Shuten Order: When One Game Genre Isn’t Enough

How would you classify Spike Chunsoft‘s upcoming gane Shuten Order? Is it a visual novel? Is it a detective mystery? Is it a stealth action horror game? It’s actually ALL those things, and more — plus a dating sim to boot.

Shuten Order is a multi-genre adventure game produced through a collaboration between DMM GAMES and Tookyo Games, led by Danganropa’s Kazutaka Kodaka (yeah, of course he’s involved). The backstory is that in the future, a religious cult emerges who calls itself the game’s title. Eventually the cult catches on enough to create its own nation state, called Shuten. The story gets weirder from there as its founder is assassinated, resurrected in a different body with amnesia, and instructed by two angels (who may not actually be angels) that he has four days to sniff out his murderer or the world will end.

There are five suspects to investigate: the five ministers who control the Shuten Order’s government. Depending on who you go after, the gameplay style will immediately change:

Ministry of Justice:  Mystery Adventure
During investigations and interviews, use the “Snapping” feature to closely analyze suspicious statements and intriguing objects. Piece together evidence and make brilliant deductions to find the murderer.

Ministry of Health: Extreme Escape Adventure
A dark and unnerving 3D maze… Intellectual puzzles that obstruct exploration and kill indiscriminately if left unsolved… Immoral rules that pit participants against each other. Sometimes, fighting is needed, and other times, teamwork, in order to survive this death game and escape from the mysterious locked space.

Ministry of Science: Multi-Perspective Visual Novel
A visual novel adventure featuring differing points of view and differing agendas. Make use of the flowchart and survive to the end of a scenario filled with multiple chronologically branching routes.

Ministry of Education: Romance Adventure (?)
After being poisoned by Honoka Kokushikan, the protagonist Rei is led to a certain school and meets three girls calling themselves “Kokushikan”. To unmask the real Honoka, who has the antidote, increase each girl’s Affection and make a successful confession of love.

Ministry of Security: Stealth Action Horror
Freely explore a 3D map while evading and hiding from the wandering killer, Nephilim. Deal with numerous gimmicks with one goal in mind: survive.

Does this game sound weird enough to own? Sadly Spike doesn’t plan to offer a physical version in the US, announcing Shuten Order as a “digital exclusive” for Steam and Switch. However, thre will be an alternate “Digital Deluxe Edition” on launch that includes a mini art book and soundtrack (digitally, we mean). Shuten Order will be released September 5; preorders are open as of this week.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqni3Sz_1jI&feature=youtu.be