Staffer Retro : A Supernatural Mystery Quest
Our verdict
8.5/10
- Difficulty: Medium
- Players: 1
- Playtime: 20–30 h
Staffer Retro is a story-heavy detective adventure from Team Tetrapod, the studio behind Staffer Case. You play Verita, a teenage girl at a second-hand shop on an island town, who digs into past incidents involving supernatural powers. Investigation means talking, exploring and combining clues from over 40 kinds of documents, across six acts with eleven endings and full Japanese voice acting. It suits solo players who like long mystery visual novels.
With 61 of 62 Steam reviews positive but only four written reviews to go on, the evidence is narrow. Those players agree on the writing and the animated art, and three of the four single out Act 3, a case where the truth flips around, as the high point. Returning fans say the plot and characters are stronger than in Staffer Case, though the deduction is gentler and less open.
The main criticism is that Act 5 and the epilogue drop the open investigation structure and feel rushed. Reviewers took 17 to 40 hours, so this is a big game. If you enjoy document-based deduction and anime-style mysteries, it looks like a safe buy; newcomers wanting hard deduction may prefer Staffer Case first.
Pros
- Document-combining deduction with over 100 clues to connect
- Act 3 is praised by reviewers as the best case in the series
- Six acts, eleven endings and a fully voiced cast
Cons
- Act 5 and the epilogue drop open investigation and feel rushed
- Deduction is lighter and more linear than in Staffer Case
- Very long and text-heavy; only four written reviews so far
About
An island town where supernatural powers exist...
Dive into the truth of the past,
all obscured by the monotony of daily life.[Staffer Retro] is a detective adventure that explores past events related to supernatural powers.
Synopsis
A world where supernatural abilities exist.
Plus, tools with mysterious powers, 'STAFF.'For Verita, an ordinary girl who resides in a second-hand store, Shop Retro, these things sound like stories from a far-off world. That is, until she's suddenly buried under a considerable debt.
You’ll be joining Verita on her journey, by Help her resolve the story’s contradictions and mysteries, and decide how she should act. Hidden stories behind the scenes and various tricks you might have missed if you weren’t paying close attention are waiting for you.
Delve into how these supernatural powers have shaped the past!
Choose your actions!
Use conversation or exploration to gather information and new documents, then reach your own conclusion as you reason through what you've found. The results of your own choices and logic can lead you toward a different ending.
Use logic to combine documents
Make use of the document-centric system that has defined the Staffer series! Combine information about these supernatural happenings recorded on all sorts of documents in order to discover a brand-new truth.
Over 40 unique kinds of documents holding over 100 different clues and The rules behind these supernatural powers, and all these suspicious records... are waiting you!
Recall the truth of the incident ─ Re:Story system
Sort through six types of documents in order to find the clues to the story playing out. Once you fill them all out, the truth hidden within might just make itself known.
Reveal the truth behind the story ─ Retro system
Behind the seemingly peaceful daily routine, a vicious truth lies in wait... At the end of each mystery, the 'dark side' exists to be uncovered. Turn the conclusion on its head in order to discover a new ending.
Voice acting for the main story features over 20 characters
The story, consisting of 6 episodes (Acts) and 11 endings, features over 20 characters voiced by a talented cast of 17 or more Japanese voice actors. Solve the mystery with voice recordings equivalent to two full seasons of a Japanese anime series!
Animations that breathe life into Characters & Cutscene
Enjoy high-quality illustrations brought to life with Spine animation!
All characters, including extra characters, have been animated. And also applied a variety of facial expressions to the characters to create a more realistic presentation.
*All content in this game may be freely streamed.
*No generative AI was used at any stage of this game's development.
