Kindaichi Mystery Series: The Honjin Murders is a murder mystery visual novel with puzzle elements developed and published by coly Inc. It is based on the mystery novel, The Honjin Murders, by Seishi Yokomizo. However, you don't need to read or be familiar with this novel before delving into this game. (I wasn't even aware that this visual novel is based on an actual novel until after the fact. XD) You take on the role of Kosuke Kindaichi, a famous detective, who is called upon by a friend, Ginzo Kubo, who happens to run his own detective agency. Ginzo has alarming news for Kosuke, though. Katsuko, Ginzo's niece, and Kenzo, Katsuko's husband who is the head of the wealthy Ichiyanagi family, are found murdered in the family's nearby annexe. The circumstances surrounding their deaths have baffled family members and local police. It's your classic locked room mystery, and with witnesses claiming to have seen a three-fingered man days before the couple's murder, Kindaichi has his hands full with trying to solve this case. :o

As for the gameplay, it's quite unique for a visual novel. Although there is the usual reading of lines and whatnot, you get access to a flowchart, like this one:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3482296952

There is a tutorial that explains how to make sense of the clues that you're given, but it boils down to this. The words in blue indicate clues that lead to more information while the words in purple indicate that you don't have enough clues yet to unravel more information. Names in orange indicate that you can change the speaker. Occasionally, you'll be asked questions that require you to recall certain events in the correct order or to find evidence in speakers' statements to back up hypotheses. The main gameplay consists of putting events in the correct order and with the correct speaker. There are two endings: alternate (a more romanticized) and true. Although most of the story plays out in a linear fashion, one of two statements that answer a question will lead to one ending or the other. To get the true ending, just make sure that all of the speakers are at 100% event completion towards the end of the game. There are some CGs as well as a couple of FMV cutscenes. A varied soundtrack is present as well as sound effects and a bit of voice acting (mainly in the form of screaming). Also, a couple of Steam achievements are available (for both endings), and they count towards a user's global total.


Kindaichi Mystery Series: The Honjin Murders caught my attention right away since murder mystery is one of my all-time favorite genres. (I'm a fan of works by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. XD) Anyway, I knew that I wanted to get around to this game as soon as I could, and thanks to the wonderful people over at coly Inc., I had a chance to try it out and give my thoughts. ^^

The story pulled me in right away. Immediately, we're put in the shoes of Kindaichi, and he briefly explains how he met Ginzo back when they were in the US. However, it doesn't take too long before Kindaichi is thrust into the scene of the crime. As I mentioned earlier, it's quite baffling since it's a locked room murder, and they can be difficult to figure out, albeit not impossible. There's a good balance between the story and characters. I enjoyed following Kindaichi and getting to know the other characters, most of whom have ties with the victims, as well as learning some deep family drama. For example, it turns out that the family matriarch and cousin were against the marriage even though Kenzo pushed through with what he wanted and got his way. As for the characters, there's a nice variety of personalities. For instance, Ryuji, the second oldest, is a doctor and is probably the most normal out of the family, although in regards to the story, he wasn't able to make it in time for the wedding. I won't go into too much more detail with the story since I want to focus on other aspects, but with the endings, I enjoyed reading both of them. However, I will say that I have conflicted feelings in regards to the true ending, but that's probably because of cultural values and the time period that this story was set. (Also, a bit of a heads up for cat fans, but unfortunately, there is a death although no animal abuse. Still, I thought it was fair to give a warning.)

Briefly going over the writing, it is translated from Japanese to English. Since the original novel did have an English translation, I assume that this translation was used for this visual novel. It's very well done, and I didn't feel like there were any awkward phrasings and such. Of course, it can be difficult for translations to be perfect, especially with the use of Japanese honorifics and whatnot, but the English translation is very understandable, and the pacing of the writing is good.

As for the gameplay, I really enjoyed piecing the events back in order. I haven't encountered many visual novels that have this gameplay aspect, so it was great to think things through and all. Of course, if you are familiar with the original novel, this aspect may be considered easier. However, if you haven't read the novel but may be interested in trying out this game, I suggest holding off on reading the novel until afterwards. There were complaints about the slow text speed and the lack of options to make the text go faster, but the devs have since added the option to speed up text, which helps a lot. I was able to obtain both endings and achievements although I'll admit that it took me a bit of time to get that other ending. :o

With the art, it has quite a unique style that makes you feel like you're in Japan in the early 20th century, before World War II. Such wonderful care was taken with the sprites and backgrounds, and there were several great CGs. I only wish that I could have been able to show them off, but no CG gallery is present.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3482296834

Also, I liked the use of FMV cutscenes, which were mostly confined to recreating how the murders happened, depending on which ending you get. I found that it adds a bit of life to the story, and of course, the art depicts that whole theme of Japanese horror quite well. It probably goes without saying, but just in case, there are depictions of blood and violence and sensitive topics.

In regards to the music, the tracks are beautiful to listen to, with a great variety. They can make you feel anywhere from serene to downright horrified. In addition, the uses of screaming and sword slashing are a good effect to add to the horror atmosphere. It would have been nice if there had been voice acting, but I don't think it's absolutely necessary.


Would I recommend Kindaichi Mystery Series: The Honjin Murders? If you like visual novels and are especially a fan of the murder mystery genre, then I think it's worth taking a look. I had lots of fun putting the clues together and recreating the order of events, eventually leading to the identity of the murderer and the cause. For the asking price, it might be a bit on the steep side, as it'll typically take around 4 hours to complete one playthrough. You can wait for a sale, and it's totally worth getting for the quality of the writing, art, etc.

Finally, I'd like to thank coly Inc. for the review copy. It was a pleasure to read this amazing mystery that left me mindblown, and I'm hoping that the other novels will eventually be adapted into visual novels. ^^

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