Help Menu Description: He had no idea what he would become involved in...
Takeshi Shinonome is a skilled private investigator. One day, he is asked to investigate his friend's husband's private life. It sounds like an easy job, but he has no idea what he will become involved in...
The story of ''Chain'' revolves around Takeshi Shinonome, tasked by an old high-school friend to look into her husband whom she suspects is having an affair. Takeshi accepts this assignment, only to find out later on that he'd just grasped the tail of the proverbial tiger. Before long he has to find both the source of a mysterious drug and the identity of a ruthless killer, before more people wind up dead. Or worse.
''Chain'' is a detective yarn that's more of a play novel than a game. It's a linear story told through multiple points-of-view. But hey, you can most likely tell most of the above by reading the back cover. The real question is, is it any good?
Graphics: 9. The opening sequence is already an indicator of how high the production values are for this game. Still, some of the best images are actually yet to come. I like how carefully crafted many of the pictures are, and how some look like they were taken through a soft-focus lens for a dreamy or nostalgic feel. The women are very attractive and have expressive faces, plus their clothes and mannerisms are indicative of their character. Takeshi's friend Akira, who's a female cop, wears a gold bullet necklace, which I found a neat touch.
Environment graphics are not as good, but they're serviceable. I wished they put more details--at least put some people in the background. The sex scenes are intense and explicit--nothing is left to the imagination--but then, that's no surprise to anyone familiar with these kind of games, is it?
Music/Voice Acting: 10. Even the music has a touch of class. It ranges from jazz (for calm moments) to heavy techno (for tense ones), but my favorites were the piano solos during the bar and love scenes. Of course, there's the jazzy opening theme ''Chain.''
I once thought it impossible to find a game that doesn't sport at least one character with an annoying voice--but I did. The acting here--both male and female roles--was excellent, believable and in character. So much so that I
waited for the credits to find out if these people were 'seiyuu' I've already heard of. Unfortunately, no names were listed. Oh well.
Story: 9. ''Chain's'' main strength is its characterization. The hero, Takeshi Shinonome, is a serious-minded professional who looks a little like Saitou Hajime from Rurouni Kenshin, right down to the cigarettes. He's an adult--a refreshing change from those hormone-driven boys in many h-games. And unlike those boys, you actually get to like him. His prime motivation is to follow the footsteps of his mentor, a veteran private detective who turned Takeshi's life around. He's quite lucky with women, less so with love. He becomes genuinely concerned for people in need, to a point where it gets him into trouble.
The story goes the extra mile of branching out to include the POVs of other characters--particularly Takeshi's assistant, Hitomi Makabe. This change becomes very important later on for a reason I won't reveal. Let me just say that Hitomi's as fully-fleshed a out character as Takeshi, and you'll quite enjoy hearing her backstory.
What's true for Takeshi and Hitomi is true for each adult character in ''Chain''. Every one of them has his or her own secret story to tell, and what's intriguing is they're not always explicitly told. When you do glean them, however, the story in general rises from merely a conventional 'who-dunit'. In the end, the 'why' becomes more important than the 'who,' and turns into the core of a moral dilemma.
Moving on, there are no one-note characterizations in this game. All the members of the supporting cast are well-played. People you interview in the course of your investigation are like regular folks--they're either helpful, disinterested, or suspicious. And despite the length and pacing of ''Chain,'' there are also space for a few moments of peace--just sitting in a bar, relaxing with a smoke in one hand and a drink in the other, enjoying the mood and some conversation with a beautiful woman.
Why a 9 then, and not a 10?
''Chain's'' script isn't perfect. Once in a while it gets redundant, as in something is revealed in an investigation only to be repeated blow-by-blow in an ensuing review. I could've done with just ''I listened attentively to Hitomi's report.'' And that's not all. The dialogue is occasionally cheesy and even bizarre, especially during the sex scenes. Imagine the characters yelling 'BRRRRR...' or 'Hungkg!' in text. I particularly hated them going 'Phew!' when they
finish. Ugh. I mean, who farted, right? Is the translator to blame or the original writer? Anyway, if you're going to play this game, keep the Japanese voices on. Please oh please.
To end, ''Chain'' is a complete story--there's a beginning, middle and end. I have to warn those out there with short attention spans--it's very long and may take you a few days to finish. Even the epilogue is extended; it seemed as if the writer was a little reluctant to leave this make-believe world behind. After a few days of playing this game, I can see why.
Challenge: 7. Really, all you do is point and click on given choices at certain intervals. You can't seem to make a choice that won't eventually lead you to the right one, and there's no game over. You can take a little satisfaction at making the correct choice the first time around, but we're not exactly talking Mensa here. I'm not particularly bothered by this. ''Chain'' is still otherwise entertaining.
Gameplay: 8. You come home to play it for hours on end, wondering what's going to happen next. However, since it offers little in the way of challenge and there are no multiple endings, you only play this game over again to revisit the story. You come back to it the way you reread a favorite crime or detective novel. And, yes, to see the women again.
Special features: 10. ''Chain'' shines from the very beginning. There's a fully animated intro set to music, just like any anime opening. H-games normally are poor with in-game features, but in ''Chain'' they're not only easy to use, they are actually helpful. You can access the options by simply right clicking on the screen. There are a number of them, but the highlights are: about 30 save game slots, a skip message option, and a hands free option which, used in conjunction with the message speed control, allows you the luxury of lying back and watching the story move along at the pace of your choice.
Finishing the game unlocks the appendix features. It's pretty well-organized, allowing you review artworks, key animations, and specific scenes (exactly which scenes, I'll leave to your imaginations). There's also a jukebox option,
and I was amused to find it designed to resemble the dashboard of Takeshi's Toyota.
Overall: 8.5/10. In a genre that requires only a few pictures of naked women in varying degrees of undress, ''Chain'' stands out as refreshing change
and one that should be emulated. It features steamy sex--and that's not a bad thing at all--but there's always some form of build-up towards them. Roger Ebert pointed out that for something to be masturbatory, all you need is to see two people going at it onscreen, but to make something erotic, it requires those two people to first develop an emotional connection. Good talk leads to good sex. ''Chain'' knows that and dishes both out in spades.
