mentioned side quests to investigate outside of the main story. In a murder mystery game, it would not have been out of place if there were a few puzzles or hidden secrets to uncover beyond what is necessary to advance the plot. With that said, the existing side quests were also easy enough to complete without having to reexplore the map, which also highlighted the linearity of the gameplay.
Nonetheless, I still wish I could play Murder is Game Over: Murder Otaku for the first time again, to uncover the mysteries once more and feel amazement at uncovering each of the surprising plot twists. If you love riddles, puzzles, and have a couple of hours to spare on a new game, I highly recommend picking this up and investigating the curious case of Rena Ishida.
Murder is Game Over: Murder Otaku is available now on Steam and ichio
Title: Murder is Game Over: Murder Otaku
Media Type: Visual Novel
Publisher: HitherYon Games
