The Silver Case Demo

Infamy can be just as rewarding and pleasing as regular fame, which is why serial killers love to see themselves on TV or be studied for books. Granted, some of the criminals actually crave this type of attention and commit atrocious deeds just for a chance to appear in the paper. However, there are also those who manage to remain hidden and unknown for very long periods of time.

The Silver Case is a remake of an old PlayStation classic that features a dark and intriguing story about a dangerous assassin and the people trying to catch him. The game is played from a first-person perspective every now and again, but it’s actually a very rudimentary gameplay, because the overall feeling is that of an interactive visual novel.

As such, the story starts with the famous assassin Kamui escaping from the mental facility where he was being detained and treated for over twenty years. Naturally, a team of highly-trained men is sent to apprehend him, but the mission fails miserably and with a few casualties. You play the role of a member of the Special Forces Unit called “Republic,” which means that it’s your job to get Kamui as quickly as possible.

As mentioned before, the game feels very much like a visual novel, but there are parts where you must move around and tackle a few other things. Movement is incremental, since you have to use an on-screen interface, but it’s still better than just watching the screen. If nothing else, the little interaction you can enjoy is enough to boost the atmosphere and really make you feel like you are part of the story.

Speaking of which, the graphics contribute a lot to the atmosphere in games such as this one, but The Silver Case doesn’t seem to concern itself too much in this regard. While the artwork is pretty striking most of the time, the screen is almost empty on a regular basis. There are other annoyances as well, such as the non-skippable cutscenes and slow-moving text, although it’s simple enough to ignore them and just enjoy the story.

All things considered, The Silver Case is quite enjoyable and interesting, but it can be a tad too slow for western gamers. The action moves at a snail’s pace and there are too many pauses in the story sometimes, but overall the experience is quite engaging.