Hermitage: Strange Case Files is a paranormal adventure visual novel that’s developed by Arrowiz and Published by Giiku Games.
Unless you enjoy Visual Novels and going through seas of text, reading the dialogues might be tiring owing to the abundance of details. Some dialogues also feel disconnected from one another, making it difficult to understand what the game is saying. One thing that irritates me the most is the main character, who is referred to as the store manager, being referred to as such when the game takes place in the past, long before the said person becomes a store manager. Don’t get me wrong, the story is still nicely concluded at the end, but the ending feels a little lacking in some areas, particularly with regard to the final antagonist, who feels a little weak in the conclusion.
Aside from that, the writing is excellent. The idle banter between the characters also contributes to the life of the dialogues, and when there isn’t any, the narrative helps to portray whatever the game wants you to think.
The unique visuals are amazing. While the first chapter looks good with its high-quality, anime-style drawings, it looks out of touch with the rest of the game, making other cutscenes look less appealing in comparison.
There’s nothing exciting gameplay-wise You’ll have free time at some points of the game, letting you gain new information that might or might not help with the current case. The game usually autosaves before the story continues, so you can always load your save whenever you feel like you did things the wrong way.
Overall, Hermitage: Strange Case Files might look like a proper investigation game, but the strength lies in its narrative instead. The well-executed narrative and the corresponding dialogues that follow make the story flow smoothly, leaving other features to be unnecessary. As a game that is heavily focused on the narrative, the game does its job well. People who like a paranormal story with a spice of investigation will enjoy this game, although I doubt those who are looking for an investigation game will appreciate it.
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