The top 10 reasons to get excited for Root Film

Root Film is coming soon, and if you’re already in the know, you’ll have already preordered our super-awesome exclusive limited edition for PS4 or Switch. Good news! We finally have a release date for this beautifully stylish visual novel-adventure hybrid: March 19, 2021.

But maybe you’re not in the know, and you want to find out a bit more. This seems like an ideal opportunity to explore the top ten reasons you should get excited for Root Film! So let’s do just that.

This brand new gameplay trailer

This fabulous new trailer shows off some gameplay for Root Film, including the visual novel action, adventure game-style investigations and even the fighting game-inspired Max Mode interrogation sequences. It’s also a lovely showcase of the super-stylish artwork.

It’s a beautiful recreation of Shimane

Root Film Shimane Prefecture

Shimane Prefecture is one of the least populated areas of Japan, but it’s one of the most fascinating and significant. The area not only features beautiful scenery, but also plays host to one of the country’s oldest Shinto shrines, and has significant ties to Japan’s extensive mythology.

Japan as a whole has great respect for both its history and its mythology, and the two are often intertwined with one another. If you want to immerse yourself in this aspect of Japanese culture, Shimane is the place to go. And while we’re all locked in our houses, there’s no better way to virtually head to Shimane than with Root Film.

Hybrid, genre-busting gameplay

Root Film

Root Film isn’t just a story to sit back and enjoy — you’ve got work to do in order to solve a series of bizarre murders! Playing as both director Rintaro Yagumo and actress Riho, you’ll have to investigate scenes, interrogate witnesses and make use of a variety of unique mechanics in order to uncover the truth behind the mystery.

The game’s intention is to provide a thought-provoking story while also stimulating your intuition and challenging you with rapid-fire face-off mechanics to keep you on your toes.

It’s directed by the creator of Clock Tower

Root Film

Root Film is the brainchild of Hifumi Kono, who is an established veteran of the video games industry. He’s also the man who gave the world the first two installments in the classic survival horror adventure game series Clock Tower, so he knows what he’s doing when it comes to mystery and suspense.

He’s worked on a variety of other cool games over the years, too, including legendary Xbox mech title Steel Battalion (yes, the one with that controller) and the more recent spiritual successor to Clock Tower for PC and Vita, NightCry.

Intuition mechanics to uncover clues

Root Film gameplay gif

As you explore Root Film’s lovely recreation of Shimane Prefecture, you’ll discover all manner of clues — words, phrases or objects.

By using the game’s Intuition mechanic to log all of these potentially important pieces of information, you’ll be able to make use of them to press more information out of the key witnesses in the case — and get ever closer to the truth.

It features voice acting by i☆Ris

Root Film i☆Ris

Root Film features voice acting from members of the Japanese idol group i☆Ris. While most idol groups in Japan are known for their musical performances, i☆Ris are also rather well-known for their voice acting work.

Besides Root Film, i☆Ris are best-known in the voice acting world for their work on the Takara Tomy anime and arcade game franchise PriPara, or Prism Paradise. They also performed the opening songs for the anime series Akiba’s Trip: The Animation, Magical Sempai and Magical Girl Site, among numerous others.

The verbal sparring of Max Mode

Root Film Max Mode

Once you’ve uncovered enough information through the game’s investigative component, it’s time to confront a key witness and get the truth out of them. Enter Max Mode, a reaction-based interrogation system inspired by fighting games.

You’ll need to lie in wait for the perfect moment to present a key piece of evidence, then strike with full force to uncover the truth.

It features art by Taro Minoboshi

Root Film Taro Minoboshi

If that name doesn’t sound familiar, you may know him better as simply Taro Mino — he used to work for Konami on the unlocalised dating sim series LovePlus, but left the company about five years back and decided to start afresh under a new “pen name”.

At the time of his departure, Minoboshi noted that he had enjoyed his time at Konami, but had come to the conclusion that working on his own terms would allow him to better realise his creative visions. And now here we are!

Zapping provides two perspectives

As you progress through Root Film’s narrative, you’ll be able to explore the story from two perspectives thanks to the “zapping” mechanic. Switch between the two protagonists Rintaro and Riho in an attempt to uncover the “two sides to every story”.

Experiencing the events of the game from different angles — and through the eyes of two very different characters — will be key to uncovering the mystery.

It’s the follow-up to Root Letter

Root Letter

Anyone who played Root Letter or its enhanced rerelease Root Letter: Last Answer will know that the developers at Kadokawa Games have the knack for putting together compelling mysteries with some unexpected twists and turns along the way.

Given how enjoyable Root Letter was, it’s fair to say that Root Film is in good hands — and we can expect a thoroughly intriguing adventure to enjoy come March 19.

Preorder the Root Film Limited Edition on the Rice Digital store now!

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Pete Davison
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