Level-5's new game "Decapolis" play report!　Players must take on unsolved cases in a virtual space, solve mysteries, and catch the real criminals! TGS2023 Special Edition

Tokyo Game Show 2023 is being held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan, from September 21 to 24, 2023.

The show had been scaled down since 2019 due to the outbreak of the new coronavirus, but this year, for the first time in four years, the entire show floor is being used, with all halls from 1 to 11, the Event Hall, and the International Conference Hall all covered in game colors.

In this article, we will report on the "Decapolis," which we were able to try out at the Level-5 booth.

Newcomers take on unsolved cases in a virtual space!

In this crime suspense RPG, players take control of a rookie detective, Harvard Marks, who leads his team of detectives to solve a variety of crimes in a huge crime city. In this trial, we were able to experience the process of searching for the culprit of a jewelry heist as a training exercise in the virtual world of Decapolis, which is a perfect copy of reality.

The world of Decapolis, created by DECASIM, can be explored at will. The buildings and cars driving on the pavement are the same as in real life, but since the game is set in the near future, we often came across cleaning and security robots at work in some places. The Decapolis also has a record of unsolved cases, and the jewelry heist case is one of them.

The game is roughly divided into three sections: the investigation part, the deduction part, and the battle part against the criminal. In the investigation part, players gather clues to solve the case by interviewing witnesses and recovering evidence found at the scene.

Since some information can only be retrieved through the "conversation skills" of each character, it is necessary to have a thorough understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of not only the protagonist, but also all of his or her companions. Incidentally, the "DECA Scanner" ability allows the player to see who has information and what evidence can be collected. By making full use of these special abilities, it is unlikely that the investigation will run into difficulties due to a lack of information.

Once the information has been gathered, the next step is the deduction part. In the deductive part, the player supplements the incomplete correlation chart illustrated on the cork board with the information he or she has gathered. The information you have gathered is compiled on a separate screen as "evidence cards," so you can check the board and evidence cards whenever you need to. Important information related to the investigation is indicated in red, and the power of "Thinking Vision" can be used to check whether the information you have just placed is correct or not.

Based on the information you have constructed, the true culprit is named, and then you move on to the battle part of the game. In battle, the player uses two types of skills to fight: normal attacks and skills that inflict mind damage. The former is indicated in red and the latter in blue, and the basic rule is to hit with an attack skill of the same color as the aura the opponent is clad in.

During battle, if the criminal takes a hostage, normal attack skills are prohibited and only skills that inflict mind damage can be used. When mind damage is inflicted and the criminal's strength is reduced to zero, a specific event occurs and the target can be arrested. In the case of this incident, the final scene was depicted as Harvard taking out a gun and shooting down the smartphone held by the criminal. The sequence of events was very exciting and unique to the jewelry heist case. This is what we can expect to see at the climax of other cases as well.

I was a little nervous playing the game, thinking that I could not make any wrong guesses because of the eyes of the people around me, but when I actually finished playing, I got the impression that this game was very friendly as a guessing game. First of all, since it is necessary to collect all the evidence and information in order to deduce the case, there is no way to miss anything. Important information is given to you in red. This allows me to check if my hypothesis is correct before making a deduction. Thanks to this, I was able to respond calmly and guess the real culprit in one shot.

Incidentally, the trial play time this time was 30 minutes. Considering that most of the other booths had a trial play time of about 15 minutes, this was exactly twice as long as the time spent at the other booths. In my case, I even had time to watch the epilogue after solving the case. For those who plan to play at the venue, please do not be overawed and take it easy as you aim to solve the case.

Title Information

Decapolis

Compatibility: PS5/PS4/Switch

Genre: RPG

Players: 1 player

CERO: To be reviewed

Release date: 2023

Price: Undecided