Cross Tantei Monogatari

Did You Know?

• The player controls an 18-year-old detective named Koruso Ken, aided by partner Nishiyama Tomoko, solving seven cases.
• Each case provides background information before a crime occurs, then the player examines the crime scene for clues.
• The game has been noted to have similarities to the Ace Attorney game series.

Release

The game was featured in Japan's June 1996 issue of Sega Saturn Magazine. Pre-orders included a demo and a copy of the theme song. Completing the game and entering a code on WorkJam's website entered the player in a draw for a trip to Italy and various tech products. The PlayStation version, released on October 21, 1999, added voice acting and corrections. Hamster later published it as two budget releases, Kōhen and Zenpen, each half of the game with bonus content, for 1500 yen each on September 28, 2000.

Reception

Japanese reviews for the Sega Saturn release were positive. segaretro.com aggregated five known reviews averaging 83/100. Famitsu gave a score of 30/40, praising presentation, story, and difficulty while criticizing the lack of hints. Sega Saturn Magazine rated it 94/100 and Saturn Fan 83/100. Reviewers in Famitsu noted that the PlayStation version fixed some problems with the original. A sequel was announced shortly after release, but the Cross series did not receive further games; sales were reported as low.