3DS User Reviews

Parascientific Escape: Gear Detective (which I will refer to as Parascientific 2 for the rest of the review) is the continuation to the first game in the series, 'Parascientifc Escape: Cruise in the Distant Seas.' Like the first game, Parascientific 2 is a solid visual novel that expands on its predecessor in almost every way. The story takes place a few year's after the events of the first game, and focuses around a new protagonist, Kyosuke Ayana. He is a detective with the ability of Chronokenisis (the ability to control time), and is accompanied with his partner, Mari. The two are tasked to find out who has been behind all of the serial murders in their neighbourhood, all while protecting their client from this killer. The plot gets much more interesting as the game goes on, and has plenty of twists and turns throughout. The game also has three different endings you can get based on the choices you've made. The endings are quite different from each other, so it is recommended to get them all. Thankfully, the game doesn't end as abruptly as the first game did, but the endings still feel a bit abrupt. It also raises more questions about the world of the game, which will hopefully be answered in the final game of the series, which has released in Japan. Hopefully it gets localized. Gameplay is the same as before; you will often find yourself trapped in a room and will have to find a way to escape. I found the puzzles to be much more difficult than in the first game, which is nice, as the first game had puzzles that were too easy. Thankfully, there is a hint system in-game that will provide you with help if you get stuck. You can use your power of time-manipulation to solve puzzles, though the process of doing so is quite monotonous. However, the puzzles themselves are still quite good. The game looks decent enough. Characters are represented through anime portraits, which look detailed and are expressive. The music, however, is the same music from the first game. They are decent tracks, but they will get repetitive after a while. Overall, Parascientific 2 is a solid visual novel and an excellent sequel. With a good story (which, I should add, isn't too confusing, even though time manipulation is a major plot point), good puzzles, and budget price, I would definitely recommend it to any fan of the genre. While the game is quite short, taking around 6-8 hours to complete, the multiple endings will extend your playtime by quite a bit. While the presentation is decent and the music can become repetitive, the pros far outweigh the cons. Personally, I hope the final game gets localized; it would be a shame if this series doesn't get the proper closure that it deserves.