Again (video game)

Lore & Background

Again: Interactive Crime Novel, known in Japan as Again: FBI Chōshinri Sōsakan, was developed by Cing and published by Tecmo for the Nintendo DS. The game was first released in Japan on December 10, 2009, and a North American localization followed on March 30, 2010, just nearly one month after the company folded. It is Cing's penultimate game overall and its last game to be published by a third party or localized for North America.

The player takes the role of J, an FBI agent and sole survivor of a string of serial murders from 19 years ago that have started again. J has a special ability called 'past vision' to solve puzzles, which he uses to investigate murders committed by the serial killer known only as 'Providence'. Gameplay involves exploring environments in first person, using the touch screen to inspect items and manipulate areas to recreate crime scenes, then ordering clips to reveal the murder. J has a 'psychic health meter' that depletes if abilities are used on irrelevant areas; draining it results in a game over.

Throughout development, Cing intended the game to appeal to Western audiences by taking cues from US crime television shows like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and incorporating a realistic film noir visual style. The game was originally planned to be subtitled Eye of Providence.

Reader's Guide

Again received mixed reviews according to Metacritic. Critics praised the concept, FMV artstyle, and controls, but criticized the psychic health meter, mechanics, sense of direction, dialogue system, and ending. John Walker of Eurogamer gave a disappointed review, stating the game asks the player to think more deeply but is 'also rubbish'. Annette Gonzalez of Game Informer called it a 'Huge snoozefest' and criticized the area graphics as 'Muddy and pixelated'. Arthur Gies of IGN called it 'Full of bad adventure game cliches' and 'Mired in repetition'. Nathan Meunier of GameSpot criticized the plot progression as 'Awkward and clunky' but praised the FMV artstyle for making the game 'stand out in a good way'. Famitsu gave it a score of 30 out of 40. Randy Nelson of Nintendo Power praised the game mechanics for bringing 'a fresh new twist' to the DS hardware but felt there wasn't enough of it, concluding that Again is 'an open-and-shut case for budding crime-solvers with a taste for the unusual.' The game is notable as Cing's penultimate title and its last to be localized for North America, released shortly after the company folded.

Did You Know?

• The game was released in North America just nearly one month after Cing folded.
• The game's psychic health meter depletes if the player uses abilities on areas irrelevant to the case, leading to a game over if fully drained.