PlayStation 4 Critic Reviews

To say that The 25th Ward is niche would be an understatement, but that’s what’s so impressive about it. It respects the intelligence of its players, allowing them to wade through the feverish surrealism that the game often depicts, and melds that perfectly with a traditional noir thriller than Raymond Chandler himself would have been proud of. Goichi Suda might be known for his action games today (and they’re usually very fine games in their own right), but what I wouldn’t give for him to go back for another spin or two at the visual novel.

The Silver Case was a seminal example of an incredibly influential game creator’s early days while he is finding his creative footing. It still remains a flawed, but genius, masterwork.

If you’re down to take some glimpses into a strange world that doesn’t operate under the same rules as our own then you’ll be treated to some of the sharpest dialogue and scenes seen in any game.

The 25th Ward: The Silver Case takes chances and pushes the boundaries of storytelling and character development.

The 25th Ward: The Silver Case, while not for everyone, is still a unique visual novel experience that oozes creativity. Its gameplay elements do slightly bog it down, but the stylised writing, entertaining characters, and one of a kind story more than make up for it. It's a truly memorable adventure accompanied by wonderful music and artwork, all coming together to make something that visual novel fans should definitely look into.

The 25th Ward is an interesting game which has an intricate story with complex moments that makes hard to know what's happening. Besides that having three different stories that get crisscross at some point, a good soundtrack with many types of music and some moments that are like retro games are its best points.

The 25th Ward: The Silver Case offers another bit of insight into SUDA51's insane creativity, this time completely rebuilding a mobile phone title into the same framework as that of The Silver Case. While it doesn't quite have the same revelations of The Silver Case, there's still some rough charm left in the aftermath of Kamui Uehara.

If you have played and enjoyed the first case in this detective story by Suda51, then The 25th Ward can be a good choice for a few more hours of visual novel/ noir gameplay.

Quotation forthcoming.

The 25th Ward: The Silver Case is a remaster of the old visual novel developed by Grasshopper Manufacture. Unfortunately, just because something is "remastered" doesn't mean it's better.