- A new title from MANICHI GAMES, the indie label of Japanese game company SPIKE Inc.
- A courtroom drama pitting the prosecutor’s song against deduction… Scheduled for PC Steam release in 2027
MANICHI GAMES, a game label of Japanese game company SPIKE Inc., announced a new courtroom mystery adventure game for PC (Steam) titled ‘Verdict by Midnight’ and unveiled the Steam store page on November 11.
‘Opera Trial’ is an adventure game with a unique concept where prosecutors and defense attorneys compete in deduction through ‘songs’ in court. It adopts a format where players fill in the blanks in the case file through deduction, and the completed sentences become song lyrics containing the truth of the case, leading to a dramatic courtroom battle.
The official release is scheduled for 2027, and the price has not yet been revealed. Prior to the official launch, the first episode, which is approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes long, is scheduled to be released as a free Steam demo later this year.
The currently released Steam store page and official trailer support a total of 5 languages, including Korean.
Mysterious death in a game festival demo room… The first case taken on by a rookie lawyer who lost his memory
The incident begins when a famous director is found dead in a game festival demo room. Only the fingerprints of popular streamer ‘Tsubame,’ identified as the defendant, were found on the trophy used as the murder weapon at the scene.
Kanade, a rookie lawyer assigned to defend Tsubame, falls into a state of amnesia where she cannot even recall her own name immediately after regaining consciousness in court.
As the protagonist begins the story having lost their memory, the player works in tandem with Kanade to gradually uncover the rules of the court and the relationships between the surrounding characters. The game unfolds in an omnibus style, with each episode dealing with a single independent case, and the first episode is approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes long.
A legal battle fought through songs… Fill in the blanks in the transcript to complete the lyrics of the truth
The courtroom battle unfolds in a unique way where the deductions of the prosecutor and the defense attorney clash through song. As the prosecutor presents the prosecution’s arguments in a song, Kanade fills in the blanks of the case file with her deductions to complete the lyrics containing the truth.
During the interrogation process, you must verify the witness’s statements sentence by sentence and ‘pressure’ on suspicious points to delve into the matter in detail.
You can present a rebuttal by finding and presenting evidence that contradicts the testimony, and it is even possible to overturn the entire testimony with a single decisive piece of evidence. The key is to reconstruct the full story of the case by filling in the blanks in the record with clues obtained in court in this way.
According to the developer, the song sequences do not include separate rhythm action controls. Instead, the exchange continues by having the prosecutor retract the corresponding part of the song lyrics if a contradiction in the testimony is accurately identified during the interrogation.
From intuitive guesses of the culprit to a ‘self-made musical’ bonus
When the trial goes into recess, you can predict the culprit in advance based on your intuition. You may choose not to identify the culprit and proceed, and this choice does not affect the main story or the puzzle-solving process.
The difficulty is divided into three levels: Casual, Normal, and Hard. The developer recommends ‘Casual’ mode for beginners to mystery games, ‘Normal’ for users who enjoy the genre occasionally, and ‘Hard’ for those seeking a more serious deduction experience. In Hard difficulty, the hint function is restricted, and the number of blanks to fill in on the investigation report increases.
In the bonus mode ‘Self Musical,’ you can sing along to lyrics that change color. If you connect a microphone, it even supports a singing score feature, but you can still enjoy the mode to the end without a microphone.
Upon clearing the game, a ‘Defense Counsel Score’ card is unlocked, along with a gallery where you can re-listen to the in-game courtroom songs. The score card allows you to view your gameplay records at a glance, including damage taken during interrogation, transcript hints used, remaining lives, difficulty selection, and predicted culprit.
Japan’s Spike Indie Label’s First Release… Utilizing AI Throughout Production
MANICHI GAMES is an indie game label operated by the Japanese software developer SPIKE Inc., specializing in the mystery adventure genre. ‘Opera Trial’ is the first title released by this label, and MANICHI GAMES handled both the development and publishing directly.
The developer stated that generative AI technology was extensively utilized in the production process of this title. AI was used for illustrations of characters, backgrounds, and evidence, as well as for background music (BGM), in-game songs, sound effects such as shouts, and translation work.
For the script, dialogue, and programming areas, developers personally selected, supplemented, and modified various drafts suggested by AI. Furthermore, the development company explained that they personally reviewed all materials to be applied to the game, refined necessary parts, and verified rights such as copyright before incorporating them.
‘Verdict by Midnight’, which adds the fun of a mystery adventure to a unique courtroom battle fought through songs, opened its Steam store page on November 11 and began preparations for its full-scale release.
As a free trial version of Episode 1 is scheduled to be released this year ahead of the official launch in 2027, it would be a good idea for gamers who have been waiting for a unique courtroom mystery to add it to their Steam wishlist in advance.
Information regarding ‘Verdict by Midnight’
| item | detail |
|---|---|
| Game name | Opera Trial – Verdict by Midnight (歌劇裁判 – Verdict by Midnight) |
| Development and Release | MANICHI GAMES(マンイチ) / SPIKE Inc. |
| Genre | A courtroom mystery adventure where you fight with songs |
| platform | PC (Steam) |
| Release | Scheduled for 2027, price TBD |
| Trial version | Episode 1 Free Trial Version (approx. 2 hours 30 minutes), scheduled for release within the year |
| language | Japanese, English, Simplified/Traditional Chinese, Korean |
| Official Site | Shortcut |
| Steam Page | Shortcut |
