Urban Myth Dissolution Center

Honestly, the only redeeming quality of this game is its art style. My disappointment runs deep enough that I felt compelled to write this review. I should note that I played the game in Japanese, so poor localisation isn't a factor in my criticism of the story's execution. When it comes to detective games, I'm typically looking for one of two things (or ideally both): 1) interesting and creative puzzle mechanics 2) a game with mediocre puzzles but an excellent story, something that's satisfying with minimal plot holes. Unfortunately, this game delivers neither. This is the type of story that relies heavily on a supposedly massive plot twist while completely disregarding everything (internal logic, plot details, and foreshadowing... etc.) that should build up to it. The worst part is that these sacrifices amount to nothing, as everything unfolds as predictably as a sitcom. The "Urban Myth" element feels completely disconnected from the actual story. I genuinely don't understand the point of identifying one for each case. The game essentially serves as a commentary on social media, but the perspective is nothing new and rather one-dimensional. When you take such an extreme stance, there's no real depth because it leaves no room for nuanced discussion. The irony is that despite the author's heavy criticism of social media, the gameplay constantly requires you to take social media rumours at face value to progress the story (these rumours often turn out to be true). I'm not sure if this was an attempt to balance the criticism, but it feels like it undermines the game's central message. As for gameplay, it's repetitive in the worst way. You're forced to click on the same items multiple times for no apparent reason other than padding. The game offers no deduction, just some multiple-choice comprehension quizzes. There are chapters where I barely read any text, yet I can answer every single question correctly. That's how clichéd and predictable it is. So no, I would not recommend this game. But I don't regret buying it solely because the art is genuinely excellent. I look forward to the developer's next project if they improve on the storytelling.

So, uhhh... Urban Myth Dissolution Center. This game has an art style and UI that are really nice looking! The gameplay and story, however, just aren't very engaging. During the two-ish hours I played, information was drip-fed to me with little opportunites for engagement. It was an endless cycle of "talk to this person in this order" without much room for player expression. My interest died very quickly once I passed the tutorial and realized that this railroading was the game's entire structure. The mystery-solving mechanic has you plugging missing words into a sentence to form the solution to the mystery, and the correct words are pretty obvious so there isn't much player engagement there either. Don't go for this if you're a mystery fan- you won't get much of a chance to solve anything yourself. The story was interesting enough on paper, but the characters weren't expressive or interesting enough to hold my attention. Maybe I didn't play far enough in, but my backlog is too big for me to sink hours and hours into a game that I'm not enjoying because it MIGHT get better later. Having read other reviews, it sounds like I dodged the bullet while I could. Also, in my experience, adventure games tend to pride themselves on their puzzles, branching choices and puzzle solving. Given that precedent, it's a bit odd that this game seemingly has none of those. Definitely messed with the experience for me. That all being said, just because it wasn't my cup of tea doesn't mean it won't be yours. If you like Japanese urban legends or spookyish anime you might enjoy this. As for me though? I'm just hoping it's not too late to get my cash back.

I have never seen a game fail this spectacularly at getting you invested in its story and mysteries. Let's get the positives out of the way first. Yes, the artstyle and overall presentation is very good. That is one of the main contributing factors to my buying this game in the first place. The soundtrack and sound design are also more than competent. I would also like to emphasize how much I love the idea of a paranormal/urban mythology detective game. That base concept was my main draw towards Urban Myth Dissolution Center. The actual execution of said concept is wanting to say the absolute least. First of all, you don't actually solve mysteries. The game solves them for you. There is never a point in the game where you can figure out a case on your own by looking at the evidence. This is because, in order to reach the final solution, you often either need information which is unvailable to you until the very end, or you are required to make such enormous leaps in logic that no person would ever make on their own. Immediately, this sets UMDC apart from "fair" mystery games such as Ace Attorney, where the whole point is for the player to crack the case on their own merits. The ultimate solution to any given case in this game comes right after the "Dissolution Phase", where the Director just casually pronounces one person the bad guy through the phone, prompting them to have a mild breakdown over it before giving a cartoon villain speech. This whole schtick already makes it really difficult for the audience to actually engage with the mystery, since they know that the answer will be simply given to them once they've clicked through enough dialogue. Speaking of the dialogue... it's not very good either. It all feels dry, robotic and unpolished. The personalities of each individual character don't really shine through in their dialogue, except maybe that of the protagonist, Azami Fukurai. The rest of the cast always seem to be simply and coldly stating facts, and they end up sounding more like Jarvis than any real character. I hear people say that this is an issue specific to the English translation of the game, and while I can neither confirm nor deny this, it doesn't matter much, as it is the English translation that most people will experience anyway. The actual cases always come off as drab and uninteresting. The stakes feel low, the mysteries weak and the intrigue just isn't there. This is mostly a result of the overall writing of the game being dull to the point where it hurts, but another major factor is the awful, awful gameplay. Now, of course, UMDC is an adventure game. No one came into it expecting the gameplay to match that of Titanfall 2 or something. However, the gameplay here is so bad, it's frankly insulting. It consists of two parts: clicking on things and people to get (poorly written) dialogue and exposition, and solving """puzzles""". The first scale of gameplay should be farly self-explanatory, and evident as to why I consider it poor. The second scale, the """puzzles""", is where this game genuinely begins to get on my nerves. These """puzzles""" are for the most part the game asking you a simple multiple choice question, the answer to which was not only given to you upfront mere seconds ago, but is also so agonizingly obvious that even on the occasion that you didn't actually read any of the expository dialogue that gave you the answer, you could probably instantly single it out as the only one that would actually make sense. There are also """puzzles""" that technically require a modicum of consideration. But really, only a modicum. And yes, only technically. These """puzzles""" typically come in the form of a fill-in-the-blanks multiple choice question, which asks you to draw a very surface level, self evident conclusion about something or someone. I am not exaggerating in the slightest when I say that these """puzzles'"" belong in a Dora the Explorer edutainment game. To put it simply, Urban Myth Dissolution Center is a cool idea that never really managed to be put into practice. The gameplay is a chore, and the writing is genuinely insipid. I really wish someone out there would take the idea of a paranormal detective video game and turn it into something actually worth sitting through. I'm not being mean on purpose, but this is just not it.

7/10 - Good game that could have been great. But poor UI and the plot derails completely in the final moments and isn't as clever as the dev seams to think, lowers the score a few points. Really cool visual novel with some light deduction parts. Sort of a Ace attorney and X-files mashup where you go investigating various urban myths with a overlapping story-line in-between cases. The artstyle and music is great and I liked almost everything. Like with the devs previous game the writing and cases are good (even if i think this goes a bit too far with the final twists, it really doesn't make much sense in the end and there are so many plot holes). Like the previous game, the UI and controls are also ridiculously convoluted and slow (even if it's a lot better) and there's really no reason why. It feels like a horribly ported phone control system. There is also a little too much backtracking to my taste, you keep running between characters and intractable objects and your "ghost vision" in circles to get all the clues. That said, up until the last minutes, it's a very compelling narrative. I wasn't as kind to their previous game, but this get's a pass.

I love detective games like this, and the story in this one is so convoluted but great!!

Roses are red Urban myths are fake If you're seeing ghosts Maybe you just need a break? [h1]From chapters 1 to 5[/h1] Honestly, in the beginning of the game and until chapter 5, I was just "enjoying" the game like you can enjoy a good movie. It was nice but nothing transcendent. I found the gameplay pretty simple (I mean it in a good way) but sometimes it was tedious (the social network researches were not in my taste mostly). Each chapter from 1 to 5 is well written and the resolutions of the cases are all satisfying. I also really enjoyed the artistic direction (including the musics), the characters and the general writing. If I had to highlight one drawback, it would the pacing. The game is too long to reach its conclusion and some segments could be easily removed from the game. [h1]Chapter 6[/h1] And then came the chapter 6 which connects the whole game and skyrockets it [b]from enjoyable to masterpiece[/b] IMO. I really loved the last chapter and it's conclusion. For the chapter 6 itself, this game enters my favorite games of all time and is a 100% recommendation. Some people found the last chapter rushed, but I honestly did not feel that way. it's true that we can see some minor plotholes, but it did not stop me from finding the ending very satisfying and bold. To the devs: keep up the good work!

It hurts to give a negative review to this. The art style, just like all the other reviews say, is great. But I don't think I've played a game where I ever felt so UNSATISFIED with solving a mystery. It feels like the story actively works against itself in giving you something interesting to do. Each mystery feels bloated by telling you ten versions of the same detail, and railroading you into a clear answer each time. The twists aren't even really twists - they're predictable story shifts that leave little room for imagination or anything to genuinely shock you. A scary game needs to be spooky both in style and in substance, and it feels like it's only the former here. :( I really hope that the devs for this make a second game with a deeper and more interesting story, because I'd be willing to give it a shot.

TLDR: I recommend the game. Pros: Great pixel art, awesome music (there is only one song in the game with lyrics, but it immediately joined my "favourites" playlist), plot is quite interesting but... Cons: ...very last plot-twist is not good. It is somewhat predictable, but it really spoils the feeling from the game and creates quite a few plot holes/inconsistencies. Also gameplay, while somewhat enjoyable, gets really repetitive very quickly, I had to make quite a few breaks from the game to finally finish it. And remember kids: ACAB! Always and in any country.

Good if you like urban legends and mysteries. Fairly campy and linear. I found it enjoyable and liked the style that was employed.

A really good visual novel. I had some trouble and would have to look up a guide every now and then to find a clue that I missed in order to advance the story. The overall narrative fits together nicely and while a sequel would be really cool to see, this game by itself presents a really engaging story. Edit: One more thing: it's mainly like one of those old point and click adventures. I still think it's a good game but it can definitely be slow in pacing for people.

I had so much fun with this game, really loved the spooky occult elements and mysteries. Can't recommend it enough if you like spooky occult stuff and mystery type games.

( full review with screenshots: https://www.gaming-parrot.com/post/urban-myth-dissolution-center-review-a-bumpy-ride ) This is a neutral review, but Steam won't let me post those. What you get when playing Urban Myth Dissolution Center is probably not what you'd expect from the game's description of itself. It gives the impression that it's a spooky game about encountering cryptids and monsters, but the real experience is more Scooby Doo than Twilight Zone. Similarly, you might think it's going to be a thinky mystery adventure, but the handholding is so aggressive that there are only a couple of times in the entire game when you need to do anything more than click on everything and then select a painfully obvious choice. It has merits despite those issues, but I mention them right away because that's likely all a lot of potential players need to know. If you want a game where you have to solve a difficult puzzle to determine that a ghost really did do it, UMDC is not that. That said, if an easy game where the solutions are rarely as dark as they seem is still appealing, UMDC does plenty of things well. It does manage some genuinely spooky scenes along the way to solutions that are often more mundane, and the journey to get to the solution is usually interesting. Each case follows a general pattern of hearing about a mystery, doing some basic investigation to identify the urban myth, doing some more investigation, and finally completely a quiz to perform the 'dissolution' and solve the mystery. This gameplay loop will likely be the most disappointing thing about the game for a lot of people. There's no inventory system and no choices to make in the investigation sequences, so it becomes a game of just clicking on everything even if you're trying to take a more thoughtful approach to it. It often tells you exactly what to do next anyway, and then the quizzes at the end have such obvious answers that you could solve most of them without ever having read half of the text anyway. Even if you do get some questions wrong, there's no punishment for it, so randomly clicking on everything is a valid strategy here as well. Really the only place where you get an opportunity for agency is when you're crafting search terms for social media research. There are many more combinations of terms than you actually need to use, and some of them go to pages that exist purely for flavor, so you technically have a choice about whether or not to find them. So UMDC's gameplay isn't likely to win awards from anyone, but it fares much better in terms of aesthetics. The monochrome graphics look excellent and cutscenes are fully of remarkably detailed sprite work that manages to convey emotions and creepy atmospheres despite the limited color space and resolution. I can't praise the art enough, and it looks even better in motion. The soundtrack is similarly well done. It sets the right mood in every scene and there's even an anime-style closing song between cases that really helps build the excitement for what comes next. Finally, if the gameplay is a mess and the aesthetics are outstanding, the writing is somewhere in between. I've already mentioned that it's disappointing that the story ends up feeling so much like a Scooby Doo story, but the individual events and characters that get you there are well done. The main characters have great chemistry and Azami's character has a satisfying arc that sees her grow more confident and capable with each case. Even with the underwhelming case resolutions and excessive handholding, I was prepared to give this a pretty strong score right up until the ending. Unfortunately, the ending is incredibly stupid. There's a six page thread on the Steam forums you can read through if you want details about what exactly happens and why it doesn't work, but the short version is that there's a twist at the end that is tropey, completely unnecessary, and creates plot holes basically everywhere. The final case up to that moment is fairly well done, but the final moments are such a disaster that they drag the entire experience down.

Fun mysteries with a mix of the supernatural and fairly straightforward detective stuff. Charming visual style and good music. The gameplay is just engaging enough to make it feel like you're working through the mysteries without being annoying guesswork - though I had to look up a walkthrough once to figure out what I'd missed, that was only once in like ten hours. I've seen complaints about the ending but I found it satisfying enough, and the path the story takes to get there is enjoyable. The game generally avoids having the answer to cases be something you couldn't possibly have guessed, it was usually pretty easy to figure out the answer before reaching the end of a given case where it's disclosed to you. The one thing I dislike about it is the actual process of investigating the cases is kind of laborious, especially the social media research. There are just way too many button presses and filler dialogue options when interacting with things, and it kind of pads the playtime out.

Great Story line with attractive urban myths, also the art style are very unique presentation to show the effort from creator. although the ending is quite a hard turning type, but still leaves us a goose-bump to look back again the entire story line to seek out how creepy we miss out from many small details. Looking forward to see the next game from this creator, Thank you for the game.

Great game with a BANGING soundtrack and great art and mood The story is good too. I would love to be it adapted into an anime

fun story, kinda guessed half of the ending but it still hit me with a surprise

I'll admit this is a bit of a tentative thumbs up, but still worth it due to this game being stylistically gorgeous and a clear labor of love. The art style and the soundtrack are both fantastic, and when the character beats hit, especially towards the game's midpoint, they hit hard. However, like a lot of other folks, I found the ending a pretty significant letdown, and I also found the GR plotline a bit incoherent in its messaging and influences at times, especially after the final twist. If you're interested in games with significant supernatural elements, this game also might not give you what you're expecting, for better and for worse. Overall, I would say this game is a solid outing, and worth getting if the visual style interests you, and I think some better writing could elevate this from an enjoyable outing most of the way through to a genuine masterpiece.

Splendid! This game is a masterpiece! It's an adventure and a bit of walking simulator. The story is so unexpected and unpredictable! I highly recommend it to the lovers of fiction and compelling stories.

I played through this with my 8 and 10 year old daughters, this game has some pretty serious and dark themes but nothing they couldn't handle. The story is presented really well, the pixel art is amazing, and there's a lot of really good satisfying puzzles and reveals throughout. However, all three of us were honestly pretty dissatisfied with the big plot twist at the very ending. It totally wraps up all the loose ends and ties everything together really well, but it was such a jarring change from how the rest of the game was (a complete 180 degree change of perspective), that it almost felt hurtful. We still recommend this game, but just go into it knowing that you may feel really dissatisfied with the ending, if you become as invested in the characters as we did. Apart from that, the investigation aspect of the game is done pretty well, not too hard although there were some questions that felt like they had more than one right answer, even though only one was considered correct. Overall a mixed bag, we absolutely loved this game 100% for the first 95% of the game, it was just the ending that was a let down. If there is a sequel (hard to say if the final cutscene is setting up for one or not) then that would change things a bit, but still unsatisfying.

That was insanely good wtf. As a mystery game enthusiast this one is incredibly well made. I especially applaud the ending. i was sitting on my high horse believing that I had everything figured out, that it's twists were beneath me and that I seen through all of them, only to stomped by the boot of humility. It's gameplay is refreshing and interesting, I thought the social media sections were a little too realistic, the game's message will probably land differently depending on your general opinions on society. If you are a gaming detective you must play this one

7/10 Would recommend - the art style, atmosphere, music, etc are all really good. Feels like watching a Japanese detective drama when I'm playing this. Just like all other comments mentioned, the ending feels rushed... But it is still a really good game. Each chapter takes around 1.5 hrs, and I played through this in one day! (a weekend well-spent) Just be careful not to get spoilers from the internet.

Fantastic story, great music and cute art! I suffered no bugs or glitches on my playthrough. Perfect little gem.

AHHH THE GAME WAS SO GOOOD!!!! NEED A SEQUEL PRONTO SO HE DIRECTOR/JASMINE/ZAMMY/AYUMI SAGA CAN COUTIUNE!!!!

Epic.