Kazutaka Kodaka, one of the writers of the upcoming mystery adventure title Master Detective Archives: Rain Code, has provided some insight into why the game will be releasing exclusively on Nintendo Switch. Many fans of the Danganronpa series are looking forward to Rain Code, which is being co-developed by Too Kyo Games and Spike Chunsoft, sharing as it does much of the development team with the popular franchise.
While some think that Master Detective Archives: Rain Code resembles Persona 5 in some ways, the dark fantasy mystery game seems to have only two stars: the main protagonist Yuma Kokohead and Shinigami, who can transform herself into a ghostlike “Puffy Death God.” Yuma is a kind of novice detective who must put a stop to the strange happenings in town, which involve Mystery Phantoms that can be found in a Mystery Labyrinth.
A writer for both Danganronpa and Master Detective Archives: Rain Code, Kazutaka Kodaka, formerly worked for Spike Chunsoft before founding Too Kyo Games in 2017. In a recent interview with Denfaminicogamer, Kodaka shared some of the reasoning behind limiting the release of Master Detective Archives: Rain Code to Nintendo Switch. While releasing the game on a variety of platforms was discussed, it was ultimately decided that doing so would force the game to compete with other A and AA titles, likely resulting in Rain Code getting “buried and lost.”
Kodaka went on to explain that Master Detective Archives: Rain Code is well suited to the Switch because it focuses primarily on the story, rather than high-fidelity graphics or CGI. A project with more demanding graphics would be limited by the Switch's hardware. On the other hand, the trailers for Master Detective Archive: Rain Code show that, while the adventure game has appealing visuals, they are well suited to Nintendo's portable console. Future promotional materials, said Kodaka, will hopefully catch the interest of players as they show off more of the game’s features like the Mystery Labyrinth.
Master Detective Archive: Rain Code will be similar to Danganronpa in that both feature a mix of dark adventure with detective elements. At least so far, however, the theme of Rain Code appears to be a bit more lighthearted. The Danganronpa series features a robotic teddy bear who forces a group of high school students to murder one another. Rain Code seems to focus more on the mystery elements and less on murder, though that impression may change as more information is released closer to the game’s launch.
New Master Detective Archives: Rain Code is currently in development for the Nintendo Switch, with a planned 2023 release.
Source: Denfaminicogamer (via GoNintendo)