is a

visual novel A visual novel (VN) is a form of digital interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with static or animated illustratio ...

and the third entry in the "Sound Novel Evolution" series published by Chunsoft. It was ported to PlayStation (retitled ), and for PlayStation Portable as .

Gameplay

''Machi'' features a branching narrative, consisting of players using eight characters at the start of the game.https://www.4gamer.net/games/065/G006552/20180912031/

Characters

* Keima Amemiya: a detective * Jintarō Umabe: an actor * Masami Ushio: a gangster * Yoshiko Hosoi: a part-time worker * Masashi Shinoda: a university student * Ryūji Takamine: a legion deserter * Fumiyasu Ichikawa: a screenwriter * Yōhei Tobisawa: an idol * Atsushi Takamine: Ryuji's father * Norio Aoi: a pariah * Isamu Sagiyama: an assistant director * Patrick Dandy: a marriage swindler * Shōjirō Kaizuka: a politician

Reception

''Machi'' sold 164,866 copies in Japan. ''

Famitsu , formerly , is a line of Japanese Video game journalism, video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly f ...

'' scored the game 33 out of 40. It ranked fifth at the top 100 reader poll of their favorite games of all time. In 2017, ''Famitsu'' readers voted it one of the top five

adventure game An adventure game is a video game genre in which the player assumes the role of a protagonist in an interactive story, driven by exploration and/or puzzle-solving. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based m ...

s of all time.

Proposed sequel

A proposed sequel to ''Machi'' was cancelled, but a chapter of it was adapted as a 1998 television miniseries ''Tōmei Shōjo Ea'' (''Invisible Girl Ea'').

Spiritual successor

'' 428: Shibuya Scramble'' is set in the same location with many references.

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1998 video games Chunsoft games Japan-exclusive video games PlayStation (console) games PlayStation Portable games Sega Saturn games Single-player video games Video games about police officers Video games developed in Japan Video games featuring female protagonists Video games set in Tokyo Visual novels