Judge Shepherd Brings Mystery Visual Novel To BitSummit PUNCH
The game combines a religious-judgment premise with classic visual novel investigation mechanics, and its BitSummit showcase suggests a potential commercial release.
Reporting from 1 sources: Game Spark.
Game Spark reports on 'Judge Shepherd,' a mystery visual novel ADV exhibited at BitSummit PUNCH in Kyoto. The game follows Shepherd, a judge in the theocratic nation of Vkurium, investigating a village for heretical activity. Players investigate scenes, interrogate suspicious villagers, and pass judgment. A demo was playable at the festival.
Shepherd is a judge in the theocratic nation of Vkurium, tasked with finding and interrogating heretics who reject the blessings of the god Kurium. His first mission sends him to Star Village, where suspicious items were found in olive shipments. The villagers all act oddly: Linari switches from wariness to greed when Shepherd claims to be a tourist; café owner Cruise is friendly but sometimes seems like a different person; servant Sophia appears timid yet makes remarks that cut through Shepherd's thoughts. Investigation scenes let the player click on areas to examine, and choices appear that may affect the ending. The demo ends with a call from Shepherd's superior, Chief Brand, who reports an explosion and finds himself holding a lighter engraved with the crest of a heretical terrorist organization.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.