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The 25th Ward: The Silver Case

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The 25th Ward: The Silver Case
North American PlayStation 4 box art
Developer(s)Grasshopper Manufacture
Publisher(s)
Director(s)Goichi Suda
Artist(s)Takashi Miyamoto
Writer(s)
  • Goichi Suda
  • Masahi Ooka
  • Sako Kato
  • Masahiro Yuki
Composer(s)Masafumi Takada[a]
Platform(s)Mobile, Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
Release
October 3, 2005
  • Mobile
    • JP: October 3, 2005
    Windows, macOS, Linux
    • WW: March 13, 2018
    PlayStation 4
    • WW: March 13, 2018
    • JP: March 15, 2018
    Nintendo Switch
    • JP: February 18, 2021
    • NA: July 6, 2021
    • EU: July 9, 2021
Genre(s)Adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

The 25th Ward: The Silver Case[b] is an adventure game developed by Grasshopper Manufacture. Acting as a sequel to the company's debut title The Silver Case, it was first released for mobile devices in October 2005, remained in service through different providers until May 2011. The original version's gameplay focuses on solving puzzles using number inputs. The story, set seven years after The Silver Case, follows a new group of characters in the 25th Ward district solving a series of murders.

The 25th Ward was created by Goichi Suda as part of a collaboration with Genki. As he wanted to quickly create a sequel to The Silver Case and wanted to take a different stylistic direction, the proposed mobile platforms suited him. Suda returned along with original scenario writers Masahi Ooka and Sako Kato to write the scenarios. Takashi Miyamoto and Masafumi Takada also returned as character designer and composer respectively. The remake began development following the success of the 2016 high-definition remaster of The Silver Case. Due to the original's origins as a mobile game, Suda decided to completely remake the game instead of just remastering it.

Gameplay

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The 25th Ward: The Silver Case is an adventure game in which players take on the role of different characters while navigating three scenarios.[1] In the original mobile game, players read through story segments before issuing commands that advance the story. The original version released for mobiles used number inputs.[2][3]

Synopsis

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The story is set seven years after its predecessor The Silver Case.[2] The scenario is divided into three parts: "Correctness", "Matchmaker" and "Placebo". Each scenario is further divided into five episodes.[4][5] Set within the newly-created 25th Ward district, "Correctness" follows Mokutaro Shiroyabu and Shinko Kuroyanagi investigating bizarre and violent murders; "Matchmaker" traces the exploits of Regional Adjustment Division officer Shinkai Tsuki during his interaction with the underworld of the 25th Ward; while "Placebo" follows Tokio Morishima, a returning character from the original game, investigating events in the 25th Ward guided by a mysterious "Goddess".[6] As the story progresses, the first game's central figure Kamui Uehara reappears, drawing together the three narratives.[5]

Development

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Goichi Suda, creator of both The 25th Ward: The Silver Case and its predecessor The Silver Case; Suda wrote one of the three scenarios.[7]

The 25th Ward was created by Goichi Suda, founder of developer Grasshopper Manufacture and creator of the company's debut title, The Silver Case. While there was an idea to develop The 25th Ward for the PlayStation 2, the game ended up being developed on mobile platforms as Suda wanted to complete the project quickly. The project, a collaboration with Genki, took the form of a sequel to The Silver Case as there was a lot of demand for a return to the game's world and characters. Suda also wanted to write a long story.[7] Suda created the game so that it would be accessible for both newcomers and fans of the original game, in addition to providing more game-based content for mobiles.[8] Character designs and artwork were created by Takashi Miyamoto,[9] while the music was composed by Masafumi Takada.[10] The game used a monochromatic art style, both due to the mobile platform's hardware limitations, and Suda's desire to go in a different artistic direction from the original game.[7] Suda wrote the "Correctness" scenario, the "Match Maker" scenario was written by Masahiro Yuki, while the "Placebo" scenario was written by Masahi Ooka.[11] Both Suda and Ooka had previously worked on the scenario for The Silver Case.[12] The original game used a two-storyline structure, with an additional storyline being added when Yuki suggested another storyline of his creation. Its title was taken from the professional wrestling term "matchmaking". The storylines were written simultaneously due to episode delivery deadlines. The original scenarios were spread across five episodes; a sixth episode was planned but never materialized.[7]

The 25th Ward was first showcased at the 2005 Tokyo Game Show.[13] The game began distribution through Genki's mobile portal on 3 October for DoCoMO, EZweb, and Vodafone. Episodes were released sporadically over the next year, with updates for newer mobile phone models. The final episode of the original version, the fourth episode of the "Placebo" scenario, was released on 3 July 2006.[4] During the mobile version's lifespan, an original scenario dubbed "Transmitter Digital Man" was released on 1 June, featuring the original game's protagonist Sumio Kodai.[14] Distribution of the original version ended on 28 February 2007 due to license agreement changes between Genki and its mobile partners.[15] The game resumed distribution through Liveware on 17 December for DoCoMo and Yahoo! devices after a prolonged hiatus.[16][17] In addition to the original four episodes, a new episode for each story was written, with the episodes releasing on 30 April 2008.[5][17] A version with enhanced graphics was released on 13 March 2009.[18] The second mobile version of The 25th Ward shut down in May 2011.[3]

A version of The 25th Ward for the Nintendo DS was originally planned by Suda, to be released with the planned DS port of the original game.[19] The existence of The 25th Ward meant that no new content was created for the DS port of The Silver Case.[12] In a later interview, Suda referred to The 25th Ward as a "ghost" game due to its status as a mobile title that was no longer available for download.[7] The Silver Case was re-released as a high-definition remaster in 2016, with Suda commenting that it if sold well he would consider remaking The 25th Ward,[20] eventually developing it in the following year.[21] Due to the game's age and initial platform, Suda decided upon a complete remake rather than a remaster.[7] PlayStation 4 and Windows versions were released on 15 March 2018.[22] The PlayStation 4 version was packaged with its predecessor in Japan under the title The Silver Case 2425.[23] A port of The Silver Case 2425 for the Nintendo Switch was released in Japan on 18 February 2021,[24] and for North America and Europe in July.[25]

Reception

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Notes

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  1. ^ The music for the remake was composed by Akira Yamaoka, Baiyon, and Erika Ito
  2. ^ Japanese: シルバー事件25区, Hepburn: Shirubā Jiken 25-Ku

References

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  1. ^ a b Bohn, Jason (6 March 2018). "Review: The 25th Ward: The Silver Case". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on 5 November 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  2. ^ a b 名作AVG『シルバー事件』シリーズのイベントに小島秀夫監督がゲストで登場！. Dengeki Online. ASCII Media Works. 23 January 2006. Archived from the original on 28 August 2006. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  3. ^ a b シルバー事件２５区 / 開発実績 / Grasshopper Manufacture. Grasshopper Manufacture. Grasshopper Manufacture. Archived from the original on 15 March 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  4. ^ a b カ）グラスホッパー・マニファクチュア: シルバー事件25区 アーカイブ. Grasshopper Manufacture (in Japanese). Grasshopper Manufacture. Archived from the original on 14 August 2007. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  5. ^ a b c 「アドベンチャーポータル」に新シナリオが追加―人気シリーズ・シルバー事件25区の続編を配信―. Dreamnews (in Japanese). Global Index. 30 April 2008. Archived from the original on 22 July 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  6. ^ "グラスホッパー、「シルバー事件」の続編となる携帯アプリ Vフォン「シルバー事件25区」". Game Watch Impress. 23 January 2006. Archived from the original on 28 June 2013. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Fukuyama, Koji (7 June 2017). 『シルバー事件25区』リメイク制作決定。須田剛一氏インタビュー「ファンの人達の応援もあって、面白い形で復活させられる」. Automaton (in Japanese). Active Gaming Media. Archived from the original on 11 July 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  8. ^ 【ブース】ケータイだって負けてない！ドコモブースは超話題作のオンパレード！. Famitsu. Enterbrain. 18 September 2005. Archived from the original on 23 July 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  9. ^ Miyamoto, Takashi (1 June 2017). 宮本 崇 TakashiMiyamoto: 5:57 AM - 7 Jun 2017. Twitter (in Japanese). Twitter. Archived from the original on 13 July 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  10. ^ サウンドプレステージ合同会社. soundprestige.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on March 24, 2016. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  11. ^ 『シルバー事件 25区』のイベントで、小島監督、須田氏、飯田氏の3人が共作を表明!!. Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. 22 January 2006. Archived from the original on 2 September 2015. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  12. ^ a b Ciolek, Todd (22 July 2015). "The X Button - How Suda Is Now". Anime News Network. Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 6 June 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  13. ^ 『ウイイレ』、『モンハン』、『ダビスタ』、秋冬のドコモは熱すぎる！. Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. 14 September 2005. Archived from the original on 29 November 2005. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  14. ^ グラスホッパー、iモード「シルバー事件25区」アナザーシナリオ「トランスミッター」の配信を開始. Game Watch Impress (in Japanese). Impress Group. 2 June 2006. Archived from the original on 28 June 2013. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  15. ^ ◆DoCoMo､SoftBank 【シルバー事件25区 サービス配信停止】のお知らせ. Genki (in Japanese). Genki. 19 January 2007. Archived from the original on 20 February 2007. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  16. ^ "What's Up? > 12 Dec 2007". Grasshopper Manufacture. Grasshopper Manufacture. 12 December 2007. Archived from the original on 21 December 2007. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  17. ^ a b ―人気シリーズ・シルバー事件25区の続編を配信―「アドベンチャーポータル」リリースのお知らせ. Dreamnews (in Japanese). Global Index. 17 December 2017. Archived from the original on 22 July 2013. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  18. ^ シルバー事件25区が、携帯電話アプリの常識を超えたグラフィックで蘇る…。アドベンチャーポータルにて「シルバー事件25区 correctness #01new world order」配信開始のお知らせ. Dreamnews (in Japanese). Global Index. 31 March 2009. Archived from the original on 22 July 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  19. ^ Low, David (18 April 2007). "Suda51 Talks Emotion In Games, 'Breaking Stuff'". Gamasutra. UBM TechWeb. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  20. ^ Matulef, Jeffrey (6 May 2016). "Suda 51's first game, The Silver Case, is getting a western remake". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 7 May 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  21. ^ Osborn, Alex (20 May 2017). "Grasshopper Is Remastering The Silver Case Sequel The 25th Ward". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on 20 May 2017. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  22. ^ "The 25th Ward: The Silver Case - Announcement Trailer (PS4, Steam)". YouTube. NIS America, Inc. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  23. ^ Sato (15 July 2017). "The Silver Case + The 25th Ward: The Silver Case Headed To PS4 As A 2-In-1 Game "The Silver 2425"". Siliconera. Curse, Inc. Archived from the original on 15 July 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  24. ^ Romano, Sal (November 7, 2020). "The Silver 2425 coming to Switch on February 18, 2021 in Japan". Gematsu. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
  25. ^ Andriessen, CJ (March 4, 2021). "Suda51's The Silver Case 2425 heads west on Switch this summer". Destructoid. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  26. ^ "The 25th Ward: The Silver Case for PlayStation 4". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 5 November 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  27. ^ Clark, Justin (14 March 2018). "The 25th Ward: The Silver Case Review: Obstruction Of Justice". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 5 November 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  28. ^ Treese, Tyler (12 March 2018). "The 25th Ward: The Silver Case Review – Correctness (PS4)". PlayStation LifeStyle. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on 18 March 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  29. ^ Fenner, Robert (27 March 2018). "Review: The 25th Ward: The Silver Case". RPGFan. Archived from the original on 5 April 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
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