The Case of Maneki

Absolutely stellar. If the store page's screenshots and video haven't sold you on the art yet, there is SO much to enjoy, explore and find here - the game is chock-full with little details and wonderful dialogue. If you're fairly thorough as I was, you can expect to beat the game in around 5 to 6 hours, but those hours are tightly packed into an experience I'll be remembering for a long time. Also do yourself a favour and frequently check both the "Case Notes" and the "Yokai Book" from the menu whenever they're updated - not only are they useful for when you get lost or forget what to do next, the "Case Notes" are a wonderful tool to breathe even more life into the characters, while the "Yokai Book" has a lot of fascinating information on Yokai (that I can only assume is also accurate with the real deal) and world building within the game's own universe. I don't want to spoil anything story related here, so give it a go yourself, you won't regret it!~

Such a well executed story about found family and the balance to be made in societal regulations/laws. It's an interesting commentary, especially when putting these Yokai into a modern context. The worldbuilding is a delight to see unfold, and the characters are all empathetic despite their outlandish appearances. The real highlight of the story is the development between the two main leads, the mysterious detective Nobutoshi and our titular Maneki Neko Kichiro. The puzzles aren't too challenging, which leaves a very low barrier to entry if you're looking for an easy-going RPG maker style game. A single playthrough will only take a few hours, and I imagine that repeats will take even less if you're looking to max out the Yokai Book. But it's a wonderfully self-contained story with a lot of impressive sprite work done by a single developer.

A detective adventure game set in a world filled with Youkai. It has no dumb jokey puzzles or wackiness added for the sake of wackiness which i despise in adventure games. Instead, the story takes itself seriously while the art is ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ ADORABLE - OH MY GOSH LOOK AT THE INUGAMI AND THE SNOW BUNNIES <3 In all honesty, it is nothing really special and there's practically no difficulty but its fine for its price. 10/10 - would ask an inugami if i can pet himb again :3

Absolutely adorable! Gripping story & engaging characters! I also love the Case book & Yokai List menus!

a short but sweet whodunnit game with yokai myths peppered in. i loved the dynamic of the main character duo and enjoyed playing through their story c: the dev mentioned having made other games in the post-game bonus menu, so i'm on my way now to go find em on the internet somewhere :p ps i would die for that paper ghostie in the police hat pps SO MANY GAMES: https://zmakesgames.weebly.com/

[h2]Recensione di The Case of Maneki[/h2] [h3]Pro:[/h3] - LA CUCCIOLAGGINE DI KICHIRO (che ammettiamolo, vorremmo tutti ammazzare di coccole), più che sufficiente a valergli il riconoscimento a "Miglior Protagonista di un RPG Maker Game" - Grafica pucciosamente creativa, al netto di due o tre microdifettucci - Un buon comparto sonoro - L'originalità con cui è stato trattato un mondo così complesso e affascinante come quello degli yōkai (personalmente continuo a preferire il trattamento riservatogli da [url=https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198985448870/recommended/1093910?snr=1_5_9__402][i]黒森町綺譚 - Tales of the Black Forest[/i][/url], ma comunque...) - Gameplay variegato e discretamente curato nella sua componente investigativa - La cura riposta nell'evoluzione graduale del rapporto tra i due protagonisti, la cui amicizia fraterna non può che scaldare qualsiasi cuore - Un'ottima gestione del messaggio di fondo alla vicenda [h3]Contro:[/h3] - La bonus room, per quanto adorabile, è sensibilmente buggata in più punti - Le pictures spaziano dallo squisito al (ben) poco appagante alla vista - Due o tre passaggi narrativi leggermente affrettati/meglio gestibili in quanto a esposizione - Non colgo il criterio per cui Kichiro si rifiuti di entrare "senza permesso" in certe abitazioni piuttosto che in altre [h2]Voto: 7,5/10 e lode[/h2]