CARTAGRA PC (Final version)

The renowned creators of Kara no Shojo, Set in Ueno, Tokyo, where the wounds of the Pacific War have not yet healed, detective Takashiro Shugo becomes involved in a series of gruesome murders. CARTAGRA, is now available in remastered HD, including the epilogue “Sacrament”! Several years after the end of the war in Showa era Japan, a man travels alone on a train bound for Zushi—Takashiro Shugo, a retired police officer. Despite his retirement, Shugo is on a mission to investigate the disappearance of a well-to-do family’s daughter as a favor to his former boss, Arishima Kazuma, who is currently heading the Ueno Serial Murder Case.

Kozuki Yura. Kazuna begs Shugo to find her sister, but their father, Kozuki Keiichiro, declares bluntly, “My daughter is already dead.” And so the curtain rises on a tragedy set in the town of Ueno, as both fiction and reality intertwine… This is a multi-enidng visual novel where the choices you make alter the path of the story. As the protagonist Shugo delves deeper into both the Ueno Serial Murder Case and the Kouzuki Disappearance Case, unexpected connections between the two incidents begin to reveal themselves. The choices you make will determine the fate of the characters. Cartagra was Innocent Grey’s debut visual novel, the same studio behind the Kara no Shoujo (KnS) trilogy.

It’s very much a product of its time, written by a different scenario writer, which shows. On paper, it should feel similar to KnS: a bleak, gritty murder mystery set in wintertime 1950s Ueno, Japan. In practice, it has too many flaws to recommend without hesitation, even to people who just want context on the Cartagra characters who cameo in the Kara no Shoujo trilogy. One big positive is its length. At around 15–20 hours, it’s much shorter than the KnS games and uses a traditional choice system instead of requiring detective gameplay when investigating rooms and dead bodies. Those who dislike gameplay of CARTAGRA interruptions may prefer this title.

It was also appreciated that Shugo interacts more with adult characters compared to KnS1’s heavy high-school focus, though Cartagra still has a few questionably included high-schooler characters. CARTAGRA nails a mature, depressing atmosphere with fittingly serious music. Shugo, a private detective, investigates brutal murders and uncovers deep, layered character motivations with some interesting reveals. Those mysteries are ultimately what makes this VN lean slightly toward being recommended. Unfortunately, everything surrounding the mystery is what brings down Cartagra as a whole. Shugo is supposed to be a capable war-veteran detective, yet he frequently relies on others to do the important work. Toji (easily the best girl) handles most of the action scenes.