Wasn't expecting THIS to be the first game I beat in 2024! (Note: NO major spoilers in this review.)
I got Sonic brainrot in Jan 24, but it took surprisingly long for me to get to the short, free Visual Novel they released the previous year. For those unaware, this game is an April Fools joke, but of the best possible kind: yes, it's an actual mystery VN set in the Sonic universe, and the production values for a free game are off the charts (just look at all the names in the credits!) Art is simple but on-point, and there's an original soundtrack of 42 SONGS?! (This game even has UNUSED music!)
Gameplay mostly works like a typical mystery VN, if you've played Ace Attorney you'll be at home here. Collect evidence, use it against suspects. Don't expect any complex deductions though. You have at most 3 pieces of relevant evidence to choose from, and the correct answer is usually obvious. There is no fail state, you just keep trying until you get the right answer. Sometimes the main character's line of logic isn't even obvious until after played a THINK! minigame.
Oh right, those are a thing. They're short "endless runner" segments where the MC asks "what would Sonic do?" They remind me a lot of old Flash browser games from my childhood, but be warned: they get surprisingly tricky later on, ESPECIALLY the "final boss". Fortunately there are options to tone them down if you're not an action fan.
But back to the logic thing. The plot is simple, but there's a few fun twists. My main gripe is you're playing as "the Watson" in the detective dynamic, and as someone who doesn't know the Sonic cast. While this makes it a good game for newcomers, it means Tails (the actual detective) is often several leaps of logic ahead of your character (as he's both smarter and knows the cast personally), and it's hard to be on the same page as him without hindsight. An example is the very first puzzle, which is "solved" when you present evidence that's totally meaningless from the protagonist's perspective, but is obvious to either a Sonic fan or a friend of Sonic's in-universe, leaving Tails to connect the dots. This doesn't happen often, but it bothers me as a die-hard mystery fan when it does.
The real strength of this game is the characters. Despite only being 2-ish hours, this is some of the best writing for the extended Sonic cast in years. The two standouts to me are Amy and Shadow. The former has been "fixed" for years, but there've been complaints about her becoming too down-to-earth. This game makes her hyper and energetic again, WITHOUT making her annoying or mean. Shadow, meanwhile, has one big moment, but it's a small one I'd like to focus on: at one point he shows genuine respect for Tails' mechanical abilities. Speaking of, I like how this game shows Tails' optimism through the lens of a more jaded viewpoint character, and the effect it has.
In summary, don't expect peak Ace Attorney, but an April Fools joke has no right to go this hard.
I got Sonic brainrot in Jan 24, but it took surprisingly long for me to get to the short, free Visual Novel they released the previous year. For those unaware, this game is an April Fools joke, but of the best possible kind: yes, it's an actual mystery VN set in the Sonic universe, and the production values for a free game are off the charts (just look at all the names in the credits!) Art is simple but on-point, and there's an original soundtrack of 42 SONGS?! (This game even has UNUSED music!)
Gameplay mostly works like a typical mystery VN, if you've played Ace Attorney you'll be at home here. Collect evidence, use it against suspects. Don't expect any complex deductions though. You have at most 3 pieces of relevant evidence to choose from, and the correct answer is usually obvious. There is no fail state, you just keep trying until you get the right answer. Sometimes the main character's line of logic isn't even obvious until after played a THINK! minigame.
Oh right, those are a thing. They're short "endless runner" segments where the MC asks "what would Sonic do?" They remind me a lot of old Flash browser games from my childhood, but be warned: they get surprisingly tricky later on, ESPECIALLY the "final boss". Fortunately there are options to tone them down if you're not an action fan.
But back to the logic thing. The plot is simple, but there's a few fun twists. My main gripe is you're playing as "the Watson" in the detective dynamic, and as someone who doesn't know the Sonic cast. While this makes it a good game for newcomers, it means Tails (the actual detective) is often several leaps of logic ahead of your character (as he's both smarter and knows the cast personally), and it's hard to be on the same page as him without hindsight. An example is the very first puzzle, which is "solved" when you present evidence that's totally meaningless from the protagonist's perspective, but is obvious to either a Sonic fan or a friend of Sonic's in-universe, leaving Tails to connect the dots. This doesn't happen often, but it bothers me as a die-hard mystery fan when it does.
The real strength of this game is the characters. Despite only being 2-ish hours, this is some of the best writing for the extended Sonic cast in years. The two standouts to me are Amy and Shadow. The former has been "fixed" for years, but there've been complaints about her becoming too down-to-earth. This game makes her hyper and energetic again, WITHOUT making her annoying or mean. Shadow, meanwhile, has one big moment, but it's a small one I'd like to focus on: at one point he shows genuine respect for Tails' mechanical abilities. Speaking of, I like how this game shows Tails' optimism through the lens of a more jaded viewpoint character, and the effect it has.
In summary, don't expect peak Ace Attorney, but an April Fools joke has no right to go this hard.