Process of Elimination | PS4

Heavy on the plot, and light on the gameplay NISA's new IP, "Process of Elimination" lives up to it's name in more ways than one. It features, within it's many layers, an intertwining story involving the protagonist Wato Hojo. Wato, starting off as a fledgling detective working for an amateur detective agency, pursues his first suspect only to be drawn into a plot so thick and twisted that not even his familiarity to mystery novels could have prepared him for it. 

After finding out his supposed first suspect was actually the Senior detective of the DA (Detective Alliance), but not the target Wato finds himself potentially and surprisingly living out his detective dreams. Having been forcefully recruited though and against his will he finds himself, instead, waking up on a remote island three days later where things begin to fall apart in short order. Carrying in tow a haunting past memory of a childhood friend murdered, and aspiring to be the one who catches the infamous serial killer "The Quartering Duke" Wato and his world quickly becomes the stage of an unfolding Greek tragedy in which 13 quirky detectives share in his fight for finding out the who, what, where, when, and why of the given situation. 

Part visual novel and part strategy game, "Process of Elimination" carries the player on an unforgettable journey filled with mystery, and tragedy. Starting off as an introduction to the character Wato, and his foray into the field of sleuthing the character driven story divulges hints of the protagonist's mysterious past, and the mentioning of a yet to be apprehended serial killer known as "The Quartering Duke". From these peculiar beginnings Wato finds himself not only recruited into his dream job as a part of the elite Detective Alliance, but also unwillingly abducted and brought to a remote island known as the Morgue. A place where detectives working on "The Quartering Duke" serial killer case unknowingly await Wato's arrival.

It is at the Morgue that Wato attempts to meet up with the Senior member who forcefully abducted him only to find murder, and mystery lying in wait at the resident manor. A manor housing the DA's 13 best detectives who are, themselves, in hot pursuit of "The Quartering Duke". Seemingly a target of the serial killer's murderous rampage Wato, and his 13 detective partners find themselves in a heap of trouble. Shortly after bumping into each other they find the Senior member dismembered in a bloody scene within the manor. Leading suspicious detectives to all point the finger at the unannounced addition to their team who shows up abruptly with his wild story. That unannounced addition being Wato. 

In a dire dilemma, and a clear case of whodunnit Wato somehow convinces the team of detectives to put away their divisive angles of blame so that they can find out who the killer is, and where they are ...

In "Process of Elimination" each detective on the scene including Wato have a given nickname by which they are addressed, and each nickname plays upon a personality trait or quirk. Something that defines them, and their contributing skills. There's Techie, Gourmet, Doleful, Armor, Mystic, Rowdy, Renegade, Bookworm, Ideal, Posh, Downtown, and Incompetent who happens to be Wato himself. Not only does each detective bring with them a unique personality, but also unique SRPG inference stat points tied to their abilities to infer, research, assist, and search in a collaborative effort to solve mysteries surrounding their unusual case. 

As Wato you can effectively act as the lead investigator by intervening remotely using your dPad digital map in any given investigation to have detectives focus on doing tasks related to the given set of circumstances. Using the collective of reluctant, and/or ready party members together on a mapped out grid to coordinate a clue collecting, and mystery solving strategy Wato must find out what role he and his DA partners play in the grand scheme of things as well as what the hell is going on. 

By additionally taking in account each detectives' given inference stats, the allotted points therein, and their willingness to participate or not Wato can effectively aid in their tasks as well as fast track progress in the SRPG segments. Placing them adjacently to boost performance, or within the same vicinity to help conclude the intervention through a summing up of all clues found are, but some of the things that can be done in a given turn. These turn based undertakings include such things as investigating MP (mystery points) and putting to use character's combined stats/presence with other characters to pay the cost of RP (resolution) points in order to uncover vital information to the case. That or the searching of clues marked by spyglass tiles which leave informative evidence entries for future reference. Clues that can be inferred and used to lead to decisive conclusions per turn.

Cases, themselves, are usually several hours (turns) long with the turns ending only when all movement and actions have been assigned. Allowing for a furthering of the investigation through the Investigate and Preliminary phases that combine the clues and resolved MP. Resulting in a fully realized consensus on what took place. Once it is resolved using intervention there will be a gathering of detectives in the visual novel sense, and a deduction session in which the remaining detectives will try to find out who to rule out as a suspect, and who remains under suspicion. Giving multiple choice questions pertaining to detectives, and clues as the trial goes underway. Getting said questions right will fill up the trust meter, and getting them wrong will reduce points on that meter. Losing all trust will result in a GAME OVER. The only way to continue thereafter is to restart that phase of the investigation. 

Beyond the SRPG aspects of gameplay there is a long-winded visual novel style experience filled with voiced character conversations, and back story mentions. Set to static art panels with lightly animated characters. Accented by a thematic, and atmospheric soundtrack that heightens with brutal intensity, and sometimes even adds a bit of playful whimsy to the mix in the comedic relief sections. Looking back it is the characters that carry the game along. Their quirky and exaggerated personalities, and their dire situation make you pick sides almost from the start. Leaving you hoping that as things unravel character's you've come to admire don't become the villain or victims of the story.

The Verdict ...

This game definitely was not what I expected, and to be honest I don't really know what I expected. One thing's for sure ... "Process of Elimination" may actually be NISA's darkest game yet. It is filled with mature elements, and even with the lighthearted casting there are some things that are so viciously violent in nature I wouldn't doubt that the game gets a "M" rating. If you can stomach the macabre there's some really good characters involved. While I did notice the obvious ties to identity politics, and certain political jabs in the conversations I still liked the casting of characters, overall. Even the feminine male Doleful was likeable as was the tomboyish/lesbian Rowdy. I think the politics wasn't too heavy handed, and likeable personalities shone through despite the inclusion. 

Even the story, as dark and twisted as it was, was enjoyable. I sat at the beginning of my playthrough for three hours straight without pause I was so invested. That having been said that might be the game's one flaw. There are hardly any distinguishable pause points as you progress. They don't even tell you how to pause and save the game or when to pause and save the game past the first save point. With the dialogue carrying on for so long, and seemingly without pause shorter chapters would have been a huge plus. Still, I found the game good enough to keep playing even though I know I should not have sat so long. If you fancy something different from NISA's usual this game is worth a try, but do bare in mind it contains some dark subject matter, and is in no way a kid friendly game.