Japan has brought us so much happiness. Such a small country. With such a lot of people and so many, many, wonderful games. Both new and old. So what the hell is this?
You all know what a Chick-flick is right? A movie made for women. The type of entertainment most men only ever watch while on a mission to engage with knicker content. Anything with Hugh Grant in generally or Leonardo DiCaprio.
Well, it had to happen and why not 1994? Miss Yamamura suspense Kyoto Murder Case is by my calculation the only Interactive Chick-flick ever made. The nice looking earnest young men. The true life settings. The personal relationships. The music - Oh god the music. Memories came flooding back of the music.
Fortunately MYSKMC is about as import friendly as Korean spicy dried dog surprise - on a stick. Not a word of English is spoken or for that matter Romanji (Japanese words written in Roman characters)written in the manual or anywhere throughout the game. The icons are self explanatory but what happens when you press them isn't.
The plot, such as it is, would have the average Mills and Boon writer running in terror at the enormity of the lack of imagination.
Things start off in a very expensive looking Japanese house with a family sat around the table. There are all in full battle dress. Men in suits and ties, women in Kimonos and the old man at the head of the table dressed up the same way I was when I got married in Japan. Except of cause I looked better. [Cough!]
Anyway - they are all congratulating each other. Suddenly one of the younger men takes a swig of red wine and before anything else happens he hits the table - blood spewing from his mouth. Of cause in the only way a boring Chick-flick knows how, which amounts to just a bit of a red dribble really.
After a fake news report, Ms Yamamura-san steps into the fray in an attempt to solve this mystery that spans two CD's.
Even if you could understand what was going on, this game is most likely to have you reaching for a copy of Snow Job or Psychic Detective long before the second CD gets anywhere near being released.
As the testosterone surged through my body, I grabbed the CD marked '1' and flung back in the case - probably never again to see the light of day.
In regards to who dunnit? I reckon it was either the old man, he looked creepy and guilty all at the same time, he's in the screen shot below or perhaps it was a Gamer. And originally the movie was about knitting or something. Who knows? Who cares? Not I!
Now even worth it for the box art sadly.
Rare outside Japan as most of my games are these days!
3DO Kid.
