Following the reveal of Kadokawa Games’ new visual novel Root Film, the developer shared a press release with the first screenshots and details related to the game.
The game tells the story of poor film artist Rintaro Yagumo, tasked to shoot a mystery drama which should also serve as tourism promotion fo Shimane Prefecture in Japan.
The shooting of the pilot episode has been on hold for ten years for unknown reasons but the production decided to revive it.
Three filmmakers will compete on the project, and Yagumo is actually excited when he learns that his competitors are famous directors.
As he goes on location to start shooting, murders begin to occur.
Besides Rintaro Yagumo, voiced by the popular Wataru Komada (who recently played Galford in Samurai Shodown), we meet six more characters.
The female heroine is Riho, voiced by Himika Akaneya, member of the popular idol group i☆Ris.
The remaining members of i☆Ris will voice the rest of the cast, Aine Magari, Hitoha Amataka, Mie Aoto, Ayane Katoshiro, and Kyoichi Kanade.
Interestingly, while Kyoichi Kanade is a male character, he will be voiced by female i☆Ris member Azuki Shibuya.
The gameplay features the “Synesthetic Mode.” During the story, keywords that shouldn’t be forgotten are displayed on the screen. These acquired keywords can be used later in “Max Mode.”
Max Mode is a battle of wits between the hero and other characters that can occur as the game progresses. It’s similar to the mechanic included in the previous Kadokawa Game Mystery title Root Letter but this time it looks like a fighting game and the system has been overhauled.
Another feature of the new game is the syulish UI themed after film production.
A DVD featuring making of scenes of the game starring i☆Ris members will be granted as an early purchase bonus. The theme song “Utakata no Hikari” will also be perfoemed by i☆Ris.
Root Film will be released in Japan in spring 2020 for PS4 and Nintendo Switch.
You can check out the screenshots and artwork below.
