Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 69 | 13 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 89% | 83 | 596 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 95% | 90 | 11 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 30 reviews sampled · 28 total reviews in window · weighted 26.3 up / 1.3 down · computed 3h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (37)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 50
“While it's nice to see how far Suda 51 has come, only diehard adventure and Suda 51 fans will be able to appreciate this. The Silver Case hasn't aged well, and feels both clunky and underwhelming. This feels like a first attempt, and compared to many others, it's a novel one. Still, it's hard to appreciate the beauty of a mirror under all the dust, and The Silver Case is definitely a dusty one.”
read full review ↗ - 40
“The Silver Case is best enjoyed as an intriguing historical document: a statement of intent from a developer that would go on to bigger and better things. Removed from that context, however, it is difficult to recommend. An utterly glacial pace combined with often nonsensical dialogue means the experience is dull at best, and frustrating at worst.”
read full review ↗ - 65
“In the end, The Silver Case is a strange, but interesting title.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“The Suda-sensory Mother Lode The Silver Case, more than any virtual art piece I’ve experienced this year, is a product of its time. It is a reflection and speculation on the technological potential and cultural paranoia that partially defines the digital revolution and, more specifically, global internet culture from the late 90’s to the present day.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“Suda 51's first game finally debuts on Western shores, the game fails to deliver on its best concepts.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“The Silver Case is a pretty interesting game to recommend. It suffers from very bad pacing and an overflow of information with the most tacked game mechanics I’ve seen a while, but at the end of the day it still has the essence of a Suda51 game. With that said, if you’re a diehard fan of his work, you’ll definitely want to check it out and see just how far he’s come over the years. If you’re a fan of visual novels I’d probably recommend familiarizing yourself with his body of work before diving in.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“A visual novel with a good story, but a bad rythm, no voices, and poor gameplay. Like Deadly Premonition, only the most hardcore gamers may enjoy it.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“An intriguing but often incoherent mystery that’s bogged down by long-winded dialogue and terrible puzzles.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“The Silver Case tells a fascinating murder mystery tale in a way only Suda 51 himself could. If you like visual novels give it a shot, but if you want good gameplay look elsewhere.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Although with all of this being said, if you are looking for an adventure/point-and-click style detective game, this is definitely one to take into consideration. The main issue I have with The Silver Case is that it shows its age all too well. You can easily tell by looking at and playing the game that it was originally released over 17 years ago. No amount of remastering is going to make this any better, unless the entire game was to be remade from the ground up, which just isn’t feasible at the moment. However, fans of Suda51 should absolutely pick this up and digest it at some point, as it is extremely fun to go back and see where his career with Grasshopper Manufacture all began. Everyone else should probably think hard before jumping in.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Players who like hardboiled detective stories will likely find something of interest here as well, but most of all, for those familiar with the work of Suda51, especially Killer7 and Flower, Sun, and Rain, The Silver Case will be an essential 'new' Suda51 trip.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Sociological questions about mental illness and crime, unethical romantic relationships, and mysterious world building all combine into a game that demands you to think in ways many others do not.”
read full review ↗
Cubed3
Push Square
ZTGD
Chalgyr's Game Room
GameSpot
Niche Gamer
Gameblog
PC Gamer
TechRaptor
Level Down Games
Thumbsticks
GameSpew…and 25 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- The Silver Case T-Shirts ReleasedJan 12, 2018
- The Silver Case Joins the Holiday Sales!Dec 22, 2017
- The Silver Case in the Autumn Sales!Nov 22, 2017
- Update - 01.07Sep 27, 2017
- Update - 01.07Sep 27, 2017
- Steam Summer Sales!Jun 26, 2017
- Update - 01.06Jun 1, 2017
- Update - 01.06Jun 1, 2017
- Today, "White Out" and "Yami" have been added to The Silver CaseMay 29, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Two New Chapters Coming to The Silver CaseMay 22, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- The Silver Case part of the Anime Weekend Sale!Mar 31, 2017
- The Silver Case on Sale!Mar 23, 2017
- 11/8 Update - Mac Support and Bug FixesNov 8, 2016
- 11/8 Update - Mac Support and Bug FixesNov 8, 2016
- Mac Version & WASD controls coming November 7thOct 27, 2016
- Mac Version & WASD controls coming November 7thOct 27, 2016
- The Silver Case Manual & BookletOct 20, 2016
- New Trailer and New Demo!Sep 30, 2016significant · resets scoring window