The Silver Case

The Silver Case is a text-based point and click adventure visual novel video game where players take control of different characters through two linear scenarios: in the "Transmitter" scenario, players take the role of a detective solving a serial murder mystery, while in the "Placebo" scenario, they control a freelance journalist covering the investigation. The scenarios are divided into six chapters each, making a total of twelve chapters.

During gameplay sequences, the player moves through environments in first-person. Proceeding through the scenario, story events play out in special windows against a single background: some are dedicated to text, while others show scenery related to events in the game. These scenery are a combination of 2D and 3D artwork, real-world photographs incorporated into the game, limited full-motion graphics, and short live-action sequences. At some points in the game, quiz questions are shown for the player to answer, in addition to mini-games the player can complete. There are also puzzles which are strongly related to the game's text-based features and presentation.

The Silver Case revolves around two different groups of characters in Ward 24. The Heinous Crimes Unit consists of detectives Tetsugoro Kusabi, Sumio Kodai, Chizuru Hachisuka, Kiyoshi Morikawa, Morichika Nakategawa, HCU chief Shinji Kotobuki, and the rookie player character. Crossing paths with the detectives is freelance reporter Tokio Morishima. Both parties soon come into conflict with Kamui Uehara, an assassin who was involved in a brutal crime 20 years ago and is now resurfacing as a threat to order in Ward 24.

The game divides the story into two threads: "Transmitter" follows the player character, Kusabi, and the HCU as they solve crimes; while "Placebo" follows Tokio as he reports on those same crimes, whilst dealing with his own personal issues.

The Silver Case was the debut title of Grasshopper Manufacture, a then-independent company formed in 1998 by video game developer Goichi Suda after leaving Human Entertainment following the completion of Moonlight Syndrome, a spin-off from Human's Twilight Syndrome series. The Silver Case, and consequently Grasshopper Manufacture, was born from Suda's wish to create something original, having only worked on pre-existing projects for Human. While the development team was independent, the production itself was supported by the game's publisher ASCII Entertainment, who had initially suggested a collaboration with Suda when he left Human, and whom Suda had approached with the concept for The Silver Case following the formation of Grasshopper Manufacture. When the genre had been selected, Suda's main challenge was to create something different from any other game in the genre.

During development, the team was faced with severe financial restrictions, which further exacerbated the problems caused by a small staff as they could not produce all the art assets normally needed for such a game. To compensate, Suda created what he termed the "film window engine": illustrations and text were relegated to dedicated windows. This allowed development to continue. Story sequences were also communicated through 3D CGI and inserted live-action and anime sequences.

The remaster version received "mixed or average" reviews according to review aggregator website Metacritic.

Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu gave The Silver Case a score of 30 points out of 40: while one of the reviewers noted that the display windows were sometimes difficult to see, the magazine's critics were generally positive about the game's atmosphere, comparing it favorably to Suda's previous work on Moonlight Syndrome. Prior to its release in the West, The Silver Case was highlighted in multiple articles by 1UP.com as an early example of Suda's distinctive style.

The release of The Silver Case helped establish both Suda and Grasshopper Manufacture in the Japanese gaming industry. The themes explored in The Silver Case would recur in later Suda projects, including the internationally released Killer7. Suda would later say that, when making Killer7, he tried to revisit and refine the thematic, narrative and gameplay elements he envisioned and developed for The Silver Case.

An episodic sequel to The Silver Case was developed for mobile platforms by Grasshopper Manufacture. Titled The 25th Ward: The Silver Case, it was a text-based adventure game with action commands linked to number inputs. The episodes were released between October 2005 and March 2007, with later versions releasing between 2007 and 2011: the game was divided into three scenarios of five episodes each. A remake of Ward 25 for the DS was initially planned alongside its predecessor, being announced around the same time. It was eventually remade for PlayStation 4 and PC, releasing in 2018.