Update #2 [Thu 12th Sep, 2024 11:05 BST]: The new remake of Yuji Horii's Hokkaido Rensa Satsujin: Ohotsuku ni Kiyu (localized as The Hokkaido Serial Murder Case: The Okhotsk Disappearance ~Memories in Ice, Tearful Figurine~ in the West) is out today on the Nintendo Switch eShop.
The Steam version of the game was released yesterday and is already available to buy and download, whereas the Nintendo Switch version is currently being offered as a pre-order (as of the time of writing), ahead of its eventual unlocking at some point in the very near future. As mentioned below, both versions will offer English language support, as well as the original Japanese and options for Traditional and Simplified Chinese.
Here's an official description of the game:
A Nipopo doll sheds a tear—another soul is sheds its mortal coil. One morning, a man's body is found floating in the Tokyo bay. He's estimated to be in his forties. But the incident doesn't stop here. It moves to Hokkaido's cities: Kushiro, Abashiri, Shiretoko, Monbetsu... A second and third murder link the northern island to Tokyo.
The Okhotsk Disappearance is a graphic adventure game where you play as a police detective. Your job is to find the truth behind the serial murders with the help of your subordinates. To do so, you have a command interface with 14 actions, such as "Change Location" and "Ask someone".
If you want to give it a try, it is currently priced at £37.99/$44.99/€43.99 across both Nintendo Switch and Steam.
Update #1 [Wed 22nd May, 2024 09:00 BST]: It has been confirmed that Hokkaido Rensa Satsujin: Ohotsuku ni Kiyu will have English language support when it launches on Switch and Steam on September 12th in Japan (thanks, Gematsu).
It will also offer Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese language options, and the Switch physical edition will cost 8,800 yen.
"Hokkaido Rensa Satsujin: Ohotsuku ni Kiyu is a detective adventure game released for PC by LOGiN SOFT in 1984, then for Famicom in 1987," reads the PR. "It is considered to be the third game in the “Yuji Horii Mystery Trilogy” following The Portopia Serial Murder Case and Karuizawa Yuukai Annai."
Here's the list of staff working on this one:
- Original Creator and New Scenario Supervision
- Yuji Horii (Dragon Quest series, The Portopia Serial Murder Case, Hokkaido Rensa Satsujin: Ohotsuku ni Kiyu, Itadaki Street, etc.)
- Producer
- Kazunori Orio (Dragon Quest IV to VII, Itadaki Street, Tower Dream, Tenkuu no Restaurant, etc.)
- Supervision and Quality Control
- Gouzou Shiozaki (Hokkaido Rensa Satsujin: Ohotsuku ni Kiyu, Itadaki Street, Tower Dream, Tenkuu no Restaurant, etc.)
- Character Design and Original Picture
- Kiyokazu Arai (BASIC’N, Hokkaido Rensa Satsujin: Ohotsuku ni Kiyu, Itadaki Street, Tenkuu no Restaurant, etc.)
- Sound
- Toshiyuki Ueno (Hokkaido Rensa Satsujin: Ohotsuku ni Kiyu, Itadaki Street, Kero Kero Keroppi no Daibouken, Mario’s Picross series, Mini-Yonkuu GB Let’s & Go!!, etc.)
- Sound
- Satoshi Kadokura (Southern All Stars and more, Mobile Suit Gundam F91 and more, Metal Max series, Tenkuu no Restaurant, etc.)
Original Story [Wed 21st Feb, 2024 16:00 GMT]: As is always the case with Nintendo Directs, there were a couple of announcements made in the Japanese version of the broadcast that were missing from those shown in other regions.
While many will likely be most excited about the news that Mother 3 has been announced as coming to the Switch Online service in Japan (potentially indicating a Western release in the future), there was also another announcement in the Japanese showcase that caught our attention.
This was the reveal of a G-Mode-developed remake of Hokkaidō Rensa Satsujin: Okhotsk ni Kiyu — Yuji Horii and Armor Soft's 1984 follow-up to the incredibly influential adventure game The Portopia Serial Murder Case (thanks 4Gamer!).
Hokkaidō Rensa Satsujin: Okhotsk ni Kiyu (or Hokkaido Chain Murders: Disappearance in Okhotsk as it is often translated) was originally released for the PC-6001 & PC-88 in 1984, before being published on other Japanese home computers like the PC-98, FM-7, and MSX, among others. There was even a Famicom port of the game, which came out in 1987, as well as a version for mobile phones released in the early 2000s.
It sees players controlling a Tokyo Police officer, tasked with solving a grisly murder after a body turns up in Tokyo Harbour and follows their journey as they travel to Japan's northernmost island Hokkaido to unravel the mystery.
It's unknown whether this remake will be brought to the West, but we certainly have our fingers and toes crossed that we'll finally be able to experience this obscure gem from the Dragon Quest creator! It will be released in Japan later this year in Summer.
You can watch the full trailer below:
[source youtu.be, via 4gamer.net]
Comments 12
ENGLISH WHEN???? God, I want this sooo badly. I'd completely given up hope in a Yuji Hori remake set when Square Enix put out the Portopia AI tech demo, but this restores a bit of that hope in me now that we've at least gotten a proper version of one of the three. Plus, this also means that we have a potential avenue for Square Enix's I-mode games to get official re-releases, which is a huge deal for me personally. I love this announcement so much.
So that means it could get a official Western release ?
I might grab it.
I like quirky and obscure games.
....I watch Stop Skeletons From Fighting after all.
Remakes are cool, but I wish so many old Japanese horror/detective/adventure games would just get a translation, its probably the least translated genre from that era because of so much text, and a lot of Americans being lazy and illiterate.
So happy. God, how I love G-mode. Now, if only we could get a proper version of Portopia. I'm still overjoyed that this is getting an English release; if I could pre-order the Steam version now, I would. I'll definitely be getting the Switch physical at some point, though probably later on, since I'd prefer to play the game on PC.
... How did Marvelous get ownership of this IP?
Yay. Hope this isn’t like that Steam demo where they added AI that didn’t even work.
Genuine question: is this somehow just a watered down Famicom detective club? Looking at the concurrent dates and platforms, screenshots, characters and locations… this just strikes me as Famicom detective club as if handled by another company. Maybe because I’m sick right now, I’m just seeing things and this could actually be the cool thing I imagined it to be upon announcement, but man if this is just a Famicom Detective Club Ripoff I’m actually gonna be sad because I love FDC but I don’t think buying these games is going to be worth it
On an unrelated note, aesthetically this game is exactly what I think 80’s game remakes should look like, especially the anime looking ones. It’s still distinctly from the era without looking archaic. This is just genuinely cool art and novel to look at. The night club screenshot had me doing the cartoon-eyes-popping-out thing but that might just be me and my specific tastes though 💀
@MetaCrystal
This game actually came out before Famicom Detective Club and was most likely a direct inspiration to not only FDC but Ace Attorney as well. So it's not really a rip-off when it helped modernize the mystery novel adventure genre.
try Saying the name of this game 5 times real fast
@FX29 Oh! That’s good to know! I think I might pick it up then.
@MetaCrystal
My only warning is that the game doesn't do a great job telling you what to do next. In FDC there's hints on what option you need to click to progress through the game. While in this it's a lot more trial and error in what you need to do next and there were moments where I had no clue how to progress.
It's very old school in that sense as it's missing quality of life additions like we saw with the FDC remakes. FDC is the better game but this is still a good time if you like adventure murder mysteries.
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