Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE interview with Kazutaka Kodaka at GDC 2023

Gematsu had the opportunity to sit with him Master Detective Archives: Rain Code Scenario writer Kazutaka Kodaka at the Game Developers Conference 2023, where we discussed the game’s puzzles, flow, world, characters, and more.

Get the full interview below.

The main concept of Master Detective Archives: Rain Code The game is to solve puzzles. What kind of issues can players look forward to solving? What is the general flow of the issue?

Kazutaka Kodaka, screenwriter: When a case occurs for the first time, the protagonist, Yuma, will investigate the case by borrowing the help of master detectives. Each of the professional detectives has their own unique skills called Forensic Fortes. Therefore, when Yuma investigates a case, when the forensic investigators borrow ,there will be a different way to solve those cases.Once Yuma finds enough clues,the god of death who is chasing after you,Shinigami,has the magical power to create a mystery labyrinth.A mysterious labyrinth is a world where the mysteries of the real world materialize.So, as Yuma progresses through the mysterious maze, Obstacles will appear, which will be the embodiment of the puzzles.The protagonist will advance through the mysterious labyrinth, and once he solves its many puzzles and problems, he will finally reach the truth.

A mystery maze is like a Disneyland attraction, and the environment changes as you progress through it. So it’s like you’re solving puzzles while riding all those rides. This game is made in 3D, so it’s kind of different from those other mystery games, which are 2D. in which only conversations take place, but l rain codeYou can explore the world further to solve these mysteries.”

Can you explain more about how the mystery maze works? What kind of mysteries can players expect to encounter while exploring?

Kodaka: There are enemies called Mystery Phantoms, who are the embodiment of the will of the people trying to bury the case, who don’t want Yuma to find out the truth. The protagonist will fight the mysterious ghosts by moving and evading their statements and confronting their contradictions. Other than the battles with Mystery Phantoms, there will also be other mysteries that come up in questions and so on. There are many different styles of questions, so not only will they fight, they’ll also have QTE questions and things like that.”

During an interrogation, is it possible for you to miss evidence or even fail the investigation, or is it something you won’t be able to move forward with until you have all the relevant information?

Kodaka: “No, that’s not the case. The player will have to find all the clues — they won’t be able to miss it. They will have to find all of it so that the Shinigami can create the mysterious labyrinth.”

I would like to talk a little about the game world that takes place in Kanai Ward, which can be explored freely. what’s bigger? Are there multiple regions and new areas that unlock as you progress – things like that? And is there more to do in this world when you’re not investigating a case?

Kodaka: So Kanai Ward isn’t really an open world, it’s more of an open world a personality, where you choose on the map and then explore the area. Other than investigating cases, while you are not investigating a case, the main story will be running. So in order to follow the main story, the player will have to go to different locations. There are also sub-quests, which you can receive from NPCs, for which you will be rewarded.

Do the interrogations provide any options for dialogue, or are they more linear and predetermined?

Kodaka: “So this kind of dialogue will appear in QTE quests in Mystery Labyrinth when investigating cases.”

Will there be an easy way for players to review status information for particularly long cases? Is there a journal the player keeps or something?

Kodaka: “For certain clues and clues, which the protagonist will find, will become an item called a key, which will help solve the puzzles in the mysterious maze. So this will be like notes that the player takes.”

Can you explain how to play the deadly thinking match? Also, do players level up or gain special skills or abilities?

Kodaka: In Reasoning Death Match, the Mystery Phantom will make statements that will approach the protagonist as an obstacle. As players will dodge or cut these statements, they will find the correct clue or key to the answer they obtained in the investigation of the case. Once the key to the answer is found, it can be used in the statement they made. It doesn’t feel right.

“There are also mini-games that users can play. By playing those mini-games, the protagonist can gain skills. There is a skill tree for our protagonist, like the one you see in an RPG, where players can gain skills. By gaining skills, the game will be easier “.

together rain code And DangaronpaYou have characters in very stressful situations. How you dealt with creating the same kind of stress and conflict that I was able to create Danganronpabut in a completely new environment?

Kodaka: “The first thing I think about is how the characters are going to grow — how they’re going to gain experience throughout the story. And growth doesn’t always mean a good thing — it could be sudden or different, maybe something negative. Dealing with the situation. So by creating these stressful situations – high pressure – I can see how the characters are going to grow. So I aim for how the characters will look and how they will look in the eyes of the players. I consider the first impression they make on them.”

While we’re still on the topic of comparisons, you had the topic of hope versus despair Danganronpa. Do rain code Explore any similar topics? And if so, how is that handled?

Kodaka: “rain code different topic on Danganronpa. And we can’t really say much about it, because if we do, we kind of mess it up, but people will understand what we’re trying to say. But I think the protagonist will have to deal with a lot of stressful situations.”

As the creator of both this game and Danganronpa Series, has your style of game development ever evolved? Did you learn any lessons? I think with every new announcement you make, there are always fans who are anticipating another game like Danganronpa. How you evolved to be able to reach out to your fan base, but also not to do new work Danganronpa every-time?

Kodaka: “since rain code It was created by the same staff behind them DanganronpaThere will be similar items, because they look at it Danganronpa as one of their pride. So we do not think rain code Being similar in nature is negative. And while Danganronpa It was really well received, I thought there was a limit when creating the script. So by creating files rain code In 3D with Mystery Labyrinth and all that, I thought maybe there’s a larger audience we could appeal to who probably don’t like mystery games either. I think because Danganronpa It got as big as it did, we had more budget to create more stuff. And I always wanted to make a 3D game like Detroit: Be Human And Life is strange. That’s why we ended up creating a new IP address. In the end, we made the match because we wanted to.”

What is the process for creating Master Detectives? How did you come up with their unique powers and personalities?

Kodaka: “So there are many patterns in the process. There are some professional detectives that were created by first thinking about a case. From there, we go back and find what Forensic Forte would be good for that lead detective. There are also examples where we thought about the skills first and then we found their case. After that I was also inspired by other games – such as Life is strange It has a feature with which you can go back in time. From there, I was inspired to create the time jump skill. There is a master investigator who can move through walls and become transparent. This idea also came from other games.

Can you tell me a little bit about Kanai Ward and how it relates to all the puzzles you will solve in the game?

Kodaka: Kanai Ward is a city cut off from any outside contact. So in a way it’s like North Korea. (Laughs). In Kanai Ward, there are many unsolved cases, which the World Detective Organization sends professional detectives to solve. Kanai Ward is controlled Mainly by a huge corporation called Amaterasu Corporation.The police are not working properly in Kanai Ward, so Amaterasu Corporation has its own peacekeepers who act as a police department.Kanai Ward is a city where it rains constantly.The detectives are going to solve the big unsolved case Which takes place in Kanai Ward. The story is gritty and well developed, so once players finish the game, they will feel like they’ve watched a season of drama.”

Your previous titles have also been released on PlayStation, Xbox and PC. Are you thinking of releasing rain code On these platforms in the future?

Spike Chunsoft Actor: “no.”

(In an email after the interview, Spike Chunsoft explained, “[Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE] Exclusive to Nintendo Switch, and we plan to release it on that platform only. “)

What can fans of your past titles expect rain code And what do you want to say to first-time Kazutaka Kodaka players?

Kodaka: “Because it’s a whole new kind of mystery game, it’s very hard to explain in words… I’m currently playing through the final phase of the game, and I’m sure players will experience something they haven’t experienced before. I think we had a really good match. Even if people don’t buy it, I want them to play it.”

Thank you for your time, Mr. Kodaka!

Archives for Master Detective: RAIN CODE for Switch is set to be released on June 30th.