Pro Yakyuu? Satsujin Jiken!

About

Pro Yakyuu? Satsujin Jiken! is a Capcom adventure game that throws baseball and whodunits into a chaotic blender. You play a retired baseball commentator framed for murder, fleeing police while investigating the crime. The gameplay shifts between text-based dialogue choices, mini-games, and sudden shoot-em-up sequences when cops chase you. It leans into Famicom-era tropes, cramming a murder mystery, sports mechanics, and slapstick action into one bizarre package. The game earned a 9.0/10 from one player who called it "iconic" and "so funny," with 47.5 hours of playtime. Released December 24, 1988 in Japan, it’s a self-aware parody of the era’s baseball and detective games, including Capcom’s own Pro Yakyuu series. Its absurdity, like a sports reporter solving a murder while dodging arrests, reflects the developer’s playful experimentation. Notable for dropping the same day as Rockman 2, it’s a forgotten gem ripe for retro fans who enjoy games that don’t take themselves seriously.

Storyline

The main character, Igawa, was once a professional baseball player, but is now retired and works as a sports news commentator. One day, while Igawa was watching TV at home, a breaking news report came on. It was the news that a man had been found dead in a hotel in Tokyo. Just then, the chime of Igawa's house rang, and his fellow baseball player, Hora, came to visit. An exhausted-looking Hora told Igawa that he had been suffering from alopecia areata and had consulted his fellow baseball player Kakifu about medication. While Hora and Kakifu were conversing at a hotel in Tokyo, a reporter from a sports newspaper he knew suddenly appeared and handed Hora an attaché case. When Hora tried to ask him what happened, the reporter fled, and when Hora saw the stranger running toward him, he panicked and immediately ran away, coming to Igawa to ask for help. Realizing that the hotel was the same as the one where the man's body was found, Igawa urged Hola to examine the attaché case. When he opens the attaché case, he finds a large wad of cash inside. Just then, a group of policemen rush in, chasing after Hora. Igawa insisted to the officers that Hora was to blame for everything and that he had done nothing wrong. In a further panic, Hora went into Igawa's house and fled out the back door. Igawa hurriedly chased after him. Chased by the police as an important witness, Igawa evaded their pursuit and began an investigation to prove his own innocence.