Digital Exorcist case_(0); Review – A Short and Sweet Indie Visual Novel That Left Me Craving More

While the amount of them that I’ve played is admittedly limited, I am yet to have a negative experience with a visual novel. This genre of video games began as many others did in Japan, and focuses around a generally linear-ish plot, often with branching storylines based on user choices. The fairly limited ‘gameplay’ mostly consists of clicking through written (and sometimes voice acted) dialogue with on-screen PNGs to represent the characters. These games fall somewhere between a comic and a choose-your-own-adventure book, with the core idea being more of a new way of presenting a novel than a true ‘game’, hence the name. These games can often be tens of hours long, although the majority of ones I’ve put my time into were between 1-5 hours in length, with the notable exception of Persona 4.

So, while I could probably count the visual novels I’ve played on one hand, that’s something I want to desperately change in the near future. They’re a really fun, engaging type of game that keeps me more actively interested than a book does with their attractive art, great voice acting, music, and added interactive elements. The only problem is that so many of these games are about high school romances or unmentionably adult topics, it makes the choices for serious, dramatic, and action-packed stories limited.

But among the bottomless ocean of melodramatic romance titles and steam games with store page thumbnails we’d definitely have to blur, there are a few fright-filled fishes that are worth discussing on this site. While horror visual novels may not make up the majority of the genre by any means, many of the ones that do exist have left a large impact on internet culture as a whole, a prime example being Doki Doki Literature Club. But today, we’re going to be discussing a much less well known horror visual novel that I think deserves its time in the spotlight – Digital Exorcist case_(0);.

I first stumbled across Digital Exorcist quite by accident in the Steam store, and was impressed by the visuals, theme, and general resemblance to one of my all-time favourite gaming franchises, Shin Megami Tensei. While that franchise has focused more on fantasy elements in its most recent mainline installment, one of its core concepts since the beginning has been that of digital devil summoning, fusing the occult with cyberpunk and making demon summoning computer programs a major recurring element.

The concept of Digital Exorcist intrigued me, and, seeing that it was free on the steam store, I decided to download it, and make it the next ‘story game’ in my to-play pile. At this point, I wasn’t aware of how long the game would be, what kind of gameplay it would feature, or what studio made it – I just knew that I liked the vibes of the Steam store page. And so, with no set expectations, I dived blind into the Æthernet.

How Digital Exorcist Bills Itself

Digital Exorcist was published by an indie dev team called Cool Beans Productions who market themselves as a group of Latin American industry outsiders with a focus on games inspired by Japanese pop culture. They have a small catalogue of indie titles made mostly for game jam competitions, but Digital Exorcist is the first and only game that they have released on steam.

The Steam page’s initial description actually downplays the visual novel element, framing it as more of an ‘adventure’ game. The tags and the detailed description later on the page do mention the visual novel genre, but the marketing definitely tries to lean away from that somewhat. The game is designed to invoke the feeling of adventure game genre classics popular on the PC-98 system, a range of Japanese home computers that are most well-remembered for their pixel graphic-based adventure and strategy games. 

Aside from retro nostalgia, the Steam listing dives into a number of selling points covering various aspects of the game. The multiple locations are highlit as an opportunity for exploration. The story is billed primarily as investigation and clue gathering. The combat is discussed in terms of tense demon fights. Puzzles are promised as a way to keep gameplay exciting. And, finally, the artistry is mentioned, drawing attention to the care and time that went into both the visual art and music present in the game. 

For a visual novel, a genre that usually lets the artistry and story do most of the heavy lifting, that’s a lot of different elements to promise, especially if they were each fully developed and fleshed out.

Digital Exorcist’s Artistry and Theming

When it comes to a visual novel, the vibes are key. As gameplay takes a back seat in this genre, what really sets a good one apart outside of the writing is the visuals and sound design. Boring, repetitive music, dodgy voice acting, or ugly art can completely destroy a visual novel experience, and cause even the most well-written stories to fall flat. So, how does Digital Exorcist measure up when it comes to everything artistic?

Digital Exorcist’s Theming

While the game’s plot is a specific element which I plan to discuss later, I view the theme as a more broad concept. A good game will establish the vibe though more than just the narrative, but compliment it with the art, music, and other design concepts found throughout the game. 

This game is a neo-noir cyberpunk story with heavy occult themes. The concepts of demonology, religion, and man’s relationship with technology are expressed throughout a compelling mystery. The game wears its inspiration from classic SMT on its sleeve, with demon summoning programs booted from floppy disc, an adorable demonic mascot to accompany the player, and a number of deep-cut references for hardcore fans. I’m sure the main victim’s coat was inspired by Chie’s outfit from Persona 4, but perhaps I’m just looking too deeply!

Occultism is more than just a plot device, but is deeply ingrained in the worldbuilding and visual design of the game. Everything from complex symbols and motifs built into set pieces and deep-cut demonological concepts buried in the writing are bred with the 90s-era fear of advancing technology and Satanic Panic. This is a story out of time, a period piece set in a grungy retro-future and in a semi-fictionalised country. The game does enough to tie the theme in coherently, without it feeling tryhard, superficial, or lacking – a thorough success. 

Digital Exorcist’s Graphics

I’ve discussed in a previous review how pixel art is one of my absolute favourite art styles in a video game. The fusion of carefully placed pixels with comfy nostalgia really sets the game apart from the mass of cel-shaded indie titles and the overly shiny ‘blender art style’ games. Digital Exorcist’s visuals do not disappoint, taking the PC98 retro game theme and running with it. 

The visuals don’t have even a hint of what I call ‘nu-pixel art’, a particular style of modern pixel art that is so detailed that it just resembles pixelated normal art and ceases to fulfill the vibe that it was created to embody in the first place. Instead, the art is lovingly drawn pixel by pixel to look exactly how games of that console generation looked. The sprites use a simple colour scheme – without millions of colours to work with, shading and details are achieved through the grid-like hatching of pixels, finding a way to include detail without exceeding the technical limitations that existed at the time. While the game has no CRT filter as far as I’m aware, the hazy buzz of that style of screen could only serve to make these graphics look even more appealing.

I love that this game stuck to the technical limitations of the system that inspired it. It really adds to the feeling of discovering lost media, a classic title unearthed in the modern day, unlike the mass of superficially styled Unity Engine retro-slop that is churned out for modern devices on the regular (I’m looking at you, PS1-alikes!!!). The art feels comfortable and welcoming, like an old blanket. It adds a mysterious allure to the game. It’s simple, yet detailed. Outdated, but delightfully so. It does its job in portraying the events of the game, but it never forgets to be beautiful, an ode to the neo-noir narrative of the game. Without even a hint of a modern twist or reinvention, the visuals of this game are absolutely fantastic, capturing both the haunting loneliness of the narrative and also the warmth and fun of the retro era, and the late 90s specifically. 

Art from actual PC98 game Policenauts

Digital Exorcist’s Music

The music in the game is absolutely fantastic. Much like my favourite game of all time, Persona 4 Golden, Digital Exorcist allows you to listen to all the tracks from the game in a music player after the first time you beat it, a feature I am likely to take frequent advantage of in the future to jam out to various tracks. This allows me to earn more play time on my Steam account (a stat I’m really enthusiastic about) and also enjoy the track without YouTube’s… shall we say ‘over-enthusiastic’ music algorithm demanding I listen to the song seven times per day, every day until I’m thoroughly sick of them. With the player, I can engage with the tracks at my own pace and when I choose to do so.

A heady vaporwave inspired nostalgia wave runs through all these tracks, that genre being a titan of 90s nostalgia on the internet in its own right. The game has nine whole tracks composed by ‘DJ Takataka’ and ‘Denki’ for various events in the game, all of which I think add a ton to the experience. Some are only used for one particular scene, and are probably not even long enough for you to hear all the way through if they’re playing the game at a brisk pace. This shows how much additional care went into the game, as a lazier dev could easily have just reused previous songs to save time. As someone who likes to listen to thematic and topical instrumental music when writing or reading fiction, the music of a visual novel lending itself to the tone and vibes is vitally important for the game to hit the spot. 

The first track is simply named Digital Exorcist Theme, and is the first thing you hear when loading into the menu. All the music was created with era-appropriate synthesizers, each with a wealth of different sound options, and the devs clearly took full advantage. This track begins with ethereal ringing reminiscent of a more watery, spectral Tubular Bells, soon joined by a sloshy-sounding drum that brings to mind a midnight swimming pool floating in the digital void. A lonely yet welcoming drum loop holds your hand as the theme builds over time, always lonely, cool but never cold. Quiet whispering reminds you of the occult themes blending into the noir; I got the feeling of chilled out movie nostalgia, the original Terminator somehow popping into my head. This fresh, icy track sets up the chill-but-on-edge vibe of the hard boiled detective protagonist Sawyer, placing you right in his shoes before he jacks into the Æthernet. If they were to make a Blade Runner JRPG, this track would feel right at home in the soundtrack.

The second theme On The Case will accompany you through a large portion of your detective work. The track never stops being chilled, with a laid back and gentle surface, yet immediately betrays the rot hidden on the streets Sawyer patrols. A foreboding darkness sits just below the retro-calming outer layer, building a sense of dread before launching into the bouncy, electronic tones you’d expect to find in the Cyberpunk JRPGs of yester-year. The track is methodical but never plodding, taking its time without dragging its heels. 

The Crime Scene begins mournful yet thoughtful, representing the delicate balance between the puzzle of detective work and respect for the dead. The watery drums from the intro return to lead us towards a deeply 90s jolt of noir retro game riff that supports you through your investigation of the case.

Battle In The Æthernet picks up the intensity, introducing the kind of fast paced vaportrap you’d expect from a Vaperror album with some of the same instrument sounds we’ve become accustomed to so far in the game. It’s a change of pace, but not out of place, and suits its narrative purpose well. 

Ethereal Tension does exactly what it says on the tin, capturing the cyberpunk tones in the neo-noir you’d expect from a heated moment in the case.

Surfing The Æthernet stands out as a lot more hopeful, capitalising on the optimistic joy of the turn of the millennium, and the promise the internet held back when people unironically called it the ‘information superhighway’. A clock motif blends into a fun, brassy main theme which sounds joyful yet still ethereal, the mental image of a 90s personal website crossed with an AOL commercial. This builds until darkness infects the tune, betraying the occult nature of the game’s Æthernet, the same hopeful melody tinged with the noir of the plot. 

Your History represents a narrative downward spiral, life swirling down the drain as the mystery approaches its apex. Drums that remind us of the human heartbeat accompany the bells as they return darker than ever, drawing the story to a new level. 

If Your History was the buildup to the story’s apex, then Descendant of Chaos is the payoff. Perhaps the least tuneful of all the music, this track is the archetypal JRPG boss fight – chaotic and messy yet still satisfying and grandiose. While this is the track I’d be least likely to choose to listen to just ‘as music’, it fits its scene in the game perfectly. 

Finally, Sayonara, Digital Rider (Uncut) takes us full circle. If the main menu theme was a perfect intro, this is it’s farewell performance, an encore and a bookend for the game. The familiar bells lead us out of the narrative and back to reality, before diving into another hyper-90s RPG riff that really makes the track. It feels like an emotional goodbye which was somehow earned despite us spending less than an hour with the protagonist, it’s the archetypal outro. Some sophisticated yet spooky instrumentals that wouldn’t feel too out of place in a Cyberpunk-style Castlevania game remind us of the occult themes of the game, before a lonely sax plays us out. 

Ultimately, I adored the music in this game. Every track fits the scene, and the vast majority of them are listenable entirely on their own, without feeling like they needed to be married to a specific story event. It helped that the music’s retro vibes had a lot in common with vaporwave, my personal favourite music genre, but I think anyone could get on board with how it’s used in this game without any previous genre knowledge.

And, if you look on the Bandcamp page for the game’s music, you’ll see that the soundtrack is also free to use with attribution, meaning that anyone can reuse the music for a commercial project as long as they credit the artist. A fantastically good attitude to have, and one which reflects the same spirit of wanting to share a cool passion project that led to the game being free on Steam to begin with. 

Digital Exorcist’s Gameplay

It’s true – visual novels are usually a little lacking in the gameplay department, with some purists arguing that they aren’t even games at all, but more similar to an actual book, going in the same category as comics, novels, e-books etc. While some VNs go beyond the simple ‘choose your own adventure’ elements to include some basic turn-based combat and other mini-games, at their heart, this genre is not really about the gameplay.

Average VN experience

And that is very much what this game is. Despite the description on the Steam page, it’s less of a true adventure game, and more a visual novel wearing an adventure game as a Halloween costume. And I’m not complaining, I honestly much prefer visual novels as a genre, as I get to enjoy a story and feel like a part of it without too much critical thinking required. It’s a simple life. Looking at what negative reviews exist for the game on Steam, a running theme I see is adventure game hardcores disappointed that Digital Exorcist isn’t one. And that’s a fair criticism if that’s what sold you on the game. I personally find adventure games to be really frustrating, so I’m glad that this game only uses the most surface level elements from them. But, if you were really hyped for a classic puzzle-filled thinker, this game won’t scratch that itch. 

And talking of puzzles, I honestly think it’s a stretch to say this game has any. While the store page bills it as having “intuitive puzzles”, what ‘intuitive’ is code for is actually ‘easy/impossible to lose’. There is no wrong answer, no incorrect order to complete a puzzle, you just keep interacting with the very limited amount of menu items until you have done everything. I suppose there is the most basic concept of “figure out how to do X”, but with such limited choices which are all dialogue based, there isn’t really any situation where you could be stuck on a puzzle or need to give it much thought. It’s essentially scripted.

But here’s the thing. I like that. Yep. I am someone who hates puzzles in games. I can’t think of something I want to do less than grind the story to a halt to work out that I have to give the peas to the cat to get the coins that the fishmonger wants to earn the cheese that you give to the guard that unlocks the castle gate. Or, have to fumble around the world looking for hidden objects that I couldn’t possibly have any way of knowing were significant (or even there to begin with) and then rotate them all in just the right order to open a passage. I hate those kinds of puzzles, I just don’t have the right brain for them, and that’s the main reason I avoid actual point-and-click adventure games like the plague.

What Digital Exorcist did was create the hypothetical idea of a puzzle. What it presents to you makes you feel like a smart detective, as if you’re solving a puzzle. However, you can’t really fail. You get the satisfying feeling of solving a puzzle, but without the gut wrenching frustration that comes with the reality of that task. This for me was the perfect implementation of a ‘puzzle’ in a game, as it made me feel smart and a part of the action without needing any logical thinking, which I’m just not any good at. For anyone who actually enjoys obnoxious world puzzles, that element of this game might feel a little simplistic and under-baked, but for me, it was absolutely perfect. 

Ultimately, the gameplay is nothing more than a visual novel, and a pretty linear one at that. While there are plenty of dialogue options, it doesn’t really have a branching story that you can affect in any great way. However, for an hour long VN, I wouldn’t expect much more from it – the game is what it is, and that’s just fine by me. 

Digital Exorcist’s Story and Writing

As a neo-noir game about demon summoning, I don’t think you’ll be surprised to hear me say that this game is edgy! Expect blood and gore, course language, and occult references galore. As an avid fan of dark and edgy characters, settings, and stories, I have to say that this game worked really well for me. The violence didn’t feel gratuitous or pointless, it was always necessary for the plot; and as for language, I wouldn’t expect a jaded murder detective to hold back his curse words. 

This is a world which I really enjoyed – the fusion of magic and technology was cool, and reminded me of some of my favourite franchises. While the fantasy-cyberpunk genre has been explored in a more questy-adventure style before with games like Shadowrun, this is clearly a lot more of a gritty science fantasy with a tone more comparable to Blade Runner. The story lives up to the creepy horror tone with a noir chill that the art and theming tries to create, meshing well into a cohesive final product.

The game takes place in a semi-fictionalised country, the setting a hybrid between Japan and the United States. Our narrative begins in a small town named Mississippi-Inaka, and constant references throughout the game establish a very Americanised version of Japan. The worldbuilding of this mixed with the lore of the Æthernet and the commonplace nature of demon attacks create an intriguing setting which I genuinely want to explore more of, perhaps in a full length game.

A taste of the Æthernet lore

The game doesn’t have many characters, with us spending the overwhelming majority of our time with protagonist Sawyer and his demon assistant. An unwilling protagonist at first, we see him come out of his shell whilst his mind is warped by demonic forces as the story progresses. His character development is portrayed very well, with the player feeling placed right into the shoes of a washed up retiree dragged back into the dark and seedy world of demon attacks.

A lot of the game’s poor reviews criticise the online forum section on the game, and while I wouldn’t necessarily agree with them, it’s definitely a valid concern. The game’s fictional dark-web site is clearly based on the infamous 4chan, and as such, the game writes it to be an edge-lord filled cesspit with slurs, confrontational behaviour, and conspiracy theories galore. While the coarse and at times hateful words used in that section of the game did put me on edge just a little, I hope the fact that it is only contained to that section of the game means it was there for thematic storytelling, rather than an excuse for the creators to let their edge out. While I can understand the argument that using such words is unacceptable even within art, it wouldn’t feel like a particularly convincing dark-web site without people being revolting to one another. Like it or not, this language doesn’t feel out of place by any means.

The one drawback to the writing for me was honestly the meme references. I understand the impulse to do this – I really do. As someone who once upon a time took every opportunity to sneak phrases like ‘among us’ or ‘we live in a society’ into all the articles I wrote, and included multiple references to ‘hawk tuah’ into the DC fanfiction I’m currently writing, I am no stranger to the le epic reference. But here, I just don’t feel that it worked. A lot of the characters indulge in internet speak in a way that I don’t think is particularly fitting for the world filled with flea-bitten and overworked cops. I don’t know if I buy a young female cop calling an old man in a trenchcoat a ‘disgusting NEET’ as particularly realistic, and I think that the opening line of the game being a steamed hams reference might have detracted a little from the immersion.

Ahh, superintendent Chalmers, Welcome!

I get that this is very much a game inspired by the internet – online counter culture is baked into the plot, and on a pure comedy level, I really do understand why they did this, and must guiltily admit I’d probably have done the same. But, as someone playing the game and looking for a serious story, I think this is a bit too out of place to simply gloss over. A small complaint compared to everything I liked about the writing for sure, but a definite nag point nonetheless.

Only a terminally online person would say that

Another general issue that would perhaps impact a longer game was the lack of meaningful choices and different endings. While the game gives you lots of dialogue choices and interactions, there is always only one correct choice, and the game will just throw up some generic “guess again!” style text if you pick the wrong option. I don’t think a linear story is too much of a problem for such a short game, but some VN fans may take issue with it nonetheless. The idea of a good ending, a bad ending, the possibility of failing are common genre tropes that this game doesn’t really seem to play with. 

What’s Next For Digital Exorcist?

Digital Exorcist is very short for a visual novel at just under an hour long. While many VNs run for a couple of hours or less, many more sprawl out into a huge story that you’ll sink 24 hours or more into reading. Given the epilogue built into the end of the game, it’s hard to deny that this whole experience felt like a prologue to a full game. I know I’d back a Kickstarter to see a full length version of this game, something 20+ hours long, as this world needs to be explored so much further. I adored this game, but it was still in the context of a free indie game, and it’s hard to shake the feeling it’s a demo to a much longer fantastic game that’s being kept from us.

That’s why I’m happy to report that there is more Digital Exorcist on the way. Checking out the Steam page, you’ll see that there is a sequel announced, which has a page on steam in the ‘coming soon’ state. Digital Exorcist: CF1_Defrag seems to be the follow-up to the first game, which had Case 0 added to the title since I downloaded it. This naming convention leads me to believe that the game may be released in chapters or cases. Whether it’ll still be free remains to be seen, but going in order of case 0, 1, etc implies that, as an indie passion project studio, they may go case by case until they have a full game’s worth of content, and potentially stitch it together for a major release at the end.

Even if it is just one more case rather than a full game all at once, I’d definitely hyped to see more from the world they created. I do hope it’s a little longer this time, perhaps 2-3 hours for a single investigation, and since 0 was a prologue, hopefully that’ll be the case.

In a follow-up game, what I would like to see is a more developed combat system. This game has a number of scripted outcomes designed to feel like an JRPG battle menu, but at its heart, it’s a little simplistic. As a big fan of turn-based games and SMT combat, I’d definitely enjoy a more robust battle system if they have the time and resources to implement it. Just please keep the easy puzzles because uhh, I don’t know if I have the brainpower for ones that require actual thought.  

But a sequel is not the only exciting news from the world of Digital Exorcist. There is also another game named Aether Singularity listed under the Steam tab. It’s by a different developer, so I’m not sure if it’s a fan game, or a different project by some/all of the same people who made the first one. However, it’s quite radically different, with graphics more akin to a PS1 game than PC98, and with a more ‘Resident Evil 1’ action RPG movement and combat system. It keeps the core concept of playing as a demonologist detective, but the visuals lean in hard to the sci-fi futuristic intervet vibe. That worldbuilding element was one of the biggest draws this franchise had for me, so I’m excited to see it explored in more detail. Regardless of how official this title is, it looks like the Digital Exorcist IP will be expanding in the best way very soon.

A promotional image from Aether Singularity

Digital Exorcist’s Value for Money

This is an easy one, as the game is free, and you absolutely can’t say any better than that. In my experience, (not counting free to play with microtransactions) there are two kinds of games that are given away completely free on Steam. They are either amazing but short passion projects that one dev or a small team sunk hundreds of hours into and just wanted to share something fun with the world, or they’re an asset flip/practice game so lazy that even the creator doesn’t dare ask for money for it. I’m happy to report that Digital Exorcist is very much in that first category, as what they have here is a wonderful introduction to a hypothetical full game that is very much worth money, and feels like a demo that would have me wishlisting the real thing without hesitation. For a  title with this much character and attention to detail, you absolutely can’t say better than free, so thank you dev team, you now have a loyal fan of your new IP, I can’t wait to see what you do with it.

Conclusion

While this game is really short, and clearly the first part of an ongoing story, I still absolutely loved it. It set up a world I desperately want to learn more about, and had absolutely fantastic vibes and a great story. With both a sequel and a spinoff game on the way, I definitely feel like this is an indie title to watch. If you enjoy visual novels, are a fan of OG Shin Megami Tensei games, or just want a fun, spooky story full of cyberpunk occultism, you can’t go wrong with Digital Exorcist.

Rating this game within the context of being a free game and a visual novel, I would award it 4/5 – highly recommended. It can definitely benefit from a longer story, a more developed combat system, and some branching story paths, but the base they’ve built themselves is very solid, and I have to say that I’m excited for more. Bravo.