The Portopia Serial Murder Case stars an unnamed detective, known simply as “Boss,” who alongside his assistant Yasu is tasked with solving the murder of wealthy businessman Kouzou Yamakawa. It was developed by Yuji Horii, who would later go on to create the Dragon Quest series. Initially released for personal computers, Portopia later received remakes for the Famicom and mobile phones, but never left Japan. Within Japan, it is an extremely influential game, having been cited as a source of inspiration by both Eiji Aonuma and Hideo Kojima. Recently, Square Enix filed a new trademark for the Portopia title, indicating that a remake may be on the horizon. The title’s gameplay and story would be best updated for the modern era by drawing from what made Disco Elysium work.
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Disco Elysium’s Skill System Would Pair With Portopia’s Interrogation Mechanic
One of the core mechanics of Portopia Serial Murder Case is calling suspects into police headquarters and interrogating them. Given the game’s age, the interrogation mechanic and dialogue system are naturally fairly straightforward: the player chooses from a list of prompts and the character responds accordingly. However, the choices available to the player allow them to play “good cop” or “bad cop” to some degree - they can politely request the suspect’s alibi or show them evidence, or they can physically steal items from their person. Notably, the player character can, despite the protests of assistant Yasu, force characters to strip to check their bodies for wounds, markings, or other physical evidence.
These interrogation options could be expanded in a remake by implementing a system of skill checks like the one used in Disco Elysium. Players in Elysium have a great deal of freedom in choosing how to build their character: he can be kind and understanding or short-tempered and quick to resort to violence. Which skills the player chooses to invest in also significantly affect the game’s story and outcome, as they determine what NPCs are willing to interact with them and what information they can learn. Portopia adding a similar skill check system would help the player character feel like less of a blank cipher and add variety to the game’s many interrogations.
Yasu Shares Similarities With Kim Kitsuragi
Because the player character is a mostly-silent protagonist, the majority of Portopia’s dialogue comes from his assistant, Yasuhiko Mano, aka “Yasu,” a young, nervous junior detective. Yasu’s role in the plot is very similar to that of Disco Elysium’s Lieutenant Kim Kitsuragi, who assists the protagonist and provides information that the player character lacks due to his amnesia. Throughout the game, Kitsuragi is consistently willing to provide his own unique take on situations and characters, and can be consulted for clues and hints as needed. A Portopia remake should focus heavily on Yasu similarly, allowing him to serve as both a hint system for the player and a fleshed-out character in his own right.
Unfortunately, Square Enix has not shared any official information regarding whether a Portopia remake or re-release is coming. The trademark was filed in late 2022, so it might be several months or even a year or more before any information is revealed. However, if this Portopia Serial Murder Case remake is indeed on the horizon, its development team will hopefully look to Disco Elysium for inspiration on how to deliver a successful murder mystery / adventure game / visual novel hybrid for modern consoles.
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