All throughout playing it, I honestly had very mixed feelings about Rain Code, but I feel like it definitely deserves a full review, so be warned, spoilers for the entire game are ahead.

As a massive fan of Danganronpa, Kodaka's return to making murder mystery vn's after 6 years was something I was very eager for, and while this game didn't live up to every one of my expectations, It was still a great experience. To best review this, I'll be going over the pros and cons of the game, and then stating my opinions on each chapter and the big twists.

Pros:
-Chapters 0, 2, 4 and 5 were very fun
-Amazing worldbuilding
-Fun characters and character designs when they were allowed to be fleshed out
-Interesting Setting
-Shinigami ❤️

Cons
-Chapters 1 and 3 were bad
-Many important characters didn't even get actual names and weren't very fleshed out
-Game was very hand-holdy. There really wasn't any kind of challenge
-Many characters never showed up again and their fates were left unknown.
-Mystery Labyrinths were a bit boring


Chapter 0:
I think this was a really good introduction chapter. Even though every character introduced died, I think it was probably for the best as their fortes were a bit repetitive and boring. Doing a switcheroo and having everyone you think is a main character get killed 20 minutes into the game is such a Kodaka move and I love it. It also had one of the most exciting murder plots in the game involving the train.

Chapter 1:
While Chapter 1 was a good introduction to the main setting of the game and to the actual main cast, I think the whole Nail Man Killing case was just pretty boring. The priest being the Nail Man was almost too obvious to the point where I thought there was gonna be a fakeout that never happened. None of the suspects in this case were even given names, which is a shame because they were all vibrant characters with great designs. Halara was a fun companion, and their forte was very helpful. Overall this one wasn't terrible, but it was just super forgettable.

Chapter 2:
Unlike Chapter 1, Chapter 2 had a more coherent setting and the characters were actual given real backstories and names. It also introduced us to Kurumi, one of the most important characters in the later game. The whole triple murder plot was something I never saw coming, even if it was a bit out there, but I think they pulled it off well. Desuhiko is a bit pervy but he was a fun companion and his forte was really cool (Female Yuma got me acting up). Definitely one of the best early game chapters.

Chapter 3:
No matter what, Kodaka really can't escape the bad third case curse (I like V3-3 but I digress). This one was just completely out of place and really just served as a filler case before getting into the action. Shachi's Resistance really adds nothing to the plot, and Icardi's plot to kill him had so many plotholes and missed opportunities. Not to mention this case was so drop dead easy, I knew who the murderer was almost immediately. The worst part of this case however was probably Fubuki. She had a lot of potential with her Time Rewinding forte, but it was just used as a plot point so you could do more crappy QTE's. Ugh. Ok moving on. It did introduce the main villain of the game, so I guess theres that.

Chapter 4:
Things really started to heat up here. A classic Kodaka locked room mystery in an underground lab where everything starts to come together. Everything about this case was really good, from the actual murder plan itself, to the foreshadowing, to the character interactions. Having Chief Yakuo be the killer was something I never expected and it honestly devastated me, but it was used well as a way to pass the villain torch from Yomi to Makoto. Vivia was an interesting companion, especially since he fought against you the entire way, and his forte of Spectral Projection was very helpful. Overall, this case was a great way to transition into the finale of this game. Rest in Peace Chief, you will be missed.

Chapter 5:
Wow. Just... Wow. This case was mindblowing. As someone who's always been a fan of the twists that Kodaka makes, having everyone in this city turn out to be cannibalistic homunculi forced to eat their own kind and stay under the protection of rain was really heartbreaking and interesting. Makoto was a wonderful and tragic villain, making you wonder if you're really doing the right thing opposing him (as many good villains should). I will say the twist of Makoto being a homunculus of Yuma was a bit obvious to me. I knew they had some kind of connection considering they have the exact same height and weight in their profiles, and once I started hearing about the homunculi, I kinda had an idea of where it was going. The final exchange and mystery labyrinth were both thrilling and sad at the same time. It was honestly beautiful. I liked the open ended ending with the citizens of Kanai Ward finding out the truth and adapting to their new lifestyle, and I'm honestly glad the master detectives survived in the end.

Overall, I rate this game a 7/10. Its high points were really good but some of the chapters were just so boring I can't excuse it really. This is Kodaka's first time in a while making something that is different from Danganronpa though, and for that I think its amazing for what it is.

I honestly hope that Rain Code will get a sequel as I can't want to see how this world gets fleshed out.

Alright, so I'll just say it. This game is way too overhated. Yeah, I get it isn't as good as the first two. It definitely has a lot of issues including the dogshit animation and a handful of the characters being absolutely terrible, but overall, I think this game was handled fairly well. The new fragment system is a bit confusing but it is honestly a very interesting new take on the flowchart.

The characters in this game are a mixed bag. I enjoyed Phi and Sigma's return, as well as Diana and Sean (Q), and Carlos is probably one of my favorite characters in the series. But Akane and Junpei's characters are a complete downgrade from the previous games, and the atrocities that are Eric and Mira make playing as Q Team very tiresome.

Now this may be an unpopular opinion, but I actually like the big twist. The idea that there was secretly a fourth member of Q-Team from the player's perspective is definitely convoluted, but looking back at the game's foreshadowing really shows that the signs are there all along.

Overall, I give this game an 8/10. It doesn't hold a candle to its predecessors, but if you enjoyed 999 and VLR, Zero Time Escape is definitely a game worth your time.