An exciting announcement has emerged from the Japanese edition of the Nintendo Direct presentation, unveiling a sequel to the 1983 classic, “The Portopia Serial Murder Case,” a game originally developed by Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii. While major titles like Kirby, Metroid, and Zelda were highlighted for global audiences, this particular game went unnoticed outside Japan.
The original “Portopia Serial Murder Case” earned its fame 43 years ago, first launching on personal computers and later making its way to the NES, becoming a significant success for Enix—now Square Enix. Even iconic game designer Hideo Kojima once cited it as a pivotal influence on his decision to develop games.
The sequel retains the text-based detective gameplay and witness interrogation elements that endeared the original to fans, while introducing a new storyline of serial murders. A trailer revealing glimpses of this sequel was showcased during the Nintendo Direct event held on September 9, 2026. Currently, there’s no confirmation of English-language support, but further developments are expected as the game approaches its anticipated release in 2027 for Switch 2 and PC.
Described on its Steam page, the game invites players back to 1980s Kobe, where they will encounter a new cast of characters. Participants will explore this fresh narrative through a menu-driven, command-selection text adventure format, using various commands to unravel the mystery by collecting evidence and witness accounts.
Previously, in an effort to revive the original, Square Enix attempted a pseudo-remake integrating an AI technology called Natural Language Processing (NLP). However, this endeavor was met with disapproval, earning a ‘Very Negative’ rating from Steam users. Interestingly, this new sequel does not appear to involve Square Enix.
Reporting based on coverage first published by eurogamer.net.