It's a little bit like comparing Danganronpa and Danganronpa 2. The second game might be "better" in an absolute sense - better mysteries, better writing and so on - but the first game's meta-mystery was more or less solved, so a big piece of it all is missing as a matter of course.
You already played Methods - and if you haven't, stop looking at this and go play that instead - so you already know more or less how the contest is run, what is the true nature of the Game Master and so on. You're playing this because you want to know [i]more[/i], as "HE" was very clear about having an intricate plan of awesome scale. And because the writing was good.
Well, the writing is even better. The mysteries are a mess with lots of interpretations, and I felt left behind relatively quickly. Still, due to the more group-oriented style of this contest, this didn't really sting - some detectives also felt confused at certain parts, but shone during others - so in a sense, I felt like I'm right there, participating with them. For better or for worse.
The format of the Canadian competition is similar, but different. It's still 100 detectives split into 6 stages, but instead of having pairs, you have teams of five that stay together for almost the entire game. As the "back office" has noted, this is a bit unfair - imagine if you lucked out to have Red July in your team for the entire contest, not that she's in here - which would explain why the "latter" contest has pairs.
...anyway, as a result, the focus is on a smaller amount of characters. The PoV character changes with each chapter, which is nice, but you have access to all of your teammates' methods at all times. So the "see the world as the detective does" element is not as pronounced. You also never get to play as, uh, the [i]other[/i] guys (if you know you know. If you don't, go play Methods already. It's good.), even if there is some focus on them. Our favourite Catboi is there as well, just as unassuming as always. For the record, did you know he's 12 years older than Haney?
Right. Haney. Well, Larika Downs, as she's called here, which is probably also not her real name. She's the closest thing to a main character this game has, in contrast to the more ensemble cast style of the first game (although I'd argue 772 is the closest thing to the main character there). Since this is a prequel, you know how it's going to end from the get-go, but the story grips you hard enough that it's very easy to forget that. And let's be honest, she was this mysterious badass in the first game, so getting to see how she sees the world - her drives and weaknesses - is very cool indeed. A little bit like that Red July sub-episode, but Larika is a lot more human than Red ("What is that supposed to mean?" I hear her say to this.)
Now, with all that said: the writing is better, the music is better - as Ace Attorney taught us, having epic music during the highlight arguments is VERY important - the gameplay starts out a little clunky, but once you [i]lock on[/i] it shines. The art style is what it is, by now you should know that it might look weird at first but it's in fact very expressive and detailed. I'd also say it's better, matter of taste.
The characters aren't as interesting, the methods are less outlandish. It feels more grounded. No more "do a headstand" or "osmose", although one detective poisons herself as part of her method - which is cool, but of course being in a near-death state from a lethal poison microdose doesn't exactly help with difficult mysteries, so we don't get to see it very often. I don't know, I enjoyed the quirky insanity of the likes of 772 and Red July. Maybe Canada's just more real, eh?
Oh yeah. This feels mean to say, but in many ways the game totally feels like an ignorant American's attempt to portray something that's similar but sooo different. Moose, maple syrup, French speakers! Canada eh? As an European who lives among other Europeans from different countries I'm keenly aware that the differences between cultures are difficult to grasp and portray - especially since "we're all white" as someone from the US would probably say - but this just feels tokenistic and silly. Then again, I'm not Canadian, I spoke to maybe 3 Canadians in my life, so maybe I'm full of crap and this is in fact how Canada actually is.
(dev, I still love you and I know how much effort you put into this, and it's still amazing.)
Only 20% of players beat the game, but also only 69% players beat the first chapter, so there's some Early Access-driven shenanigans here. A shame, especially since the game is shorter than the first one, but eh. I liked it a lot and can't wait for the next chapter of the Saga. Motives, I believe?
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