The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story

"While it might not be the perfect FMV game, The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story is pretty darn close. With the entwined stories, spectacular acting, and lengthy scenes, it truly is an interactive experience fans of the genre should not …"

"The Centennial Case A Shijima Story is a well-written and acted investigative game; with undoubted charm, but with not always optimal pacing management."

"The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story is an exceptional grouping of semi-connected detective stories. Experiencing a whodunnit while marginally helping piece the mystery together was a great combination. While much of the investigation is much too guided, getting to watch …"

"The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story is a great game hurt only by its length and occasionally convoluted mystery mechanics. I’ve been around the block and then some with the FMV genre. This particular experience has certainly climbed up there …"

"That is about the only real criticism I have about The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story. It&s;s a darn enjoyable multi-generation experience that has a lot of unusual mysteries, so it stands strong on its own merits. If you&s;re a …"

"In the history of gaming there have been experiences where everything about the game is fantastic except for the actual gameplay."

"The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story is a great example of FMV done right, with a captivating mystery and engaging investigations throughout."

"The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story tells a fun and intriguing detective story. Unfortunately, it mostly fails to deliver meaningful and fun gameplay."

"The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story is surprisingly addictive, which comes down to the well crafted narrative and a great cast of characters."

"The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story is an engaging mystery that involves murders that span over a period of 100 years."

"The Centennial Case is a unique experiment, and a solid one at that, with a good central plot and a few missteps too, first of all its high price. A good choice for the visual novel fans."

"The Centennial Case tries to engage the player/viewer, but lacks the bite of a Telling Lies or the simple, but welcome interactivity with the scenarios of an Ace Attorney."

"It’s an utterly unique title that boasts astounding production values, supported by a cast of actors that do an incredible job of playing multiple characters. There are a few niggling issues with the various gameplay systems, but it’s an incredible …"

"The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story is absolutely one of the better murder mystery FMVs out there, bringing together acting portions with interesting mechanics and a stellar story with a surprising twist. Although the mechanics did feel a bit at …"

"The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story brings a commendable effort, but the whole thing feels like being at a twelve hour murder mystery dinner with intermissions of the most boring game of dominoes you’ve ever played."

"This multi-generational mystery is one worth solving."

"I thoroughly enjoyed The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story, but it’s definitely an oddity in today’s gaming landscape. It’s more “interactive film” than a video game, and you should definitely go into it with the mindset that it’s something that’s …"

"The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story tells a thrilling tale of greed, family and death. It is beautifully shot and manages to achieve a level of quality rarely seen in the genre. The detective segments are great but are far …"

"For those who would still like to try the game in intrigue, it is recommended to maintain its original Japanese voice instead of the English dub. Though a good option for accessibility, the English dub hires voice actors that make …"

"Overall, The Centennial Case is probably not going to knock anybody&s;s socks off, but it is at the very least an interesting mystery filled with enjoyable characters that is worth a few afternoons of an aspiring detective&s;s time. It may …"

"Perhaps, ultimately, you have to accept with “The Centennial Case” that you’re not so much Sherlock Holmes as Dr. Watson, offering up ideas that might be taken on board by the real star, or given short shrift. If you don’t …"

"Years after releasing games from established franchises or western indies, Square Enix took a different direction with impressive new Japanese titles. The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story was a surprise. And a great one."

"This high-budget FMV Japanese mystery adventure is an exceptional game in almost every way, but its tedious "gameplay" sections are its largest Achilles&s; heel."

"Not many games are built like The Centennial Case, and I enjoyed the ambition behind trying something different to tell a complex story and involve the player in piecing it together. It gave me the feeling of reading a great …"

"If you fancy yourself a bit of a budding sleuth and enjoy a good murder mystery, you’ll love The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story. The narrative is rich and twisting, and even as it jumps between time periods it always …"

"The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story is more like watching a campy murder-mystery drama than playing a video game, and what gameplay there is often kills the story&s;s pace. While we enjoyed our time with it all the same, you&s;ll …"

"The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story shows us a hundred years of the Shijima clan amidst mysteries, deaths and intrigues. It does so with an interesting story, which works well and which, albeit with some strange events, follows a coherent …"

"The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story is a killer combination of murder mystery meets TV drama. While the puzzle-solving aspects tend to come with too much unnecessary guidance to help you along, it’s thoroughly enjoyable to be able to channel …"

"The Centennial Case : A Shijima Story is a game with very clear strengths and really pronounced weaknesses. In the end,its strengths are what stand out thanks to a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat from …"

"The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story goes against the FMV adventure title mold and offers more interactivity than usual, which works in its favor."

"A very well realized, feature production, in which the game itself is admittedly few, but the title shows how to make interactive films."

"The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story is worth looking into for novelty alone, but it also manages to be an effective and interesting tale makes it just that much easier to recommend. Mystery is a genre that demands a puzzle …"

"It presents a unique mystery by using a play-within-a-play that goes back and forth in 100 years. FMV are used as clues rather than interactive movies. And it feels much closer to the game because of that. While the story …"

"The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story is another attempt to merge cinema and video games. While it presents a few interesting ideas and overall decent execution, it fails to firmly dispel the decades of prejudice associated with this (apparently) unnatural …"

"‎Due to this lack, The Centennial Case is therefore not recommended for the full price of 50 euros. Now it&s;s the hypotheses that make you think before you point out a culprit, but if the puzzling around it had been …"

"The Centennial Case aims to make poignant statements about life and death but succumbs to its poor medium choice and confusing logic."