Shuten Order Review

Tookyo Games are relentless. Since their formation in 2020, they’ve been putting out games at a breakneck pace, each one bold in concept and distinct in presentation. Earlier this year, they released The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy, a game that already felt ambitious in scope. And now, before that one even has time to breathe, they’ve teamed up with DMM Games to drop Shuten Order, another large-scale mystery title with an entirely different flavor. At this point, it feels like Kazutaka Kodaka, the creative lead most known for Danganronpa, might be the busiest man in the industry. He’s producing, writing, directing, consulting, sometimes all at once. And with Shuten Order, he and the team continue their streak of games that demand attention.

You play as Rei, a protagonist who starts the game in the worst possible situation. Realizing you’re already dead. The opening hours waste no time throwing you into a limbo-like state where you’re told that your death isn’t just a tragedy, it’s a mystery. Someone murdered you. The twist? You have a temporary body and limited window of time to figure out who did it before your existence fades completely.

That’s where the “Shuten Order” comes in. It’s not just the title of the game but the system Rei is forced into investigating, an order of rules binding the dead in this strange world. If Rei can solve the case within the allotted time and kill her murderer, she might find closure. The premise is gripping right from the start. It’s part murder mystery, part supernatural survival story, and part metaphorical exploration of what lingers after death.

Shuten Order is divided into five distinct routes, and here’s where it gets interesting, you can tackle them in any order. Each route feels like its own self contained narrative, not just in terms of plot but in gameplay structure. It’s not simply “five perspectives” on the same case. Instead, every route shifts the core genre slightly, giving each one a unique identity.

In one, you might be deeply embedded in visual novel storytelling, parsing dialogue trees and making crucial decisions. Another focussed more on point-and-click style investigation, where you’re scanning environments for hidden clues. There’s tense escape-room-like puzzles in another. Even a route that dabbles with stealth sequences, where you need to carefully maneuver Rei through dangerous situations.

This variety is bold, and it makes the game feel like a culmination of everything Tookyo has experimented with in their team’s previous projects. It’s as if they gathered pieces from Danganronpa, Rain Code, The Hundred Line and the Zero Escape series and then tried to fold them into one cohesive package.

That said, the experiment isn’t flawless. Some routes are genuinely gripping, packed with tension and narrative payoffs that stick. Others feel stretched longer than they need to be, with story beats that lag behind the energy of the better arcs. When the game stumbles, it’s rarely because the ideas are bad, it’s because the execution doesn’t always match the ambition. Still, even the weaker routes benefit from the change in mechanics, which helps keep them fresh.

At its heart, this is still largely a visual novel. You’ll spend a lot of time reading dialogue, making choices, and watching events unfold. But Tookyo refuses to let it sit in that comfort zone. The point-and-click investigations have you examining crime scenes and linking evidence. Puzzle segments throw you into tense, cerebral challenges where you’re under pressure to figure out solutions. And when stealth gameplay sneaks in, it’s clunky but thrilling in its own way, a risky shift that gives Rei’s fragile situation a tangible sense of danger. The fusion doesn’t always feel perfectly smooth, but the ambition kept me engaged. Instead of zoning out as I sometimes do in long visual novels, I was constantly curious what the game was going to throw at me next.

Where Shuten Order shines brightest is in its cast. Rei herself is a strong protagonist, balancing vulnerability with determination. Her death isn’t just a plot device, it’s something that defines how she relates to others, constantly reminding you of the stakes. The supporting characters are equally compelling, each with their own motives, secrets, and histories. Some are allies, some are suspects, and many fall into the hazy space between.

Kodaka’s writing strengths are all over this game. He has a knack for blending dark subject matter with absurd humor, making characters who are larger-than-life without feeling cartoonish. Dialogue snaps with wit but can also shift suddenly into emotional sincerity. I found myself invested not just in the central mystery of who killed Rei, but in how these characters connected, clashed, and grew throughout the story.

If there’s one area where Shuten Order leaves an unforgettable mark, it’s the presentation. Tookyo knows how to make a game feel stylish, and this one goes all in. The color palette is striking. Heavy use of yellows, pinks, and oranges. It’s not a scheme you see often in games, and it gives Shuten Order a distinct personality. Much like how Persona 5’s red and black aesthetic became iconic, this palette makes Shuten Order instantly recognizable.

The visual novel screens are particularly gorgeous. Text boxes pop with comic book flair, character portraits have a crisp, stylized look, and CG artwork is abundant. Artist Simadoriru, known for The Hundred Line and Rain Code, brings a sharpness and variety to the designs. Characters don’t blur together, each has a distinct silhouette, style, and presence. The sheer number of CGs sprinkled throughout the story helps keep the narrative visually alive, preventing the “static screen fatigue” some visual novels suffer from.

And then there’s the music. Masafumi Takada, the composer behind the Danganronpa series, handles the soundtrack here, and as expected, it’s great. Takada has a unique ability to craft tracks that are both stylish and unnerving, blending pulsing beats with eerie undertones. In Shuten Order, his score keeps you on edge but also grooves in the background in a way that makes the world feel alive. Some tracks are haunting, others are energetic, but all of them fit perfectly with the mood of the game.

As much as I loved the overall experience, Shuten Order isn’t without some problems. The unevenness of the routes is the biggest hurdle. Some arcs simply aren’t as compelling, either narratively or mechanically, which makes the pacing feel uneven. When you’re in a strong route, the game is addictive. When you’re in a weaker one, you start wishing it would hurry up.

I also have to bring up the lack of English voice acting. The Japanese cast does an excellent job, but considering both The Hundred Line and Rain Code had full English dubs, it’s disappointing that Shuten Order doesn’t. There are so many voiced scenes, and having them in Japanese only makes it harder for players who prefer dubs to get fully immersed and it’s something I’ve loved seeing become more prominent, especially from the early Danganronpa days.

Final Thoughts

Despite its flaws, Shuten Order is another fascinating entry in Tookyo Games’ growing catalog. It’s ambitious, stylish, and full of ideas. Not every route lands perfectly, but the variety of gameplay and the strength of the writing carry it through. Rei’s story is one I’ll remember, both for the mystery of her death and for the striking way it was told.

Kazutaka Kodaka and the team continue to prove they’re some of the most creative minds in the industry right now. Shuten Order isn’t just another mystery game, it’s a statement that Tookyo refuses to slow down, refuses to play safe, and refuses to settle into a single formula. I’m already eager to see whatever wild project they announce next, because if this year proves anything, it’s that they’re nowhere near out of ideas.

A Nintendo Switch review code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.

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