Game Review: Jisei

Jisei is an indie visual novel mystery game developed and produced by sakevisual. It was released in 2010 and is also the first installment in the series. It was published for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux platforms.

Storyline

When Jisei begins, the protagonist wakes from a nap inside the café, and suddenly feels ill. Heading to the restroom, he discovers a dead woman on the floor, with a knife in her chest. He touches the woman to experience her final moments; he finds out that someone had suffocated the woman. When the protagonist comes to, he finds Jennifer Bergstrom watching him, claiming him as the murderer. Detective Gurski, who happened to be at the café coincidentally, decides to question everyone present—Chance Jackson, Jennifer Bergstrom, Kizaki Suitani and the protagonist.

Gameplay

Each game in the Jisei series plays out as a mystery novel, with the player examine their current location to find clues. The player also can talk to people and get hints. The player can access an in-game notebook to keep track of all clues and hints found so far. All of the choices affects how the game ends, and whether or not the player can deduce who the real killer is.

Music & Fully Voiced Characters

The music they produce in the game is original and they also make their own cinematic opening after a short introduction to the game. Each character in this game is also fully voiced that everyone can enjoy this game to the fullest.

Character Design

The character design in the game is also great, each with their own background stories. Though the character  development isn’t seen yet because it’s just the first game but if the player decides to try the sequels, the stories will slowly be revealed one by one. Each time the player completes the game, they will be able to receive extra contents, such as characters’ designs, and sometimes epilogues.

Author:

1. Yogi Udjaja
2. Reyna Rosalia