Visual novels are one of the weirder genres of games. As the name suggests, it has long (very long) passages of text, and the story unfolds without player intervention until decisions are made. This choice can branch the story (very popular in dating VNs) or end the game if you make too many wrong choices.
Process of Elimination is one of those games. It is a murder mystery that takes place at the island headquarters of a super detective executive who is targeted by a sadistic criminal mastermind. and discover how the seemingly improbable death happened.
The plot of this story is absolutely ridiculous. Each detective has a codename based on their personality. One detective is a super-smart kid in a robotic wheelchair. Another is himself a serial killer who has been dragged into cooperating with the law. And then there are detectives who really believe in you. She’s dead and a ghost that only you can see.
You are wandering the manor headquarters of this motley group. It’s somehow filled with ridiculous death traps and hidden passageways.
I liked it
Since this is a VN, you, the player, don’t have to try to understand the world. Because it unfolds in front of you and all you have to do is click “Next”. There are decision points where you need to show off your detective skills (like who betrays the group). If you make a mistake too many times, the game will be over, but you can start over from the save point.
Another method of interaction is turn-based strategy mini-games. Inside, you’ll find a grid map that you can explore by moving your detective to uncover clues that can lead to breakthroughs in your investigation.
In mini-games, you start with limited control over all available detectives, but solving the first point gives you the ability to direct others. Together we can solve advanced problems. However, the mini-game has a turn limit! If he fails to get all the answers before his turn runs out, he will go back to his save file.
Process of Elimination is a fun game in the visual novel genre that requires patience to face a world of long text and meaninglessness. If you’re looking for realism or interactivity, stay away. But if you want an experience like no other in the world, this is it.