Takumi Nakazawa’s acclaimed psychological thriller visual novel Root Double -Before Crime * After Days- Xtend Edition is now available on Switch.
Root Double draws on the Enneagram of Personality for a dramatic story spanning multiple different scenarios seen from a different character’s perspectives, with some 40 different endings. Rather than the dialogue choices more typically seen in visual novels, Root Double‘s “Senses Sympathy System” sees players projecting their emotion onto characters, thus influencing the relationships between them and how the story plays out.
Here’s the synopsis from the game’s Switch store listing page:
When two intentions and two sets of memories overlap… all will be revealed. In the end, is there a route for all nine to escape with their lives?
The year is 2030. Business is as usual in the isolated research city of Rokumei–that is until several explosions suddenly go off in the nuclear research facility known as “LABO.” The city sends in “Sirius,” an elite rescue squad, to deal with the situation. But the situation only gets worse when LABO’s nuclear reactor melts down, –with members of Sirius and survivors still trapped inside. With radiation leaking everywhere and not enough anti-radiation medication to last until lockdown lifts, the survivors make more and more grim discoveries. In their struggle for survival, they learn that doubt is their greatest enemy, and trust their greatest asset.
The key to survival lies in the player’s hands with the Senses Sympathy System (SSS). Your emotions projected upon the characters, particularly your trust in them, shape the progression of the story. Only with effective use of this system and completion of both protagonists’ stories can the player piece together the truth.
Root Double -Before Crime * After Days- originally launched in 2012 for Xbox 360 and PC, before getting an extended release (“Xtend Edition“) on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. Its first English release was on PC in 2016, courtesy of Sekai Project, followed by the Vita version in 2018.
The Switch version of Root Double is also getting a limited physical release through Strictly Limited Games. There are three different versions available for pre-order: the standard boxed version (€49.99), a Collector’s Edition (€79.99), and a Dakimakura Collector’s Edition (€119.99). The collector’s editions are expected to ship in March or April next year.
