Shuten Order Review

Our story begins on the 1st of January at 5:35 a.m. There is a commemoration taking place for the small nation of Shuten, arranged by a religious organisation called the Shuten Order. We see a blonde-haired man lying around, looking up at a beam of light that has just appeared in the sky. Pieces of the Founder’s murdered body fall to the earth. As the body parts crash into the ground around him, the man seems excited, stating with a smirk: “Have a happy end”. Happy New Year — 168 days until the end of the world! One minute into the aforementioned 168 days, and this game is already creepy!

Our blue-haired protagonist has just woken up, not knowing where they are, along with a horrible headache. The doorbell rings, and you need to see who is there. This game plays like a point-and-click adventure, and everything you can interact with in the room has a sparkling dot. At the door is a green-haired young man and a little girl who demands that you open the door, because if you keep wasting time, the world is going to end. Our character has no idea who these people are, so they decide to try and ignore them. This doesn't work, they unlock the door, and the strangers let themselves in.

Both characters have halos over their heads. Our character seems to have a case of amnesia, and these two angels were sent on a divine mission to save them. The outspoken little girl’s name is Himeru, and her partner is Mikotonu. They ask if you remember anything from yesterday or the day before, but your mind is totally blank. Himeru drops a bombshell, asking if you remember how you died…

Apparently, you weren't supposed to die: this event was unexpected, even for God. Your death was a mistake, and you resisted it, saying, “I can't just die here. Please, just give me a little more time”. Your prayer was accepted, causing a miracle and a temporary life extension. You’ve been put in a loaner body; that’s why you have no memories. The angels tell you that to restore your life, you need to overcome the trial that God has set for you.

The first part of this trial requires you to learn everything about your own death, as you didn't die from an illness or accident. Even the two angels don’t know how you died; they’re just here to guide and protect you. Before heading out, you grab a mask from the closet because you don’t want anyone recognising you once you leave the hotel. You were apparently famous, so you'll need to pick a new name and hide your identity. Himeru suggests “Shimobe”, which means a servant made by God, so your name is going to be Rei Shimobe.

The three of you travel to the nation of Shuten. This is the place you’re from, and it’s home to a religion made up of residents who wish for the end of the world — they literally pray for the extinction of humanity. Everyone living here is a member of this cult, which is full of traditionally non-violent, calm people who love peace and harmony. The people standing against them are known as the heretics. There is a meeting taking place at the nation's head office, where the five ministers are going to discuss your death. This is the best place to go to learn all the details of what happened to you.  

Here, you also discover that Rei can use the power of God to defeat enemies who stand in her way. All she needs to do is pray and cause a miracle, allowing you to control that foe. The weaker the enemy, the easier it is to take them over. When you pray, it acts as a quick-time event, so you'll need to enter the button combination that appears on the screen. This is how battles work in Shuten Order, so it’s actually quite a chill experience, though the music during these fights sounds tense and suspenseful.

The visual style is a mash of traditional anime and pop art, with splashes of colour and is complemented with a bass-heavy soundtrack. It also features voice acting for the characters in multiple languages. As I usually do, I had the spoken language set to Japanese with English subtitles. The voices are full of personality and do a great job portraying the different characters they represent, especially Himeru. She is incredibly opinionated and confident, making it a lot of fun to see what she’s going to say next.

The narrative in Shuten Order is so compelling that I couldn't wait to uncover Rei’s story. You aren’t really doing a lot while playing, but the tale kept pulling me back to find out the truth behind her death. There’s a lot of replayability, as there are five different paths you can take. I was excited to try them all out and see how the story changes, and each has its own style of gameplay.