This is one of the most bizarre gaming experiences I've ever had. On one hand, it is actually a really interesting and enganging story of being in a city that is falling apart and collapsing progressively. There is so much destruction and death in this game. You encounter so many characters at varying levels of conflicts: people who lost their homes, scammers, thief's, and then you have people just trying to survive and make it through this tough time.

But then you get to the other half of this game and the other half is a totally absurd 4th wall breaking chaotic experience. It is so wacky and stupid. All the characters are so zany and off the walls. There's a part where you get hailed as some sort of savior and your reward is being able to change the title of the game.

It's really hard to evaluate a game like this. It dosent really follow any theme or cohesive story. Things just happen. Sometimes it's serious, sometimes it's utter nonsense.

But the reason why I'm ranking it so high is because I actually remember nearly the entire experience. It's certaintly memorable. I remember the characters, setpieces, the locations, the items I had to get. That's more that can be said compared to most games.

I think in general it's hard for me not to like a game like this. It has its own vision and way to tell its story and it made it special. So I really enjoyed it overall.

Played this game on vanilla PS4. Ran like dogwater, but I'm convinced that's part of the charm. I had a lot of fun with this one. Something about the game hitting sub 20 FPS whenever anything cool happened actually grew on me pretty fast. I think there's an epilogue/epilogue DLC but I never did it. From what I've read, apparently earlier games had more actual gameplay? That is, actual gameplay mechanics that you interfaced with. It makes sense considering this game is like, the most glorified walking simulator I have ever played. But as a compliment.

I'll probably try the earlier games when I can. (also hey did you know that the hit (lmao) shoot-em-up R-Type Final II (and maybe the original?????) features a homage to the franchise in the form of a ship called the 'Disaster Report'? It's an awful ship, it actually sucks. You should play both that game and this one.)

One of the most bizarre yet compelling experiences I've had with a video game. It has so many problems with its technical performance and gameplay, yet there's something so endearing about it. The way it portrays people in the midst of a natural disaster feels melodramatic yet strangely human, and seeing the destruction caused by these disasters could be genuinely affecting at times. I just love how this game is able to balance tragedy, comedy, and moments of peace in a way that feels mostly coherent. But unfortunately I don't like the direction its story takes around the end. The tragedy element is hammered down a bit too much, there's a plot twist that's really dumb (but not in a fun way), and there's a plot point involving SA that I thought was handled very poorly. There were moments of Disaster Report 4 where I thought it could be one of my new favorites, but these issues did sour the experience a little bit. Still a very enjoyable experience that I would like to replay in the future.

Ещё во времена PlayStation Portable я всегда хотел поиграть в игру под названием «Zettai Zetsumei Toshi 3», которая вышла для японского региона и никогда не появилась за его пределами. И вот, у меня появилась возможность оценить сиквел, «#DisasterReport4SummerMemories», но уже на Playstation 4. И я не знал, что игра вызовет у меня смесь радости, удивления и разочарования. Первоначально игра должна была выйти на PlayStation 3, но вначале её отложили из-за землетрясений в Японии в 2011, а потом и вовсе начали делать с нуля. И вот она вышла... а стоило ли?
Принцип всех игр «Disaster Report» (а ведь это целая серия игр) в том, что вы являетесь обычным человеком, который попал не в то место не в то время. Вот ехали вы в автобусе, по доверчивости постарались уступить место рандомному человеку, а во ответ получили кулаком в плечо и угрозу, "мол, не дергайся и так места мало", и тут приходит уведомление о землетрясении.. автобус разбился, но вы, как и большинство пассажиров, выжили. И что всплывает у вас на первом месте? Справиться о судьбе обидчика или поскорее добраться до родных и близких?
Так начинается ваше путешествие по городу.
Но одной из приятных особенностей игры является то, что ваша судьба так или иначе переплетается с множеством других судеб: парень, бегущий от гангстеров, школьницы с учителем, пытающиеся попасть в убежище и множество других. Не все они закончатся хэппи-эндом, и от вас это практически не зависит. Наверное, таким образом разработчики показывают, что жизнь редко когда бывает справедливой. По итогу и без спойлеров - наверное, не всем мечтам суждено сбываться.

Disaster Report 4 is... strange. From a gameplay standpoint, it certainly flirts with disaster at times. The core loop is nothing to write home about, involving your basic walking, talking, and interacting mixed in with some extremely light traversal mechanics. Yet, everything you do happens at a snail's pace. From navigating the menus to performing menial tasks like opening doors, it can feel like an eternity. I would not be surprised if two or more of the hours I spent on this game were dedicated to things that are trivial in other games. And I get it; it's supposed to be realistic, to a fault. Realism, on the other hand, does not have to be boring (cough Red Dead Redemption 2 cough).

There's also a serious signposting issue present throughout the game. It's not always crystal clear what you're supposed to be doing or where you're supposed to be going. Plus, I get that the compass in the bottom right of the screen is a series staple, but it feels next to useless for navigation when you get next to no innate sense of where you're supposed to be heading otherwise.

So why did I enjoy it despite these pronounced flaws? because Disaster Report 4 is delightfully messy. And I mean that sincerely.

Seriously, this game is wacky as all get out. There are parts in Disaster Report 4 that make Deadly Premonition look like a Sunday picnic in the park. One second, you could be enjoying a friendly conversation with a street musician, and the next, you could be witnessing the roadway above you fall and violently crush more than 50 onlookers. That may not sound too wacky out of context, but trust me, some of the events that play out in DR4 have to be seen to be believed.

You play as a custom character whose name, face, and hair you can choose from a set of limited options. Where the true freedom of expression comes in, however, is through the game's dialogue options. While I'm sure that, like many games, DR4's choices are merely illusions that all lead to the same conclusion, it's how those choices are expressed that makes the grade here.

For instance, you can be a Samaritan with a heart of pure gold or a sadistic turbo-incel who throws rocks at innocent people.

And yet, despite the bonkers antics that Disaster Report 4 flaunts at every turn, it still manages to hit hard with some truly bleak and touching looks at humanity and how natural disasters can feel so nihilistic. All of this without feeling tonally jarring somehow—a magic trick that I cannot begin to understand.

Is Disaster Report 4 a good game? I certainly think so, but then again, it's not an easy one to put up with. You would be justified in thinking otherwise. It can be deeply frustrating to play at times, even in the best of circumstances.

Despite that, is it worth a try regardless? Absolutely.

Bless this mess.

6.5/10

hay un ir y venir entre el sentimentalismo barato y asumido de una telenovela japonesa y el absurdo auto-consciente que mantiene el interés por cuanto de ello se extiende también a la dinámica de juego, sobre todo en el sentido de la exploración del espacio y de la dramaturgia que se va tejiendo entre los personajes: una expectativa constante. Tal es la mejor cualidad, más allá del encanto general que tiene el juego (que no es poco), aunque se vea minada a menudo por momentos tediosos y francamente indefendibles a nivel de jugabilidad como lo son todos los segmentos de vehículos.

My partner and I last week went on an adventure of an absolute lifetime. Diaster Report 4 is a Japanese game about the experiences of a city going through a devistating Earthquake that has you meeting people of all sorts. From those in dire need to those who want to use the diaster for their own mischievous deeds.
The story of this game is the driving point and if you've ever played Yakuza games and experienced the sub stories of that series. Imagine that, same type of wild scenarios, legit same text box and cutscene layout. You will encounter all kinds of human drama as you progress through this horrific diaster. As you continue walking through collapsed buildings, people dead on the ground and even houses sinking, your character embarks to help people out and save themselves from the city.
It's harrowing. This game is so terrifying because it is so real and such a genuine worry for those who live in earthquake prone countries like Japan.
You go to help a mum and her kids from a building and as you leave to get help, they sink and perish in the water. It's horrificly subtle in it's approach to make the player feel dread.
That in itself is the story. The people you help and the people you can't, all make for a fantastic experience.
Gameplay wise, it's a walking sim. Essentially you will walk and talk to every NPC (and I mean EVERY single one. They all have amazing names if they're generic filler NPCS but every one has their own unique dialouge) It's like Yakuza but no combat. You will move around and interact with objects and people, QTE to get through some blocks along the way.
Mostly the gameplay is straight forward. It may not be the most exciting for most but for me, it was perfect. You feel like you're in their shoes, walking around and finding yourself in the most insane stories.
Diaster Report 4 is not for everyone. It's a hard recommend because it is so janky and so unique. It is the definition of a passion project. So much love went into making this game and it really did make me understand just how terrifying natrual diasters are. People die, you can't save everyone, good deeds can go punished.
I love every part of this game and watching A play this was distressing and so many "oh wow" moments.

I can't say it enough that this game is so unique and so fit for my specific tastes, despite it's jank, it is so unbelievably good and I've never seen anything like it.

This game is a mess. Its tonally inconsistent in a way that feels arbitrary rather than considered, and its systems are nonsensical. Does it actually matter if i pee regularly? Why do i have to eat when i can go several chapters on “very hungry” with no consequences? Why are we tracking morality points when they dont have any bearing on the ending? Why is it sometimes immoral to fleece people for cash and other times its fine? Why is it moral to recruit people into a shady cult but immoral to save yourself from human traffickers ? Its fully nonsense in a way that is tiring instead of engaging.

The moment to moment gameplay is also unfortunately tedious. I played almost the whole game with a guide open because it was so incredibly unclear how i was meant to progress at all times. The game constantly wants you to speak to specific unmarked npcs in a specific order with no clear logic as to who you need to speak to next. Its peak bad adventure game design, pixel hunting for dialogue often in levels that are tedious to navigate. The flooded apartments are a notable low point for this and are the core reason i abandoned the idea of a second play through.

The game is simply at odds with itself whiplashing between real human tragedy and wacky sideplots worthy of a Yakuza substory. Unfortunately it lacks the compelling core narrative and endearing characters that define that other much more successful franchise.

Ultimately though, i did finish the game. The premise and setting were compelling and unique. Navigating the immediate aftermath of a large scale earthquake is something i havent experienced in a game before. While the game eventually collapses under the weight of its own disjointed ideas, the first hour or two was enough to get its hooks in me. I think id hesitate to recommend the game to most people, but ill be waiting for the announcement of Disaster Report 5 with some small amount of anticipation.

Game Highlight: i really enjoyed how delightfully low budget this was. This is a prime example of whater mean by shorter games by people who are paid more etc etc.

This may be a bold choice - but I want to say something about Disaster Report 4 before I'm even done with it.

This games genius comes from how it tries to portray something that, in my opinion, video game medium or perhaps I should say industry struggles to come to terms with - "social realism", an earnest portrayal of the actual conditions of suffering in a society.

Now, it may seem strange to declare Disaster Report 4 a depiction of a society, when it at surface value is a depiction of natural disaster and it's effects on a society. Yet, I see something even deeper here.

I'm sure a lot of us have endured natural disasters of some sort. For me, living on the coastline of America, said natural disasters were often hurricanes. At first, when I was doing some volunteering to help mitigate the impacts of such a disaster, I had the true idea that "it brought out the good in people". Only, at that time this idea was somewhat superficial.

Since, I found in this game that disasters not only bring about good faith in each other as human beings, but also show and X-ray of a society that causes people suffering. Here we can see people with their heads down, suffering from not only natural disasters but the kind of bureaucratic cushioning that tries to absorb the impact of the natural disasters, while human individuals are left in the dark. Take an example of a character in this game, a man from a poor family who moved to the city after getting a job offering, who made it through multiple stages of the interview process before the disaster hit. All of a sudden his suffering is at a boiling point - not only has he come to the city searching for a job so he can support his family, but that hope has ultimately collapsed and as a result left him collapsed. In the search for light and hope for his family, and in his total destitution and misery at his own perceived failure to do so, do we realize something - no corporate body will set him free from this, it's *ultimately the power of human love at it's simplest, love for the Other (A la Levinas's Ethics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Other_(philosophy) ) - that we come to understand how interdependent we are.

So the thesis that natural disasters "bring out the good in people" is not totally unfalse -
but we have to see the profundity of this good, that it's a good that has to happen through struggling in order to be 'pure good'.

There are multiple people in this game who's life situations are ultimately at maybe their bleakest, and this is ultimately where the 'social realism' of this game shines through.

This is amazing, because I think the game medium itself encourages a kind of detachment from our own bodies - an 'out-of-body' experience, our movement projected onto an avatar. In order to make gaming 'pleasant' many video game companies resort to thus providing fantastical worlds, these days, most likely "open" worlds where peoples desire for escape from the vicissitudes of everyday life is ultimately encouraged, as a trade off for their money. So the fact that a game like Disaster Report 4 is allowed to exist is amazing. You won't find much extremely pleasant in gameplay here, for good and bad reasons - one such reason is that you are dodging natural disasters, collapsing buildings. For those of us who have survived this thing - it is an unpleasant thought to see our very human avatar being killed by a falling steel building.
I'm sure Granzella themselves were very aware of this - they were planning to release the game a day before the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake hit (source: https://www.vgfacts.com/game/disasterreport4summermemories/), that caused at least 18,000 people to die (source: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/day-2011-japan-earthquake-and-tsunami).

So knowing this, I think Granzella (who before the earthquake was known as Irem) must've known that the Disaster Report series could not stick to it's roots as simply a fictional disaster-flick inspired game (not to say the original games were without any weight, either though). Many people who had survived the disaster who would think to play this game would find such a representation bullshit at best, and insensitive at worst. Yet, in a stroke I consider genius, they had to imbue it with a serious humanistic weight. It's one of the most 'real' games that I've played all my life.
Play this, it should hit you like a lightning bolt.

Esse aqui ta no top 10 jogos nos quais eu realmemte queria q fossem bons, o jogo me proporcionou muitas risadas por ser um lixo, porém quando eu cheguei na parte dos prédios alagados eu só cansei, acabou a graça, pensar q estava deixando de jogar outras coisas mais bem feitas e mais divertidas apenas por risadas de um jg tosco, fez eu refletir um pouco. Acho a proposta super legal, e foi o que me fez testar ele, infelizmente esse jogo é ridículo de tosco, Tem histórias sem sentido tudo é tão ridículo e mau otimizado, até fiquei com vontade de jogar os anteriores até pq como eu disse, é uma proposta legal(imagina se fosse bem feito), porém o jogo me cansou, ver os prédios caindo era genuinamente satisfatório, porém é só isso, de resto tu tira umas risadas da história ruim, dos personagens idiotas e principalmente do gráficos, mas alguma hora a graça acaba e tu tem só um jogo merda sem graça

Disaster Report 5 is a very memorable ride that makes up for its flaws in sheer entertainment value. Its the kind of game that makes me rethink if I should even be giving games numerical scores out of 10. Its kind of a mess? But a very fun mess, the kind that can only come about when a game attempts to be simultaneously silly, somber, challenging, funny, absurd, human and dramatic at the same time.

I am not familiar with the rest of the disaster report franchise but judging by the other reviews on the page it would seem this was a fairly big departure from the series which was up until then focused more on the schlock, action sequences and cartoonish supervillains than the relatively more toned down, more serious natural disaster and human drama of 4... er, I mean 5!

From what little I know, it seems that the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake kind of forced the change in the series (also the transition to HD that caused so much trouble for the japanese industry around 7th gen), a deeply traumatic event in the japanese collective psyche, I presume not addressing it or treating it lightly might have been very poorly received. Instead we have a very episodic series of vignettes and character moments threaded by adventure game inventory puzzles, light survival sims and moral choices; all of which tie back into the broader theme of natural disasters and their impact on people. Indeed one of MANY 4th wall breaks includes a random citizen in "not Shibuya" pointing to a poster for Disaster Report 4 and wondering something along the lines of "I wonder if this will affect the games' release", acknowledging the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake's effect on both the dev cycle of the game and the impact on its writing.

The game doesnt completely give up on its roots and this is kind of where my earlier point of the game being "kind of a mess" comes from. Its a hard thing to complain about, tonal shifts; cause even beyond the usual subjectivity of any criticism, it feels like they are more susceptible to a third person going "it didnt feel jarring/it worked for me" and the discussion cant really go anywhere from there. Personally its just hard to take the more melancholy gritty drama when so much of the game is really silly. I just get whiplash and honestly the number one emotion I have experienced playing this game is laughter and joy ; which I like, but it feels like the underlying message is being lost a bit.

Spoilers for the game generally from here on out

I absolutely love the dialogue options, even though I am a coward who never picked the evil options, just their presence alone has made me laugh more than almost any other game this year. Lines such as "before I inform you, will you give me money" or the contextually funny "I pray only for those who worship me" after becoming the leader of a cult or "I felt lonely upon realizing I cant meet her again in the sequel" after the tragic death of a character (though this one incidentally completely saps away any sadness I could have felt for this moment). Its also the fact that a big chunk of the game is collecting and wearing stupid outfits, which is cool but also deflates the seriousness whenever the game tries its hand at it, personally.

On the subject of morality, I genuinely don't know if the moral/inmoral points are supposed to be taken seriously or not or who is even deciding what they are. I won't be the first or last person to complain about quantifying morality as a variable in a game, but even accepting it, why do I get 100 good guy points for taking over as cult leader but 200 bad guy points for blowing up a ship full of human traffickers who are currently kidnapping me and others? At points the morality system makes sense in that good guy points are won by being selfless and helping out in a crisis situation whereas being a selfish, "every man for himself" type prick nets you bad guy points. The rest of the time however they feel arbitrary and in all honesty the story is going to railroad you into doing good and bad things regarless of your character if you were roleplaying as mother teresa or patrick bateman.

Much has been talked about the infamous "miracle water" episode wherein we trick a bunch of stand ins for the tendency in humans generally and presumably some japanese people specifically to devolve into in-group out-group xenophobia and prejudice in an emergency situation, into buying our magic water which is just regular plain water. Its pretty upsetting how that subplot ends and though I havent played the epilogue yet, I think Danny, the foreign exchange student who gets caught up in our scheme through no fault of his own gets beaten up by the mob dies? Im not too sure, it was kind of unclear. A nitpicky complaint I have also: why cant I use my money here? Were victimized by the xenophobic pricks at the school and have to beg them to share their food but I had 30 million yen? Surely even the biggest UKIP voter would have given us an onigiri for a 100k? I think the cult subplot bears mention, even if its kind of rushed and bizarre. Essentially you join an obvious cult preying on people's desesperation and vulnerability and get promoted to leader in about 15 minutes, before just as quickly being run off as a traitor (though not before making off with their money).

The actual gameplay for the most part is just basically fine, mostly "find the NPC to talk to" and trying not to get crushed or otherwise killed by debris from the quake aftershocks for the first few hours. I like the narrative and gameplay progression of there being fewer physical dangers as the days go by, you return to old areas which are now being repaired, generators being set up to light up darker areas etc. There's a real sense of time passing and the situation slowly returning to normal, in a sense. I like some of the cooler details like early on there is no power or running water anywhere but the CEO of a company has seemingly the only generator in the building powering a fan to keep them cool in their office. There is a bit of that whole point and click adventure bullshit with "You havent talked to person A yet, so person B hasn't materialized from the Ether yet" flag based causality which can get annoying. Similarly there is a tendency for game continuing cutscenes to not trigger unless you approach them in a specific direction or whatever which can get annoying, especially at first.

The character's generally are quite memorable even if they (not including the epilogue I havent played through yet) don't all have a resolution or their arc just sort of stops at some point. I like Danny, the phoney store manager is hilarious, Kanae etc. There is also one very jarring and sudden inclusion of violent SA which is admittedly not shown to the audience but is so jarring and seemingly quickly brushed aside as to cause actual whiplash. I think the issue of violence against women is definitely one worth exploring in media, especially by a piece which is trying to create some kind of broad representation of society and their various reactions to trauma and disasters, but this game is really not equipped to do so in this case and just feels very ill-advised and even exploitative, imo.

It ties into the broader trend of the game struggling to keep both its identity as a wacky unserious disaster schlock sim and an obligation to treat its subject matter more seriously.

That aside, I hope I havent created the impression that I dislike this game, because for all I can complain about its still a game I enjoyed more than most this year and has kept me hooked for its entire runtime, though it is admittedly an 8 hour game. Fitting for a game with the subtitle 'Summer Memories' I played it during the bits of free time I have had during a recent summer trip to a hot spring town, and I will remember both the trip and the game vividly for a long time.

Loved the goofy tone of the dialogue choices which seems at odds with the genuinely scary and oppresssive earthquakes and collapsing buildings, but it somehow works.

Load times were bad, even on an SSD and it would've been nice if the game warned me that I was missing some sidequests before moving on to the next area.

The overall feels like a 12 hour long Yakuza side quest with bizarre slapstick humour.

Man, I really hope more of this series gets localised, especially future releases.

This game is so all over the place in it's vibe but it is exactly the sort of shit that I get really into for no clear reason. Some of it is unintentionally hilarious, and a lot of the actually dark/touching scenes are near ruined by their presentation (or just happening immediately after something utterly ridiculous) but the whole thing was fascinating and genuinely entertaining.

Really cool seeing how things changed over the 6 days in-game, and revisiting places/meeting back up with people is a cool concept. In a way the game being such a mess served well to keep me in a constant state of never knowing what was around the corner, befitting of a disaster situation but not at all in a way that was appropriate for a lot of its moments.

I recall ages ago someone recommended that I play this drunk with friends but honestly binging the whole thing (both endings and platinum with a guide) in a single, 15ish hour run made for exactly the kind of time I was hoping for 😌
Ultimately, I can't really recommend this game to anyone unless you're already captivated by the idea of going around an area during a crisis trying to help people and shit but I can promise anyone who is tempted that it is not just 12+ hours of calling out and helping people trapped under rubble. Game is honestly like the fkn domino meme with how unexpected some of the things that happen are lol.

Overall I'm actually really glad I gave this a chance, I don't even remember how it got on my radar to begin with but the thought of playing it hasn't left my mind for a few years now, so this is a great relief and a huge win :) Hopefully 5 isn't too far away, I'd be happy paying for that one when it drops lol

Anyway thanks for reading y'all, if anyone knows of any games/series even remotely similar to this please let me know! I've got a feeling Shenmue might fit the boot but idk, looks more just slow and boring but could be wrong. Til next time <3

P.S. Been on a roll this month and haven't reviewed the past few games, not sure if I will. tl;dr Dead Rising 2 and 1 are both clunky and survivors are hellish. 2 is a clear improvement but nostalgia and the addictive gameplay loop makes them both fun (3 is best tho) -- Kena was super cute and the collectibles weren't as bad as expected but the combat really brings it down for me, I suck fs but it just didn't need to be that hard/awkward for a game that sold itself on being adorable (bc it is)

A stunningly incompetent PS2-level game that cannot decide whether it wants to be comedic or deadly serious. In the middle of a cataclysmic earthquake that laid waste to Tokyo, characters will ramble on about trying their best to find jobs, or worry about what some random survivor thinks about their hair, or the stock market, or hitting on chicks, or again a myriad other things that should at the very least play second fiddle to survival instincts during a time of extreme danger and distress.

Originally slated for 2011, it was cancelled and kept in limbo for seven years due to an earthquake hitting Japan the day before its planned release. Eventually published in 2018, it revealed itself to be completely outaded under every point of view, even by 2011 standards.

Every single aspect of the game is poorly executed, from the moral choices which have no consequences (should you climb the ladder or carefully climb the ladder? Should you yell at the man who lost his job or comfort him? Who cares, it makes no difference anyway), to the atrocious level and puzzle design to the terrible writing and performance (dipping into single digit frame rates here and there)

Some gameplay elements are simply astonishing, such as baffling mechanics like being constantly on the hunt for a toilet to relieve oneself or the outlandish inventory management or the grotesque fixation with ridiculous alternate outfits or tacky skins for your compass, all of which shatter into a million pieces whatever immersion value the game had going for it.

Am I expected to take these people's tragedy seriously when the game encourages me to run around in a santa outfit, following the direction of an anime idol compass? The tonal inconsistency is mind-boggling and far from the careful balancing act between drama and comedy that products like the Yakuza series achieve: here it's just jarring and awkward.

The inherent nature of this setting and how realistically it's presented simply leaves no room for wacky shenanigans, and trying to force them in comes off as absolutely tone deaf.

And that's a shame, because some of the sidequests can be quite interesting, sometimes even touching on a human level, but it really feels like digging through the dirt to find what little good there is.

Emblematic of the gameplay is a lengthy section taking place around the halfway point, inside a flooded apartment building: an illogical timewaster of a maze made of blocked stairways, ledges to shimmy through and a few windows available to climb in and out of, back and forth doing insulting fetch quests, which in its complex is a microcosm of the worst early 2000s PS2 game design.

It was shortly after that area that I called it: even with a step by step walkthrough it is simply too much of a chore to proceed, especially when the game throws backtracking and repetition into the miix.

I really wanted to like Disaster Report 4, but ultimately it is not for me.

I've never felt so compelled to play through such a bad game to completion. The situations in the game are nicely varied and the dialogue options can be highly amusing and were just enough to pull me through to see what came next.

But the act of playing the game was almost painful. With the base speed of the main character, traversing the world can be akin to wading through a swamp unless you permanently hold down the run button, in which case it feels like Yakety Sax should be playing in the background - there's just no happy medium. At one point in the game you're forced to give an old lady a piggyback which slows everything down to a crawl but even then I swear that was faster than just walking normally.

Less painful and more pointless, there are also hunger/thirst/bladder meters for you to manage (even though nothing actually happens as a result of letting any of these get too low). There's a moral points system that doesn't affect anything, and while the dialogue choices can be hilarious it's all window dressing - there is exactly one time in the game where your decisions have any impact.

And there's a whole host of other issues. I wasn't super fussed by framerate problems or other technical hitches, but the audio design might be some of the worst I've experiences in a game. Footsteps drown out every other sound, the world feels lifeless and dialogue snippets repeat constantly while sounding completely out of place. Everything just feels so lifeless - I'm not expecting a sweeping score and I know there will be some occasions where silence has more impact, but there needed some kind of atmospheric background noise.

But then you get moments where you accuse someone of arson in front of a whole town while wearing frilled cowboy chaps and tall chef hat with a tengu mask strapped to your face with pink sunglasses underneath which almost make the experience worth it. Almost. That's what the 2nd star is for I guess.

I really wanted to like Disaster Report 4 for it's intriguing concept about surviving a terrifying earthquake. The Elements for something good are present, in theory you have to manage your limited inventory, your hunger, your thirst, your stress level as well as your health. There is also a Karma System that rates you based on your moral choices but none of these elements are truly important.
Disaster Report 4 plays like a Point and Click Adventure where you are hurling yourself over from one trigger point to the next. All these other systems are just fluff, you buy food at stores, there is always enough store in your backpack so that you never have to make the choice between valuble food or a quest item and even if that would be the case you could just discard one of the many outfits you can find while playing that add no benefits.
If the mixture between survival Game and Adventure would have been better i would have liked Disaster Report 4 alot more.