In the shadow of a massive earthquake, you must brave a destroyed city where your choices will determine who survives.
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My partner and I last week went on an adventure of an absolute lifetime. Diaster Report 4 is a Japanese game about the experiences of a city going through a devistating Earthquake that has you meeting people of all sorts. From those in dire need to those who want to use the diaster for their own mischievous deeds.
The story of this game is the driving point and if you've ever played Yakuza games and experienced the sub stories of that series. Imagine that, same type of wild scenarios, legit same text box and cutscene layout. You will encounter all kinds of human drama as you progress through this horrific diaster. As you continue walking through collapsed buildings, people dead on the ground and even houses sinking, your character embarks to help people out and save themselves from the city.
It's harrowing. This game is so terrifying because it is so real and such a genuine worry for those who live in earthquake prone countries like Japan.
You go to help a mum and her kids from a building and as you leave to get help, they sink and perish in the water. It's horrificly subtle in it's approach to make the player feel dread.
That in itself is the story. The people you help and the people you can't, all make for a fantastic experience.
Gameplay wise, it's a walking sim. Essentially you will walk and talk to every NPC (and I mean EVERY single one. They all have amazing names if they're generic filler NPCS but every one has their own unique dialouge) It's like Yakuza but no combat. You will move around and interact with objects and people, QTE to get through some blocks along the way.
Mostly the gameplay is straight forward. It may not be the most exciting for most but for me, it was perfect. You feel like you're in their shoes, walking around and finding yourself in the most insane stories.
Diaster Report 4 is not for everyone. It's a hard recommend because it is so janky and so unique. It is the definition of a passion project. So much love went into making this game and it really did make me understand just how terrifying natrual diasters are. People die, you can't save everyone, good deeds can go punished.
I love every part of this game and watching A play this was distressing and so many "oh wow" moments.
I can't say it enough that this game is so unique and so fit for my specific tastes, despite it's jank, it is so unbelievably good and I've never seen anything like it.
The story of this game is the driving point and if you've ever played Yakuza games and experienced the sub stories of that series. Imagine that, same type of wild scenarios, legit same text box and cutscene layout. You will encounter all kinds of human drama as you progress through this horrific diaster. As you continue walking through collapsed buildings, people dead on the ground and even houses sinking, your character embarks to help people out and save themselves from the city.
It's harrowing. This game is so terrifying because it is so real and such a genuine worry for those who live in earthquake prone countries like Japan.
You go to help a mum and her kids from a building and as you leave to get help, they sink and perish in the water. It's horrificly subtle in it's approach to make the player feel dread.
That in itself is the story. The people you help and the people you can't, all make for a fantastic experience.
Gameplay wise, it's a walking sim. Essentially you will walk and talk to every NPC (and I mean EVERY single one. They all have amazing names if they're generic filler NPCS but every one has their own unique dialouge) It's like Yakuza but no combat. You will move around and interact with objects and people, QTE to get through some blocks along the way.
Mostly the gameplay is straight forward. It may not be the most exciting for most but for me, it was perfect. You feel like you're in their shoes, walking around and finding yourself in the most insane stories.
Diaster Report 4 is not for everyone. It's a hard recommend because it is so janky and so unique. It is the definition of a passion project. So much love went into making this game and it really did make me understand just how terrifying natrual diasters are. People die, you can't save everyone, good deeds can go punished.
I love every part of this game and watching A play this was distressing and so many "oh wow" moments.
I can't say it enough that this game is so unique and so fit for my specific tastes, despite it's jank, it is so unbelievably good and I've never seen anything like it.
this game is so interesting. it's janky, looks crusty, and doesn't have much gameplay variety. but it's also not like anything i've played. i feel like this game very suited to a specific crowd. if you like the parts of yakuza where you just explore, talk to NPCs, find weird events, and have a tolerance to jank: then play this. it's got a lot of heart and it's overall a great experience (besides one poorly handled plot point towards the end.) definitely gonna play the rest of the series.
This game is a mess. Its tonally inconsistent in a way that feels arbitrary rather than considered, and its systems are nonsensical. Does it actually matter if i pee regularly? Why do i have to eat when i can go several chapters on “very hungry” with no consequences? Why are we tracking morality points when they dont have any bearing on the ending? Why is it sometimes immoral to fleece people for cash and other times its fine? Why is it moral to recruit people into a shady cult but immoral to save yourself from human traffickers ? Its fully nonsense in a way that is tiring instead of engaging.
The moment to moment gameplay is also unfortunately tedious. I played almost the whole game with a guide open because it was so incredibly unclear how i was meant to progress at all times. The game constantly wants you to speak to specific unmarked npcs in a specific order with no clear logic as to who you need to speak to next. Its peak bad adventure game design, pixel hunting for dialogue often in levels that are tedious to navigate. The flooded apartments are a notable low point for this and are the core reason i abandoned the idea of a second play through.
The game is simply at odds with itself whiplashing between real human tragedy and wacky sideplots worthy of a Yakuza substory. Unfortunately it lacks the compelling core narrative and endearing characters that define that other much more successful franchise.
Ultimately though, i did finish the game. The premise and setting were compelling and unique. Navigating the immediate aftermath of a large scale earthquake is something i havent experienced in a game before. While the game eventually collapses under the weight of its own disjointed ideas, the first hour or two was enough to get its hooks in me. I think id hesitate to recommend the game to most people, but ill be waiting for the announcement of Disaster Report 5 with some small amount of anticipation.
Game Highlight: i really enjoyed how delightfully low budget this was. This is a prime example of whater mean by shorter games by people who are paid more etc etc.
The moment to moment gameplay is also unfortunately tedious. I played almost the whole game with a guide open because it was so incredibly unclear how i was meant to progress at all times. The game constantly wants you to speak to specific unmarked npcs in a specific order with no clear logic as to who you need to speak to next. Its peak bad adventure game design, pixel hunting for dialogue often in levels that are tedious to navigate. The flooded apartments are a notable low point for this and are the core reason i abandoned the idea of a second play through.
The game is simply at odds with itself whiplashing between real human tragedy and wacky sideplots worthy of a Yakuza substory. Unfortunately it lacks the compelling core narrative and endearing characters that define that other much more successful franchise.
Ultimately though, i did finish the game. The premise and setting were compelling and unique. Navigating the immediate aftermath of a large scale earthquake is something i havent experienced in a game before. While the game eventually collapses under the weight of its own disjointed ideas, the first hour or two was enough to get its hooks in me. I think id hesitate to recommend the game to most people, but ill be waiting for the announcement of Disaster Report 5 with some small amount of anticipation.
Game Highlight: i really enjoyed how delightfully low budget this was. This is a prime example of whater mean by shorter games by people who are paid more etc etc.
Played this game on vanilla PS4. Ran like dogwater, but I'm convinced that's part of the charm. I had a lot of fun with this one. Something about the game hitting sub 20 FPS whenever anything cool happened actually grew on me pretty fast. I think there's an epilogue/epilogue DLC but I never did it. From what I've read, apparently earlier games had more actual gameplay? That is, actual gameplay mechanics that you interfaced with. It makes sense considering this game is like, the most glorified walking simulator I have ever played. But as a compliment.
I'll probably try the earlier games when I can. (also hey did you know that the hit (lmao) shoot-em-up R-Type Final II (and maybe the original?????) features a homage to the franchise in the form of a ship called the 'Disaster Report'? It's an awful ship, it actually sucks. You should play both that game and this one.)
I'll probably try the earlier games when I can. (also hey did you know that the hit (lmao) shoot-em-up R-Type Final II (and maybe the original?????) features a homage to the franchise in the form of a ship called the 'Disaster Report'? It's an awful ship, it actually sucks. You should play both that game and this one.)
it's cute
One of the most bizarre yet compelling experiences I've had with a video game. It has so many problems with its technical performance and gameplay, yet there's something so endearing about it. The way it portrays people in the midst of a natural disaster feels melodramatic yet strangely human, and seeing the destruction caused by these disasters could be genuinely affecting at times. I just love how this game is able to balance tragedy, comedy, and moments of peace in a way that feels mostly coherent. But unfortunately I don't like the direction its story takes around the end. The tragedy element is hammered down a bit too much, there's a plot twist that's really dumb (but not in a fun way), and there's a plot point involving SA that I thought was handled very poorly. There were moments of Disaster Report 4 where I thought it could be one of my new favorites, but these issues did sour the experience a little bit. Still a very enjoyable experience that I would like to replay in the future.