Who can be trusted? What's the most cautious choice?
Death Come True is a murder mystery adventure FMV game written and directed by Kazutaka Kodaka, creator of the Danganronpa series as one of the entries by Too Kyo Games.
Makoto Karaki wakes up in a hotel with amnesia only to find himself the main suspect in a series of murders and the ability to "Time Leap", able to go back into the past when he dies. But he'll soon learn there are others with secrets of their own while being pursued by a mysterious figure who wants them dead.
The game released on June 25, 2020 for Nintendo Switch and iOS. It was later released on Steam on July 17, 2020, with a PlayStation 4 release following on November 12, 2020.
Death Come True provides examples of:
- Actually, I Am Him: Akane mentions that she has a lover who is also an investigator. Makoto assumes she's referring to Kuji, before remembering that it's about him.
- Advertised Extra: Out of 6 known characters, Nene Kurushima and Kenichi Mino have no real role in the story and appear only in isolated routes.
- Amnesiac Dissonance: Makoto Karaki is a wanted Serial Killer, but currently he has no idea who he is and tries to resolve the situation as peacefully as possible. It's because he is not actually Makoto Karaki, but a nameless detective experiencing his memories.
- Batter Up!: The Masked Figure uses a bat as a weapon in one of the routes.
- Big Bad: The Masked Figure is the one who presumably started the current mess and is currently hunting the cast. His identity is Nozomu Kuji, who killed the real Makoto and Akane, and currently is hacking into COME TRUE system to prevent Akane's lover from learning what happened from Makoto's memories.
- Bittersweet Ending: The protagonist brings Kuji to justice with evidence Akane has found, but he can't undo her death.
- By-the-Book Cop: Akane tries to arrest Makoto, but still hears him out when there's a chance.
- Casting Gag: Makoto is played by Kanata Hongo, who previously performed as Makoto Naegi in the stage adaptation of Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, as well as the voice of Ryota Mitarai in Danganronpa 3.
- Chainsaw Good: The Masked Figure uses a chainsaw in one route.
- Closet Shuffle: Makoto can hide either himself or Akane in the closet at various points.
- Coincidental Broadcast: Letting the police officer into Makoto's room while the television is on and shows Makoto as a wanted fugitive results in an early Game Over where Makoto was shot by said police as he tries to escape.
- The Corrupter: Kuji thinks that even if he gets shot, Akane should at least become a Dirty Cop like him.
- Damsel in Distress: Akane has the second most deaths after Makoto, and he's trying to prevent them. The Akane in the real world is already dead, but that doesn't mean Makoto would give up.
- Dark Is Evil: The Masked Figure wears black cape, black gas mask, surrounded by the black mist and an active killer. The cast don't even consider them to be human.
- Dead All Along: As soon as Makoto considers that Akane may not be real and thus not in danger, he remembers her autopsy report. The real Akane Sachimura was dead for a long and the current is made from memories.
- Death Is a Slap on the Wrist: Dying is commonly required to take advantage of new information prior to the reset.
- Death Is the Only Option: Sometimes Makoto goes with options he knows would get him killed to gain more info. Sometimes there is just no other option.
- Digitized Hacker: The Masked Figure, Kuji, is currently trying to erase COME TRUE system and everyone in it, both from outside and in person. Though if Makoto accepts his offer to stay, Kuji honors his deal.
- Do Not Spoil This Ending: The into cutscenes asks to not post spoilers or livestreams of the game.
- Evolving Title Screen: The count of colorful ladybugs in the opening scene increases with every ending achieved. Also counts as Visual Pun, as you make progress more "bugs" appear in VR.
- Expy: The Masked Figure has similar appearance as Zero from Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors, who is also a kidnapper.
- Forgotten First Meeting: Makoto remembers meeting Akane before, but clearly she doesn't. It's because he is not actually Makoto and doesn't look like him.
- A Glitch in the Matrix: The story taking place Inside a Computer System becomes less subtle as the games continues.
- "Groundhog Day" Loop: If killed at specific points, Makoto wakes up in his room to the 5 AM news broadcast.
- Gut Feeling: Despite being a wanted killer, Akane trusts most of what Makoto says because "he doesn't look like lying". Fortunately for her, he's completely honest.
- Hell Hotel: The hotel is unsettlingly empty besides people who are trying to kill you and/or know more than they let on. There's a reason for it.
- The Lost Lenore: The Operator used the COME TRUE system to learn about Akane's death, with whom they were lovers.
- Info Dump: The Concierge eventually reveals that the entire hotel is a simulated virtual reality system known as COME TRUE, the environment being generated from the memories of the real Akane Sachimura and Makoto Karaki's corpses at the protagonist's request to find out the truth behind their deaths. The system placed him under the avatar of Makoto to experience the events from his point of view, and being a simulation it allows him to alter the events in their memories to different ends, and his "Time Leap" is a system function to undo any mistakes that led to his apparent "deaths" in the simulation. However, an ongoing hacking from an outside force has caused an error that wiped his memories as a result, and will cause his mind to never return to his body should he still be inside when the system crashes.
- Interactive Movie: Despite being a game, it's entirely made up with scenes with real actors, the player can only choose the order of choices. It's also about as long as a regular movie.
- "Leave Your Quest" Test: Near the ending, since Akane is "technically alive" in COME TRUE, Kuji gives you a choice: to stay in Lotus-Eater Machine with her and he'd leave you be, or expose his crimes in real world but letting Akane to die for real. Surprisingly, choosing to stay results in exactly what promised, and the system gets access to more areas besides the hotel.
- Loony Fan: Nene Kurushima is hots for Makoto Karaki, the Serial Killer, and would love to assist in his murders even if he asks not to. She would even love to be killed herself.
- The Many Deaths of You: There are over dozens of bad endings that get Makoto killed, each coming with an achievement.
- Mr. Exposition: The hotel's concierge asks to come to him if there are any problems. Makoto decides that explaining what's even going on is a such problem.
- Motive Rant: Kuji argues that he took payments from criminals to hire informants, to then arrest more criminals than normal police's methods would. A few innocents dying to protect others innocents to him sounds like a reasonable operation for Special Investigation Division.
- Multiple Endings: There are multiple outcomes of the ending, affected by the various choices made throughout the game.
- No Name Given: The protagonist's actual name was never revealed; his placement as the avatar of Makoto Karaki was a function of the COME TRUE system to experience Makoto's memories from his point of view.
- Not What It Looks Like: Nene sees Akane tied up and Makoto comes up with "it's just a hobby" as an excuse. While he's realizing what kind of "hobbies" involve a rope, Nene comes up with even worse ideas.
- Ontological Mystery: Who is Makoto Karaki and what happened to him?
- Ominous Visual Glitch: At some point the TV turns on by itself and incredibly jammed. Later the entire hotel acts this way.
- Press X to Die: The player has to choose "continue" after every death. Choosing "end" will result in a Non-Standard Game Over where you will have to restart the entire game from the very beginning, except if doing do at the final choice.
- Psychometry: In Visual Mode, selecting an action will show a brief preview of what will occur.
- Rabid Cop: Unlike Akane, Nozomu Kuji would not hear Makoto's explanation and wants to arrest him as quickly as possible. He's actually a Dirty Cop who takes money from criminals, and has killed the real Akane and Makoto.
- Revealing Continuity Lapse: The Masked Figure can sometimes pop in routes where he didn't before if you pick all same choices, partially cluing Makoto in on what's going on.
- Save Scumming: If killed, Makoto comes to his senses at some of the previous choice points with extra knowledge. Considering it's Inside a Computer System, this is more of a literal case.
- Selective Obliviousness: Makoto brushes off some hints that there's more to the hotel than he thinks until the player gets to decide to investigate.
- The Summation: When all puzzle pieces and relevant people get together, Makoto recaps the situation: Detective Kuji hired Makoto Karaki to kill Akane because she found about his connections with the underworld, and has prepared documents for Makoto to escape to another country. Kuji, however, didn't intend to keep his promise. Makoto, sensing that something's up, killed Akane without using his M.O. shortly before being killed himself, provoking her partner and lover to use COME TRUE to see inside Makoto's brain to learn what really happened. Though it only explains the past events, the rest comes up shortly after.
- Tomato in the Mirror: You are not Makoto Karaki, but a nameless low-rank detective from Akane's division using Virtual-Reality Interrogation. On top of that, the real Makoto is dead and doesn't actually look like you.
- Serial Killer: Makoto Karaki allegedly, who's been reported to strangle many girls in dark alleys with a rope.
- Shoot Him, He Has a Wallet!: Kuji shoots Makoto while he's reaching for his phone to show evidence. Kuji has actually exploited this to make Akane less suspicious of him.
- Sympathetic Inspector Antagonist: Akane Sachimura is a member of Special Investigation Division on the hunt for Makoto Karaki. Even though current Makoto is not as murderous as he should be, it's hard to blame her for trying to apprehend him.
- The Un-Reveal: You learn what COME TRUE is, but not who operates it or how Kuji was able to hack it. While strange, in the end it doesn't matter.
- Virtual-Reality Interrogation: The purpose of COME TRUE system is to treat brain disorders, but is also used by the police.
- Your Heart's Desire: During the confrontation, Koji offers the Operator to stay in the virtual world with Akane, who is dead in the real world. He'll undo the hacking and disconnect them from outside world. He does honor this promise if taken.
- You Wake Up in a Room: Makoto wakes up in a hotel room while television says he's a wanted murderer.
