Synesthesia Activated! Gameplay Trailer and New Information Revealed for Root Film’s English Release

Root Film is ambitious. That was my first thought when I was initially made aware of the game, which is the second entry in the franchise that Root Letter began. But does ambition translate to surefire success? Not if your localization and mediocre cast ruin the magic. Of course, that’s just RPGFan’s review—you might have had a completely different and far more positive experience, and that’s just as valid! Speaking firsthand, I was only mildly more enchanted by PQube and Kadokawa Games’ adventure/visual novel hybrid than our prolific Nicholas Ransbottom. Root Letter was, in a word, ambitious; I wish I enjoyed it more than I did.

But it’s the dawn of a new day. Root Film‘s English release is right around the corner—March 19th, to be precise. I haven’t kept up with the game’s Japanese reception, so I’m going into this blind. I suspect that’s true for many of us, which makes Kadokawa Games’ most recent batch of promotional material all the more tantalizing. Check out the new gameplay trailer below!

To hear it from the folks at PQube, there’s a lot to look forward to in Root Film. Here’s a brief overview of the game.

Set in a perfect recreation of the stunning coastal Shimane prefecture, origin of Japanese mythology and folklore, the plot of ‘Root Film’ is based around the reboot of a mysteriously cancelled TV series “Shimane Mystery Drama Project”. Take the role of 23-year-old Rintaro Yagumo as his excitement for an amazing casting opportunity is quickly curbed, when a horrible murder interrupts their location scouting process.

PQube was also kind enough to provide us with their personal picks of five reasons why we should be excited about Root Film‘s pending launch. Those reasons are as follows: “[a] hybrid of two genres; intuition; max mode; zapping; and synesthesia.” Wait, zapping? Synesthesia? To clarify, “zapping” is their curious word choice for the player’s ability to witness two characters’ perspectives simultaneously, which likely leads to some fun surprises. As for the latter, the synesthesia mechanic triggers when players encounter certain keywords. Utilizing the intuition mechanic, they can memorize those words, later confronting crime suspects with a slew of keywords like some kind of Merriam-Webster uber-detective.

What did you think of Root Letter? Are you hyped for Root Film? Feel free to let us know in the comments below and stay tuned to RPGFan for future coverage.