Game Review: Homicipher
Developer: yatsunagi
Publisher: Gamera Games
Release Date: November 1, 2024
Reviewed On: PC
Price: $13.99
Table of Contents
Introduction
I have always been a fan of dating simulation games. I find it engaging and unique with its abilities to develop characters and provide a game where the player’s choice matters. At the start of November, Homicipher suddenly appeared on my Steam page, and I found myself pulled in. A game about deciphering a language? As someone who majored in English and History, this game was right up my alley.
Plot Synopsis
Homicipher starts with the player awakening in a strange place. They have no idea of where they are or have any memories of how they got there. Immediately, they are faced with strange entities that terrify them as they try to find out more about their surroundings.
When players encounter the first character who speaks to them, they quickly realize they do not understand or speak the same language. They are kind enough to teach some basic vocabulary to the player. With only a few words under their tutelage, the player is forced to continue to explore the terrifying place filled with countless entities and danger in search of an exit.
Analysis
Gameplay:
The core aspect of the game is figuring out the language. Players are given a dictionary accessible at any point of time to look back to. The mechanics around learning the language fit together well.
The dictionary doesn’t even need to be consistently brought up to decipher the words the characters are saying. The game has a great user interface in which the translations of words are written above the unknown language. The deciphered words are intractable as well, allowing players to click it and type anything they want with limited space.
Alongside the dictionary is the backlog that allows players to look back several lines of dialogue to better decipher the language. It came in handy when certain words were repeated but I could not decipher the meaning. Looking at the bigger conversation with context clues made it much easier to decipher the words. The backlog has its limitations though and only keeps record of so much before it moves on.
The game also made it clear early on that the language was not as complex as the English language. It focuses more on emotion, verbs, some adjectives, and pronouns. I equated it to “cave-man speak.” It is simplistic in sentence structure and is more about intent and meaning rather than actually creating a grammatically-correct sentence.
The downside of deciphering being the main focus of the gameplay means that Homicipher suffers in other areas. There is no other major game mechanic. It works as a point and click game, using the mouse to interface with the world and getting responses from the characters. Even the “battling” that happens in the game are quick-time events with clicking. Although the quick-time events add some variety into the game and the choices players can make, it isn’t always the most entertaining gameplay.
A common mechanic that comes with choice-based games is save files. Homicipher puts a little challenge in this mechanic. Players are given three files to save their progress. Each save file has its own dictionary. If players decide to start a new file, the dictionary will be wiped clean, forcing players to start over.
Each file has 12 save slots. The first slot is dedicated to the start of the game. This ensures that players can always start the game from the beginning but keep their dictionary when they replay for different endings. It limits the players in their ability to save every choice and easily distinguish between how choices affect endings. Instead, players have to pick and choose meaningful moments to save that they feel impact the storyline they are following.
The limited save slots both benefits and hurts the gameplay. It’s challenging because players who focus on romancing certain characters or completionists are forced to navigate the same scenes repeatedly to try to find their desired outcomes. It is a challenge to get the desired ending. It can also be repetitive to make the same choices just to find those few choices that find a different result.
A bonus feature that makes navigating a little easier is the “Chapters” mechanic. After players have encountered certain scenes, they are able to access the Chapters and start playing from that scene on. This means that as they replay for different routes and endings, they can start up from certain points they’ve discovered to be impactful decisions.
Sound and Graphics:
The few tracks the game has are great. I’m a big fan of the title screen’s music, a song called “Gray Rain” written by Ushiro Kazutaka and sung by Mai Shiroi. It gives a lonely or solemn vibe that makes for a great introduction for a game that is both horror and romance-focused.
The sound effects in the game are pretty good as well. Although definitely not the best, they help to create a more vivid atmosphere in a rather quiet game. The sound of blood spilling is very vivid. It scared me every time I wasn’t expecting it. Even when I was expecting it, the squelch of the sound bite made me wince anyways.
However, I mentioned it was a quiet game. Although there are a few tracks that play, Homicipher itself is often silent. Tracks aren’t always playing like some other games, even for spooky ambience, so players don’t hear much. This emptiness can be eerie; but there’s no other sound, and it creates a void. I believe that’s why the sound of blood is vivid to me because it feels so much louder in comparison to the rest of the game.
Furthermore, there is no voice acting in the game. The game is heavily dialogue reliant, so the lack of voice acting makes the empty soundscape even worse. Instead, players have to voice characters themselves, whether out loud or in their heads. Many dating simulations are unvoiced like Homicipher, but the overall lack of sound in the game makes the lack of voice acting more poignant and detrimental.
Homicipher has well-done graphics too. It focuses on still images and characters which makes sense for what is essentially a point and click game. But the use of empty space, color, and overall ruin in the setting makes the graphics cohesively mesh.
I suppose it would be more accurate to say that the art and visuals in the game are a highlight. The game pulls off being both horrifying and yet fascinating. There’s a reason why it can be a dating game. For as gruesome or unsettling the character designs can be, they are all enchanting in a way. The same can be said for the setting. It plays well into the world design and emphasizes on using color to convey emotions and tone.
Story and Characters:
The story itself is the highlight alongside deciphering the language. I spent so long just trying to explore every corner in the game I could, picking out whatever details to understand where exactly the player ended up and how the world worked.
I grew attached to the characters so quickly despite not always knowing what they were saying. The game emphasizes on how actions speak louder than words and to not to judge a person by their appearance. I’ve cried multiple times during my playthrough being so attached and just wanting the best possible endings from the game.
The idea of not judging by first appearance includes the player themselves, the character they play. For as much as players are trying to discover more about the world and its characters, so too are they trying to figure out who exactly they are and why they ended up there in the first place.
Homicipher created a compelling storyline not only through the dating routes but also in the main character. The only thing I enjoy more in a dating simulation than learning about the characters is learning how unique and compelling the character I play is.
Although I know that many dating simulations are reliant on self-inserting players into the main character, I experience them more as a playable storyline. My decisions impact the main character’s actions, just like any other story-focused game. It’s like a romance book that I can actually influence and impact instead of just yelling at the protagonist to do as I say. It’s not me “the player” but rather them “the character” who acts in the game.
There are so many choices and endings in the game. There are 18 different characters, 19 including the main character. Although not all of the characters are romanceable, they create a diverse universe that players are forced to explore.
Each character is well-designed with their own unique kind of traits and interactions. The whole point of the game is to survive, and the obstacles in the protagonist’s way are these characters. There are so many deaths in the game that I don’t even know how many times I died by making the wrong choice or by simply exploring my choices.
Because of there being so many nuances and choices, there are many endings. Not only are there romance-focused endings but variations of other endings without the romance. In total, there are 34 different endings meaning a lot of replayability for players.
Final Score
Personal Score
5 out of 5 Stars
Homicipher, for me, is a five-star game. I greatly enjoy dating simulation games, and I was enraptured with deciphering the game’s language. I reveled in being able to figure out the game’s vocabulary and truly understand what the characters were saying to the protagonist and each other. The romance routes were entertaining and satisfying for me. It helped that a lot of the routes were more about the protagonist deepening their understanding and relationship with the characters rather than just flirting with them.
Game Composition Score
3 out of 5 Stars
As a video game itself, I would rate the game more as a three out of five from the point of being a role-playing point and click game. It can quickly become repetitive and lacks a depth of gameplay that could be possible. The story greatly boosts the experience but the lack of actual playing over experiencing a story makes it feel less like a video game.
It’s a good game for its genre and its unique mechanic of being dialogue-focused with an unknown language. It certainly boosts itself above other point and click games that I have played. However, as an actual playing game, it suffers because it doesn’t want to branch out of this unique mechanic. There are very little puzzles or exploring outside of the main setting. The game does a lot more telling than showing despite its great art style and somewhat dynamic perspective movement.
Overall Score
4 out of 5 Stars
Overall, I would give the game four stars out of five. It’s main prerogative is to be a dating simulation game with some horror elements with its main gameplay being deciphering the language. It doesn’t try to advertise itself as a different kind of game which makes my critiques about wanting something different out of it just that – a personal critique. I received what was advertised and greatly enjoyed it anyways despite my criticisms. Homicipher accomplished what it said it wanted to do with rather well-done user interface system.
Would you be willing to play Homicipher? What are your thoughts on a game that forces players to learn an unknown language? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below or in our Boss Rush Discord!
Image Source: 八名木
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