#pc 88

(s: myabandonware.com)

obviously this game's design is characterized by its film noir influences. without getting into the story at all, it follows the expected tropes of western detective narratives, hitting the mean streets of 8-bit new york minus the mafia, and also its a living hell to install... my version was actually a dlc that had to be installed on top of the original manhattan requiem, but later versions were standalone. something something, reduce, reuse, requiem?

the glamorous pc-88 8 color life of j.b. harold (protagonist B.T.DUB.), professional menu navigator does reflect the traditional writing we expect from classic detective formulas a la agatha christie's deductive savants with a sprinkle of prestige, a heaping serving of pretention, and more pride than you can fit in a republican national convention but something undeniable and inevitable with this format of game is the awkwardness that comes with its admittedly charming jank.

no clue how this game did review-wise because i couldn't find a thing on moby but j.b. "Just Balling" harold poking someone with the same five sticks of "talk about information" "talk normally" "talk about the case" options (yes thats actually what they are) and wondering what combination of stick pokes is needed to make your new yorker cough up the right information gets repetitive really quick. pretty sure this is how people actually talked in 1987 though so i cant be too upset.

story feels underbaked in an almost infantile way, but it could be lost in translation given that this game's original release was in japanese. love the graphics though, 8color pals alwayssss have me happy. pc88 equivalent of finding your dads old mixtape and not actually liking any of the songs on it but somebody would crank one out to it. if you like retro mysteries its a fun 1-2 hour time waste... just be ready to read between all of the lines cause if you miss a line you'll be stumped