Root Letter

Root Letter for PS4, PC and PSV is an adventure game/visual novel stylized as a detective game, similar to series such as Danganronpa or Ace Attorney. The game was developed by Kadokawa Games, a Japanese Company that is a part of Kadokawa – a large publishing conglomerate, responsible for many movies, anime, music, games, etc. Root Letter is the first installment of detective game series announced by the team, which is comprised of former Konami employees.

Plot

The action of Root Letter takes place in present-day Japan. Our hero, who is in his thirties, discovers long forgotten letters which he exchanged fifteen years ago with a penfriend named Aya Fumino. Her last letter contained a confession stating she killed a man, and has to atone for her sin. Despite the fifteen years that have passed without any answers, the protagonist decides to solve the mystery behind the vague letter, and find Aya. He travels to Matsue, in Shimane prefecture, to find her school buddies who were mentioned in some of the letters hoping that they can lead him to the woman. To his surprise, it turns out that his penfriend had died in a house fire that happened ten years before they have exchanged the first letter.

Depending on our decisions, we can unlock five endings which drastically alter the conclusion of the main plot.

Mechanics

Root Letter for PS4, PC and PSV is similar to classic two-dimensional virtual novels, but players have more opportunities to interact, and influence the course of the gameplay (similarly to, for example, Danganronpa series). The story is divided into chapters, and each one is connected to one of the letters received fifteen years ago. The players can visit different locations in Matsue and its vicinity, talking to individuals mentioned by Fumino, and those who have some knowledge regarding her disappearance/death. Sometimes, we are asked to make a decision which influences the course of the given dialogue. When we find a person concealing certain important facts, we are taken to a minigame in which we apply pressure, and utilize evidence found during our investigation.

Technical Aspects

The authors of Root Letter used real locations found in Matsue and Shimane Prefecture, cooperating with local authorities to realistically portray various tourist attractions of the region. The illustrations and character designs were created by Mino Taro, famous for Love Plus, a dating series for Nintendo DS, and for his work on Exist Archive.

Last updated on 21 June 2017