Tantei Jingūji Saburō: Shinjuku Chūō Kōen Satsujin Jiken
| Tantei Jingūji Saburō: Shinjuku Chūō Kōen Satsujin Jiken | |
|---|---|
Box art by Katsuya Terada | |
| Developer | Data East[1] |
| Publisher | Data East |
| Series | Jake Hunter |
| Platform | Famicom Disk System |
| Release |
|
| Genre | Adventure |
Tantei Jingūji Saburō: Shinjuku Chūō Kōen Satsujin Jiken[a] is a 1987 adventure video game developed and published by Data East for the Famicom Disk System. It is the first of fhe Jake Hunter series.
Tantei Jingūji Saburō: Shinjuku Chūō Kōen Satsujin Jiken received a sequel titled Tantei Jingūji Saburō: Yokohama-kō Renzoku Satsujin Jiken (1988), which follows the narrative set-up by this game. The 1987 game has since been re-released in compilations, digital forms and remade for feature phones and the Nintendo DS in the 2000s.
Gameplay
A writer for Famitsu described the game in the "command-select" adventure game, a popular genre at the time with other similar games like The Portopia Serial Murder Case and Sanma no Meitantei.[1]
The game also features and over-head map for traversing locations, similar to the ones seen in role-playing games of the era.[1][2]
Plot
Tantei Jingūji Saburō: Shinjuku Chūō Kōen Satsujin Jiken begins with the discovery of the strangled body of hostess Momoko Takada. With no witnesses to the murder, Inspector Kumano asks his friend Jinguji Saburo, who runs a detective agency in Shinjuku's Kabukichō district, to take the case. As the investigation continues, it is revealed that Momoko was on good terms with a wealthy man and that the bar manager owed her money, as other suspects emerge.[1]
Development
The artwork for the game cover was by Katsuya Terada. Initially, Toshio Nishiuchi was creating artwork for the game, but his style did not match the Hardboiled style, leading Nishiuchi to suggest Terada for the job. At the time, Terada said he was a fan of video games, but not what he'd describe as an "avid gamer", saying he did not even own Nintendo's console at that point.[3]
Release and reception
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Famicom Hisshoubon | 4/5, 3/5[4] |
| Famicom Tsūshin | 6/10, 6/10, 8/10, 6/10[2] |
Tantei Jingūji Saburō: Yokohama-kō Renzoku Satsujin Jiken was released in Japan for the Famicom Disk System on March 24, 1987.[2] It was re-released as part of the video game compilation Detective Jinguji Saburo Early Collection for the PlayStation in 1999.[5]
In Famicom Tsūshin, four reviewers all complimented the graphics with one calling them dramatic and mature and another saying it was the most charming part of the game, with is illustrations being reminiscent of the work of manga artist Jiro Taniguchi.[2] Two reviewers dismissed the overhead map screen for traversing the world, which resembled a Dragon Quest game, with one reviewer saying it was unintentionally funny in contrast to the graphics of the other parts in the game.[2]
In Famicom Hisshoubon , the first review complimented the game's narrative quality and flashy style and hoped it would not get overlooked with the looming popularity of Sanma no Meitantei. A second reviewer said that most mystery stories, the usual problem is that the characters are all unique but lack depth.[4]
Legacy
Tantei Jingūji Saburō: Shinjuku Chūō Kōen Satsujin Jiken was the first installment in the Tantei Jinguji Saburo video game series. It was following by Tantei Jingūji Saburō: Yokohama-kō Renzoku Satsujin Jiken (1988) which continues the plot of the first game.[6] The series has gone through several developers and publishers, with new games in the series still being released by 2024.[1]
No games in the Tantei Jingūji Saburō series would be released commercially with an English translation until the release of Capcom's Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney in 2005 in the United States. Capcom game's success led to similar Japanese mystery-themed games being released in English markets, with Jake Hunter: Detective Chronicles (2008) to be the first game in the Tantei Jingūji Saburō series to receive an English release.[7] Tantei Jingūji Saburō: Shinjuku Chūō Kōen Satsujin Jiken was remade for feature phones as an app through EZWeb and released in the Japanese market in 2005.[8] The game was re-made for the Nintendo DS as Tantei Jingūji Saburō DS Inishie No Kioku (2007) which Famitsu described as having significantly changed content.[1]
See also
Notes
References
- ^ a b c d e f Kawachi 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Famibo et al. 1987, p. 9.
- ^ Yarwood 2025.
- ^ a b Famicom Hisshoubon 1987, p. 57.
- ^ Famitsu 1999.
- ^ Famibo et al. 1988, p. 19.
- ^ Kretzschmar & Raffel 2023, p. 74.
- ^ Dengekionline 2005.
Sources
- "『探偵神宮寺三郎』がついにEZweb用アプリに！『新宿公園』と『横浜港』を配信中" [Detective Jinguji Saburo is finally available as an EZweb app! Now streaming: Shinjuku Park and Yokohama Port]. Degenki Online (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. July 15, 2005. Archived from the original on October 17, 2007. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
- "Fami-Com Soft Scramble". Famicom Hisshoubon (in Japanese). No. 23. JICC. May 15, 1987.
- Famibo, Fofuya; Mizuno, Tenchou; Morishita, Mariko; Kanaya, Gascon (May 1, 1987). "新作ゲーム クロスレビュー" [New Games Cross Review]. Famicom Tsūshin (in Japanese). No. 22. ASCII Corporation.
- Famibo, Fofuya; Mizuno, Tenchou; Miyashita, Mariko; Kanaya, Gascon (February 19, 1988). "新作ゲーム クロスレビュー" [New Games Cross Review]. Famicom Tsūshin (in Japanese). No. 43. ASCII Corporation.
- Kretzschmar, Mark; Raffel, Sara (2023). The History and Allure of Interactive Visual Novels. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 978-1-5013-6862-2.
- "探偵 神宮寺三郎 Early Collection". Famitsu (in Japanese). 1999. Archived from the original on June 28, 2013. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
- Kawachi (April 24, 2024). "『探偵 神宮寺三郎 新宿中央公園殺人事件』が発売された日。タバコが似合う新宿のハードボイルド探偵が誕生した【今日は何の日？】" [The Day Detective Jingūji Saburō: The Shinjuku Central Park Murder Case Was Released. The Birth of Shinjuku's Hardboiled Detective who Suits Cigarettes Perfectly. [What Happened on This Day?]]. Famitsu (in Japanese). Archived from the original on April 23, 2024. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
- Yarwood, Jack (February 18, 2025). "Interview: "My Job Is Largely Divorced From Reality" - Legendary Artist Katsuya Terada Talks Zelda, Virtua Fighter, & Prince of Persia". Time Extension. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on February 18, 2025. Retrieved November 3, 2025.