Developer: DankHearts
Publisher: WhisperGames
Platform: PC
Tested on: PC
Type-NOISE: ShonenShojo – Review
Japanese developer DankHearts’ new game Type-Noise: ShonenShojo, which will be referred to as ‘Type-Noise’ from now on, is one of the latest escape room visual novels available on Steam. It is described as a multi-ending mystery adventure featuring six characters who each come face to face with their own trauma in an unknown, yet familiar place.
“Your trauma is not your fault, but healing is your responsibility.”
Story
Our main character wakes up in a strange, locked room along with someone unknown who introduces himself as ‘Soto Ochibana’. It is then clear that the room these two find themselves in has begun to flood itself with water, making the pair team up to find a way out. Eventually, our duo comes to meet four other people, none quite sure how they got where they are to begin with. It is then that the story begins, and the player is faced with numerous escape rooms as well as story progression in your classic visual-novel style.
Though there is a trigger warning at the start of the game, heavy topics will appear out of nowhere during gameplay, which may catch some players off guard, and sensitive players may need a break after certain dialogue or escape rooms. The unexpected change in mood in Type-Noise remains fitting, however, as after the initial shock, it manages to set the tone and reveal its true colors to the player, making it quite evident what the story is aiming for in the end.
Graphics
Presented in a unique Japanese anime style featuring a mixture of toned and grim colors, mixed with bright, almost neon-like artwork, Type-Noise is truly an enjoyable sight for the eyes. The backgrounds are beautifully crafted, giving a nearly wallpaper-like quality. The character sprites are minimally animated during story progression, causing them to blink, breathe, and change their facial expressions in response to the dialogue.
The backgrounds mentioned earlier are a rather important feature, as they are used during the puzzles in the game. It was a pleasant experience to see how much work was put into the design and coherent art style that Type-Noise is going for, mixing almost psychedelic vibes with the classic modern anime style one could find online these days.
Sound
Type-Noise has a truly marvelous soundtrack with nineteen different songs included. Each single melody is crafted delicately to fit the narrative it is meant to support. From cheery city-pop to a tune reminiscent of 8-bit arcade machines, DankHeart really made sure every song captures the scene or character it depicts didn’t stand out.
The soundtrack is available as a separate item on Steam as well, giving players a chance to enjoy these well-crafted melodies even after going through the story.
Gameplay
As expected, Type-Noise finds the majority of its gameplay in two different parts: One being the classic visual novel, where the player gets to read and progress the story. The other is an escape room filled with various puzzles that reveal more info about a character’s past, depending on which room you initially entered.
The player, along with the character whose past you will uncover, ends up stuck in a room and needs to solve various puzzles through a point-and-click mechanic. Various items in the background can be interacted with and potentially unlock ‘Noise-fragments’. These fragments can be gathered to uncover flashbacks to reveal one of the protagonists’ memories, which they have since lost. This is a necessary mechanic as it allows the player to interact with items that they previously couldn’t. For those who aren’t that experienced with these types of puzzle games, Type-Noise comes with a feature that essentially ‘scans’ the room and highlights interactable items. This way, you don’t spend an entire hour looking for that one missing piece to a puzzle. Occasionally, this has proven to be handy, as some interactable items are attached to previously selected objects or are simply so small you would probably miss them, if not for this extra feature.
After you’ve made your escape, the visual-novel gameplay returns until you enter another room and so on. Currently, at the time of writing, there are still slight translation errors that can occasionally ruin the immersion of the story. However, the developers are actively listening to players’ feedback and are trying their hardest to get these fixed as fast as possible.
The gameplay itself is very similar to other games, such as the Zero Escape series or the Danganronpa series. In fact, the very first escape room nearly felt like a love letter to the former game series as they shared a similar premise. Fans of the mentioned franchises are bound to enjoy Type-Noise, as it really feels like a modern take on these somewhat older games
Conclusion
For those who enjoy a solid mystery or simply enjoy escape rooms, Type-Noise will be a pleasant addition to their collection. This is a modern Japanese visual novel that doesn’t hesitate to tackle heavy topics while also offering delicately crafted puzzles, a great soundtrack, and well-written characters. Type-NOISE: ShonenShojo is bound to leave an impact on its genre. Aside from some small flaws, such as localization errors, Type-Noise tells us a beautiful story about facing your trauma head-first and growing as a person.
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