Shuten Order is an ambitious visual novel that immerses players in a bleak end-of-the-world scenario where the main character, Rei Shimobe, is resurrected by the “Power of God” to solve her own murder among a group of cult ministers. The premise is gripping from the beginning – a city ruled by a death cult counting down the days to humanity’s extinction – but then it starts to misstep all the way to the end, crushed by its own overreach.
The narrative structure stands out thanks to its five distinct routes, with each one offering a different suspect and a tailored gameplay style in which the Power of God rewrites the rules of investigation. These range from Metal Gear Solid-style sneaking and a visual novel date, to an escape room experience. The idea is much, much better in theory than practice. The execution often falters and despite strong ideas, the pacing can be inconsistent and downright glacial with certain story arcs drawn out or repetitive.
Art direction and presentation are major strengths. It is such a welcome relief from the “same face” syndrome that the previous families of games such as Danganronpa feature. The character designs are stylish and the comic book-style dialogue helps elevate a tight budget into memorable visual moments. Still, some areas in the game, such as pre-rendered backgrounds and environmental transitions, can feel oddly low budget to laughably cheap and inconsistent, making the experience occasionally disjointed.
The writing is complex, tackling heavy themes like religion, betrayal, and existential dread. While the core murder mystery is engaging, some philosophical material comes off as heavy handed. The whole problem is just how long it takes to get anywhere. The plot will be treading over the same stuff hours later. There are genuinely thoughtful critiques of governance and faith, yet the message is lost in the mire, especially when routes vary widely in tone and quality.
Gameplay is experimental, and that is saying it nicely. Each route introduces a different structure, including deduction trials, puzzle solving, and atypical visual novel segments. This is the big hook for Shuten Order, but also its biggest failing. Some sections, especially those reminiscent of Ace Attorney, are memorable and fun, but others rely too much on busywork or repetitive puzzle mechanics, diluting their impact and causing momentum to lag. None of them are that good at all, and really leads to a feeling of just wanting to play the game they were based on instead.
Although the cast is compelling, ranging from enigmatic ministers to two quirky angel sidekicks, character development varies depending on the chosen route. Dialogue can be lively and emotional but is hampered at times by flat delivery or uneven tone, which can affect immersion and attachment to secondary characters. It is unfortunate as some of the sub stories are legitimately interesting, but far too often they are plagued by going on too long and twists for the sake of twists. A story will finally be getting interesting only to end with a stupid twist.
The plot is the major reason people will play Shuten Order, and largely where it fails to carry its weight. It comes out swinging from the beginning, but it is crushed by its severe pacing issues. The five-branch plot doesn’t work well at all, with very little cohesion or connection to a larger plot. Though it bears some resemblance to the much better predecessors like the Zero Escape series, everything that made those games memorable, such as intense, thought-provoking plots and good pacing, are absent.
One of the more annoying things that is becoming increasingly present in these authors’ work is their reliance on wild twists for the sake of having them. A good twist is something that retroactively makes sense and in some degree is telegraphed when looking back. The best ones are able to make the viewer go through the media a second time with a new understanding to really appreciate it. Recent works far too often throw out “deep” tripe such as, “What if we are actually on a new planet?” and “What if we are just clones?” all for the sake of shock when it was neither hinted at nor had little to do with the present plot.
Shuten Order was perhaps sent out to die, and it is an unfortunate trend in the direction of the authors’ work. What very well might have been interesting is plagued by a slew of negatives their recent games have been criticised for, and it fails to bring anything redeeming to the table. It is the type of game one would like to enjoy, but it simply won’t let it happen.
