We are in 2022 and Square Enix has therefore just announced an investigation game in FMV. Not that the genre has completely fallen into disuse – evidenced by the recent release of the surprising Not For Broadcast – but from a publisher of this caliber, Japanese moreover, the news is surprising. Directed by Kôichirô Itô – who participated in the writing of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain) – and produced by Junichi Ehera – who worked on NieR Automata, The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story is a game that will take place in three eras: 1922, 1972 and 2022. The story will focus on the cursed Shijima family, struck by several inexplicable deaths over the past century. We will play Haruka Kagami, author of detective novels determined to shed light on the circumstances of these tragic disappearances.
The game will take place in several phases. First a collection of clues during filmed sequences. It will be possible to obtain information in real time on the characters, places and objects staged, but also to go back to watch a sequence again. A deduction sequence will then follow from the collected clues.
Yasuhito Tachibana, series producer The Naked Director on Netflix, is here credited as screenwriter and director of photography, while the character of Haruka Kagami is interpreted by Nanami Sakuraba and that of Eiji Shijima by Yuta Hiraoka. ” This is a puzzle game that we threw ourselves headlong into after an intense discussion between game director Koichiro Ito, who has created many adventure games, and Yasuhito Tachibana, producer of The Naked Director on Netflix, themed “live-action gaming made for gamers”. An elaborate storyline, a game experience in which you use your powers of reasoning to unmask the culprit, and the enormous secret that connects several murders that occurred at different times… We have started the last phase of the development and want to make it a puzzle game that everyone can enjoy. says the game’s producer, Junichi Ehara. The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story is already announced for May 12 on PC, PS4, PS5 and Switch.