Man oh man, what an experience this game was. As with The Silver Case, I played The 25th Ward as a part of "The Silver Case 2425" on Switch. What a sequel this game was! It took the already huge ambition of the original Silver Case and went even further. This time hosting 3 different storylines instead of 2, The 25th Ward takes the player on a surreal crime thriller that cannot be compared to anything else out there.
In Suda51's Correctness chapter, we follow detective Shiroyabu of the Heinous Crimes Unit in Ward 25. This storyline was just as, if not more surreal and mind bending as Transmitter was in the original Silver Case. Shiroyabu was an incredibly interesting character, tho I still found Sumio a bit more compelling when comparing the two. It was a little more difficult to follow than the other 2 storylines in this game, but I still very much enjoyed the characters and storyline presented here. It was written incredibly well and was surreal af.
The next storyline we have is Match Maker. This storyline was probably my favorite for the majority of the run time, except for the ending. The ending of it just felt a little underwritten. I was surprised that with the added chapters in this version of the game that they did nothing extra for Match Maker. But I loved everyone that made up the Regional Adjustment Bureau; in particular Tsuki and Osato. I would've liked more info about Osato's backstory, but I loved everything we got from Tsuki and his storyline. How his past comes back to haunt him and affect not just him, but everyone around him is so well done, and screams "Kill the past."
Then we have Placebo, a continuation of the storyline of the same name from Silver Case. In my opinion, Placebo is the best storyline of this game, and destroys the previous game's story by a long shot. In SC, Placebo mostly served as a way to describe and clarify plot points in Transmitter. Here, its a fully fledged story and character arc for Tokio, who was my absolute favorite character in this game. It was both intense and surreal, as well as had the best music in the game. It struck the balance between computer/messaging interaction and actual storylines and compelling dialogue. The added chapter, YUKI, was also absolutely stellar. It reminded me a lot of Suda's Moonlight Syndrome days.
Outside of the storylines, the presentation is absolutely phenomenal. It is equal parts gritty and stylish, even more so than its predecessor. Each storyline has slight variations of art styles. My personal favorite would probably be Match Maker's art, since it sort of reminded me of a more grungy Disco Elysium painting art. The soundtrack is also absolutely incredible. Some of the tracks stick in your mind days after you hear them, particularly when they showcase more instruments like piano and violin.
Overall, I think I like this game as a package just a tiny bit more than the original Silver Case. Both are masterpiece VNs imo, and should not be missed by any fans of the genre. Even if something more abstract and surreal isn't your style, I think the game's presentation and soundtrack will keep you playing/reading.
In Suda51's Correctness chapter, we follow detective Shiroyabu of the Heinous Crimes Unit in Ward 25. This storyline was just as, if not more surreal and mind bending as Transmitter was in the original Silver Case. Shiroyabu was an incredibly interesting character, tho I still found Sumio a bit more compelling when comparing the two. It was a little more difficult to follow than the other 2 storylines in this game, but I still very much enjoyed the characters and storyline presented here. It was written incredibly well and was surreal af.
The next storyline we have is Match Maker. This storyline was probably my favorite for the majority of the run time, except for the ending. The ending of it just felt a little underwritten. I was surprised that with the added chapters in this version of the game that they did nothing extra for Match Maker. But I loved everyone that made up the Regional Adjustment Bureau; in particular Tsuki and Osato. I would've liked more info about Osato's backstory, but I loved everything we got from Tsuki and his storyline. How his past comes back to haunt him and affect not just him, but everyone around him is so well done, and screams "Kill the past."
Then we have Placebo, a continuation of the storyline of the same name from Silver Case. In my opinion, Placebo is the best storyline of this game, and destroys the previous game's story by a long shot. In SC, Placebo mostly served as a way to describe and clarify plot points in Transmitter. Here, its a fully fledged story and character arc for Tokio, who was my absolute favorite character in this game. It was both intense and surreal, as well as had the best music in the game. It struck the balance between computer/messaging interaction and actual storylines and compelling dialogue. The added chapter, YUKI, was also absolutely stellar. It reminded me a lot of Suda's Moonlight Syndrome days.
Outside of the storylines, the presentation is absolutely phenomenal. It is equal parts gritty and stylish, even more so than its predecessor. Each storyline has slight variations of art styles. My personal favorite would probably be Match Maker's art, since it sort of reminded me of a more grungy Disco Elysium painting art. The soundtrack is also absolutely incredible. Some of the tracks stick in your mind days after you hear them, particularly when they showcase more instruments like piano and violin.
Overall, I think I like this game as a package just a tiny bit more than the original Silver Case. Both are masterpiece VNs imo, and should not be missed by any fans of the genre. Even if something more abstract and surreal isn't your style, I think the game's presentation and soundtrack will keep you playing/reading.