TOKYO DARK: REMEMBRANCE
Murder She Spoke
This 2D point-and-click adventure is built around a supernatural whodunnit. You play as Detective Ito Ayami, an experienced investigator searching for her missing partner, Detective Kazuki Tanaka. As Ito explores Tokyo’s sleazy back streets, she’s confronted with what seems like an unsolvable mystery. Battling her inner demons, 1 Ito’s sanity begins to waver as she barters with Tokyo’s criminal class for information. It’s your job to choose which NPCs to interact with and, through dialogue and action choices, to decide which approach will get Ito the evidence she needs. The game autosaves after every decision, so you’d better get it right first time.
As Ito uncovers a twisted conspiracy, her perception of the world around her changes. 2 To remain of sound mind, you must manage Ito’s sanity, professionalism, investigative skills, and neurosis. These metrics alter based on every choice you make. For example, having a drink on the job might help loosen a few tongues and get Ito a vital clue, but it will also lower your professionalism stat. It’s an excellent system that means you must think out each decision carefully. With multiple endings to the story, the unique decisions you make will determine how Ito’s investigation ends.
Perhaps the only downside to Tokyo Dark is the amount of text present in comparison to gameplay. There is a lot of talking, to the point where it verges on visual novel territory, and more interactivity with other aspects of the world would have helped prevent this. If you don’t mind a bit of reading, though, this is a gripping and stylish whodunnit. Rebecca Stow