The Jake Hunter franchise is much older and bigger than you would know if you just went off the fraction of it released in the US. Ten years ago, Jake Hunter: Memories of the Past was released for the DS, and I think that’s literally it until last week’s release for the Nintendo 2/3DS. In Jake Hunter Detective Story: Ghost of the Dusk, players reprise the role of the private investigator.
Going into this review, I had not played this series before, but I had played through another DS cult hit, Hotel Dusk: Room 215. I also played it’s sequel, Last Window, that never made it stateside, but it’s absolutely worth importing. That franchise and Jake Hunter share some common ground, as both feature that kind of classically noir, tough, gruff PI that you get to control and steer through investigations. Gameplay is also similar in that it’s very story and character driven, like a novel. It comes as no surprise then that the latest Jake Hunter game is very much like a visual novel. There aren’t any risks of penalty or failure in Jake Hunter, unlike in Hotel Dusk. The pacing of Jake Hunter is entirely your own, and its gameplay boils down to conversations with NPCs, searching rooms, and deducing a theory from the testimonies and evidence you have gathered so far.
In a game designed like this, a strong cast of characters, well-written dialog, and a compelling story are a must, which are fortunately all entow here. Jake Hunter comes off as fairly generic, but nonetheless as a character type that is familiar and still interesting. King and Martin, two of the police officers that Jake works with, are also fairly standard types but nonetheless interesting. While you don’t explore anyone’s character in depth, what you do get to learn about them, through dialog and through reading Jake’s own observations, is pretty cool. A wide variety of NPCs fill in roles that flesh out the plot, and for all of them the conversations are mostly interesting. Japanese voiceovers for some of the dialog is presented alongside English text. While you don’t have actual dialog choices, you do lead Jake through conversations by tapping on the subject of what you want to talk about. The game is setup such that you do not have to get crafty with your choice, as you’re usually able to go through each option, and there is no fail scenario if you say the wrong thing.
The core mystery in Ghost of the Dusk revolves around Mel Darks and his family, and the mansion that they own. The opening scene reveals a dead body in the mansion, apparently a homeless man that broke in and drank himself to death. While the police seem ready to write it up as such, Jake’s curiosity and wisdom lead him, and eventually the police, down a much more intricate path. This becomes a recurring theme in the game, whereby Jake’s intuition and personal interest in a case goes past the superficial evidence to reveal the truth. Characters like King and Martin are renown within the series, as is his trusty office associate Yuri, whom Jake relies on for translations and administrative tasks, as well as a sounding board for putting the evidence together.
Combine these elements with nice artwork and great music, and you have a really charming visual novel noir-like mystery experience that’s perfect for a rainy weekend or just a relaxing night of gaming. Speaking of the music, there is one sort of eerie track that often plays, but not always, when Jake is about to get into a particularly interesting conversation with an NPC. I can’t describe the track, but I was very impressed with how it built up the suspenseful, intriguing atmosphere. This track is revealed early in the game and is enjoyed throughout. Similarly, other tracks have that kind of light jazz flare to them (also similar to Hotel Dusk), and those are perfect for the “in between” or more casual moments of the game. Anyhow, the core adventure and the additional game content should last most folks a dozen hours or more, which has been my own experience. I’m also one to be very thorough in a game setting that I like, so this estimated time is with me tapping through all locations and exploration options.
I think Jake Hunter Detective Story: Ghost of the Dusk accomplishes what it sets out to do. It’s more interactive visual novel than it is a typical vidoegame, but if you’re in the mood for a casual yet compelling experience that’s well written with a strong cast and solid presentation, you can’t go wrong here. The DS is the perfect platform for such an experience, and for those of us wanting to itch that Hotel Dusk/Last Window itch, Jake Hunter is a great option.
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