Tantei Shinshi Dash!

About

Tantei Shinshi Dash! is a visual novel that plays like a choose-your-own whodunit with a snarky lead. You control Agyou Souma, a top-tier detective whose genius is constantly undermined by absurd bad luck. Between solving crimes, he somehow stumbles into bank heists and gang shootouts just by buying coffee. The game splits its focus across four concurrent cases, each with distinct characters and twists. Players piece together clues through dialogue and investigation, though Souma’s deadpan reactions make it clear he’s just as frustrated as you are by the chaos. What sets this apart is its quirky rhythm. The cases run parallel without overlapping, letting you hop between mysteries like a jaded detective with a full plate. Souma’s Class A skills clash with his personal misfortunes, creating a dramedy that leans into the meta-humor of visual novels. Released on Dreamcast in 2000, it’s a niche title that’s aged well for fans of offbeat mystery stories. The optional fifth case adds replay value, though you’ll probably just be there for Souma’s next tragic cup of coffee.

Storyline

New + Storyline Agyou Souma, the protagonist, is the IDLA Class A Detective. IDLA stands for International Detective License Agency. It's a highly respectable agency that evaluates and classifies a detective based on one's ability as a detective, from Class A to Class F. There are only 30 Class A detective in the whole world and there are only 2 Class A detective in Japan. IDLA also collects all kinds of requests and offers them to the detectives to work on it. Its base is located in London. Of course, Souma is the type of person who most likely won't accept any cases from the IDLA. He is a stoic, brooding man of few words, his incredible observation and deduction skills are tempered by his abysmal luck. He can't even step out for a cup of coffee without the cafe being robbed, or cross the street without walking into a firefight between two rival gangs. Still, what can he do? Life goes on... Over the course of the game, Souma works on four separate (but simultaneous) cases, each of which contains a unique storyline that is independent of the others, and meets a vast array of characters. If he clears all four cases with time to spare, a more complex, fifth case is presented.