Tokyo Dark: Remembrance | Switch Review

November 11, 2019 Alyssa White

I love a good horror game, and I love a good visual novel. Cherrymochi’s Tokyo Dark: Remembrance mashes these two formats up, and adds point-and-click adventure elements as the cherry on top. The premise of the game, which sees you playing as a detective trying to solve a murder while supernatural occurrences may be happening, was an immediately intriguing hook. Happily, Tokyo Dark satisfied my craving for a great game while also surprising me in the best way possible.

A Girl And Her Mask

You play as Detective Ito, a woman who has suffered two traumatic events in a six month time span. Both were murders, and both are somehow connected by a woman named Reina and a super creepy mask that Ito has in her possession. After the first murder, Ito is placed on pills to stop hallucinations and is told to keep an eye on her SPIN (Sanity, Professionalism, Investigation, Neurosis). This affects the gameplay experience tremendously, as your choices are irreversible. Deciding whether or not to take your pills adds a different layer to the story.

Do you take the pills and stay sane, but potentially miss clues? Or ignore your meds and experience genuinely disturbing visions, but pick up important pieces of the puzzle? Taking or skipping your pills isn’t the only major decision you have to make, though. Do you drink on the job? React to an unpleasant altercation with violence? Each choice guides you down a different path, and sometimes what seems like the best option ends up being the worst. I loved this element and feel it adds replayability to see how the other paths unfold.

Save Your Soul

The story is extremely well written and captivating. Each side character feels important to Ito’s journey, and I loved seeing how Ito reacted to each individual differently. The more Ito discovered about the mask and Reina, the more I was creeped out during my first playthrough. This game does feature jump scares, but they don’t feel cheap and weren’t always easy to predict. By the time I reached my personal ending, I was disturbed, emotional, and craving more. This is a tad on the short side though, with my first run only taking three hours to complete. Thankfully there is a New Game+ option to see all of the multiple endings.

Control Yourself

The controls are of the point-and click nature, and are easy to execute after you learn them. The game doesn’t hold your hand, and I’m not ashamed to admit it took me longer than usual to figure out how to even get to the pause menu. This could have been streamlined better, but it didn’t detract from my experience too much. There were no technical issues or glitches, and the game ran smoothly. The autosaving mechanic is incredibly generous as well.

Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beholder

The anime-inspired visuals are absolutely stunning and added so much depth to the gaming experience. Colors popped, and characters and environments were extremely detailed. Points of interest were easy to find, and each location in the game had its own vibe and personality. The cutscenes are a delight to watch, even if some of them are eerie and disturbing.

Tokyo Dark: Remembrance Final Verdict

I absolutely loved this title. Tokyo Dark: Remembrance is a fantastic horror visual novel that features a compelling story, gorgeous graphics, and point-and-click elements. Sure, the controls could have been more streamlined, but this is a minor complaint about an incredibly intriguing experience that was obviously crafted with love and reverence.

This review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy of Tokyo Dark: Remembrance provided by Stride PR for coverage purposes. It is also available on PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, and MacOS.