What are urban myths? Modern stories spread by word of mouth. Many urban myths are rooted in harmless everyday gossip. The Urban Myth Dissolution Center looks to find people suffering from something supernatural and figure out what’s really going on. Run by the director and his part-time driver, the Urban Myth Dissolution Center solves crimes and posts about them on BooTube, which I think is just YouTube but could easily be mistaken for something else. Though the Urban Myth Dissolution Center looks to dispel supernatural rumors, something does appear to be lurking beneath the surface.
Urban Myth Dissolution Center
Developer: Hakababunko
Price: $18
Platforms: PlayStation 5 (reviewed), Nintendo Switch, and PC
A PlayStation code was provided by the publisher for review
Hakababunko, developer of Urban Myth Dissolution Center has a few games under their belt but nothing quite so elaborate. Urban Myth Dissolution Center stands out both as an indie game and as a mystery game. You’ll take the role of Azami Fukurai on her first day at the Urban Myth Dissolution Center, tricked into indentured servitude for accidentally destroying a “cursed” chair. The center director immediately sends Azami off on her first case, solving a mystery involving a friend of hers.
Azami and Jasmine: A Dynamic Duo
Playing as Azami you’ll go back and forth in a 2D plane searching for clues and interrogating witnesses. Azami has the gift of clairvoyance and can see remnants of people who have been in the room she’s in when she puts on her glasses. Using this power she’s able to see when and where someone was and what they were doing, which can be helpful when solving a case. The simplicity of its design allows Hakababunko to usher in a compelling narrative. Though the point of dispelling urban myths, much like revealing a magician’s secrets, should rip the fun out of it.
Instead, we’re treated with a story that plays out almost like a procedural television show. Something is happening in this world and in every case Azami solves, we the viewer get closer to the truth. I admit I was hooked, I couldn’t sit down to write this until I saw the whole story through. I had to know what was going on. Azami makes a compelling character but more so, she exists in a world with interesting and strange characters that draw you into the setting. Along with her sidekick, Jasmine, who is a badass blonde woman with big buns in her hair and drives Azami all over the place.
Jasmine and Azami make a great team. Jasmine plays it cool and Azami can’t help but freak out over every little thing. It’s cute. More importantly, it doesn’t become grating as Azami manages to suppress some of her most skittish instincts in the face of a mystery. We, the players, are drawn into the story as Azami is drawn into what’s happening around her. It feels like a very shared experience with the character on screen and you feel close to Azami as the game continues.
The pixel art is absolutely stunning. As Urban Myth Dissolution Center progresses, it’s clear Hakababunko became more confident in their art and began showing more and more fully illustrated scenes. The twists and turns of the story are amplified by the indelible pixel art and the bumpin’ soundtrack. Urban Myth Dissolution Center is a feast for the senses as even in its most lo-fi state, it still manages to look and sound gorgeous.
Translation and Spacing Issues
My only issues with Urban Myth Dissolution Center are the translation and player agency. It’s not bad the whole way through and considering the amount of text in the game, has a very low miss rate. Most of the issues are actually with spacing, having some words run into each other. Sometimes, the game will ask you to fill in the blanks on something and you’ll have to find specific phrases to place in those blanks. Usually, spacing issues happen here. There are some small spelling and grammatical errors, but nothing that hinders the story or gameplay. However, it’s enough that I felt I should say something.
Player agency on the other hand is an interesting thing. If you want to keep a tight narrative, the player can’t really deviate from the story. However, most of the deductions I made were fairly simple and easy, with multiple choices and as many attempts as I needed. Urban Myth Dissolution Center is here to tell a story and it won’t let the player mess it up. I don’t have a solution, but it felt simple and easy. I never felt insulted by the game, or that the developers were looking down on the player, I just think there’s some gameplay being left on the table here. I had no real puzzles to solve in a genre that has a strong lineage in puzzle-solving.
Mysteries, individual cases, and the overarching story are both exciting and satisfying. I was pretty upset by where the story went but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Even just replaying the opening scene, I was immediately shown the breadcrumbs for what the story would become. Impressive, really.
The Final Word
Urban Myth Dissolution Center is one of the great modern adventure games. Though there’s a severe lack of freedom and simplicity in deduction, the ride was still very exciting. With a 15-hour play time, Urban Myth Dissolution Center doesn’t overstay its welcome. Anyone interested in adventure games, narrative-driven games, and mysteries owes it to themselves to play Urban Myth Dissolution Center.
– MonsterVine Rating: 4 out of 5 – Good
