Process of Elimination from NIS America is a clever and deadly whodunnit you should check on Nintendo Switch. Find out why in our Process of Elimination review!
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Process of Elimination from NIS America is a clever and deadly whodunnit you should check on Nintendo Switch. It certainly has some Danganronpa vibes, given its overall gameplay loop, large cast of interesting characters that stand out as you progress through the game’s story, and more than enough twists to keep you coming back for more. It’s also got a Rated M for Mature, so it’s a journey that won’t be for everyone. You’ll be taking on the role of Wato Hojo, an ordinary high school student who finds himself among a group of talented detectives who are trying to stop a killer… that is hiding within the group itself! So, yeah, as you can see, Danganronpa vibes, which is certainly not a bad thing!
The killer is known as the Quartering Duke and has already claimed more than 100 lives. This is why the Detective Alliance has been called into action. As its name suggests, it’s an organization with the very best in the field, trying to work on solving the most difficult and bizarre cases. Wato is selected as a member of the Detective Alliance, which seems a bit odd. To make things worse, once he’s part of the Detective Alliance, he’s knocked unconscious and brought to a mysterious remote island: the Island of Morgue.
Other than Wato Hojo, you won’t know the name of the other members of the Detective Alliance. You will know them by their alias. Wato is the Incompetent Detective. The rest of the cast includes the Ideal Detective, the Renegade Detective, the Posh Detective, the Workaholic Detective, the Downtown Detective, the Mystic Detective, the Gourmet Detective, the Doleful Detective, the Bookworm Detective, the Techie Detective, the Rowdy Detective, the Armor Detective, and the Senior Detective.
Since Wato is the Incompetent Detective, that means he has no real skills to excel at during this investigation. His one ability is being able to issue requests to the other members of the Detective Alliance so that they can use their incredible skills to try and find the Quartering Duke. To be able to make the most of your time with Process of Elimination, you’ll need to take on investigation simulations after a case is discovered so that you can find the information and clues needed to prove the overall hypothesis. You’ll be playing through the investigation segments in a setting that feels a bit like a board game – think, say, Clue.
Your choices matter, and with no other individual on the island other than the 14 members of the Detective Alliance – one of which is the Quartering Duke – the information you gather from each of your interactions will prove to be crucial. Each of the detectives that you instruct during the investigation simulation segments will act on its own, so you’ll have to earn their trust if you want them to pay attention to what you have to say. You can’t intervene in a detective’s action until you’ve gained their trust.
Each character will have different values for stats, such as movement, assistance, inspection, inference, and assistance. Take each character’s strengths into consideration if you want the investigation to proceed smoothly… or at least that’s what you want to aim for. Unfortunately, things are not going to be that easy. You’re on a time limit, so you can’t just take as many turns as you please to solve each mystery.
Fail to complete the objective for a map or fall to a trap set by the Quartering Duke to catch you, and it’s game over. You’ll be getting some reminders along the way for the time limit. As you explore the map, you’ll get to the different mystery points that the members of the Detective Alliance can investigate. If your trust level with a detective is not high enough, a detective that is not guided could end up trying to investigate a mystery point that is far away, thus wasting some valuable time.
There are also evidence squares to consider. As expected, a detective can find a piece of evidence by inspecting it. Another element to consider is the keywords that will be added to the lexicon. These will give you some extra insight into the world of Process of Elimination so that you can have a better idea of what is really going on. And then, there are the dead herring areas. These are very dangerous locations that contain traps that could prove to be deadly. If a detective ends up at this spot at the end of the turn, well, that won’t be good news.
To carry on with the gameplay loop, you’ll need to eventually enter the resolution phase. It’s during this segment of the game that you’ll be able to use all of the information and clues found by the members of the Detective Alliance. You’ll have to analyze the evidence found during the investigation to catch the killer. You’ll need to push the other detectives a bit, but you need to be careful, or else you could end up breaking their trust, making them lose their confidence in you, which will result in a game over.
Process of Elimination from NIS America is a clever whodunnit work checking out on Nintendo Switch. It features a solid gameplay loop that will have you working your way through each case as you try to find out who the killer is… before it’s too late! Finding the right information and clues and gaining the trust of the other members of the Detective Alliance will prove to be crucial as you try to avoid the many traps left by the Quartering Duke. The investigation segments are played on what feels a bit like a board game like, say, Clue – also known as Cluedo in other parts of the world – as you try to make the most of the abilities of each detective. Due to its overall premise, it’s a Rated M for Mature experience, which means it’s an adventure that is not going to be for everyone. Process of Elimination is out on Nintendo Switch with a $39.99 asking price.
Disclaimer
This Process of Elimination review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by NIS America.
