Nintendo Entertainment System

EFC-PR

The Portopia Serial Murder Case

Suspense Adventure Game

Instruction Booklet

(How to play)

Enix, Inc.

Nintendo Entertainment System is a trademark of Nintendo.

Copyright © 1985 Enix Inc.

Original Manual Translation by harmony7 on 2010-03-28

Latest Edit by DvD and harmony7 on 2010-11-15

Thank you for purchasing "The Portopia Serial Murder Case"
by Enix, Inc. for the Nintendo Entertainment System.
Please read this Instruction Booklet thoroughly

before use for instructions on use and care, and enjoy using the product appropriately.

Also, please store this Instruction Booklet
in a careful manner.

Table of Contents

Summary

Characters

The Controller

How to Play the Game - Conducting the Investigation

Portopia Q & A

Investigation Notes

Author

Yuji Horii

Programmers

CHUNSOFT

Publisher

ENIX

* When the title screen appears, press the A button.

The game will begin.

The Portopia Serial Murder Case -STORY-

Without warning, my subordinate Yasu burst into my office.  The pale expression on his face astonished me more than the sound he made coming in.

"Boss, this is terrible!  Kouzou Yamakawa has taken his own life!"

"Wh... What!?  There's no way..."

They call me Boss.  I'm a veteran detective with the police department of greater Kobe City.

Kouzou Yamakawa was the president of Yamakin Loans.  This wasn't your friendly neighborhood savings and loan.  He was a loan shark, and his relentless collection techniques could easily drive men to suicide.

"But Boss, there's no other explanation.  He was found dead, behind locked doors."

"What else do we know?"

"The body was discovered by a woman named Fumie Sawaki, who was the personal assistant of Kouzou.  When he didn't show up for work, she went looking for him at his home.  Then..."

Yasu continued with the details.  In summary:

She was allowed inside Yamakawa's mansion by the security guard, Rokurou Komiya.  The old man told her that Kouzou was probably in his study.  The two went to call on him, but the door was locked.  No matter how many times they called out his name or knocked on the door, there was no answer.  Something wasn't right, so they rammed the door, forcing it open.  This is when they discovered that Kouzou was dead.

"And there's something else.  Mr. Komiya noticed that a key was in the lock on the side of the door facing the room!"

Yasu went on as I worked on turning my cigarette into ash.

Truly... a suicide?

Characters

Boss

A veteran homicide detective of Kobe City.
Accompanied by his subordinate Yasu,

he starts an investigation to bring this case to light.

In this game, you play the role of Boss.

Use your keen deductive skills to solve this case.

Yasuhiko Mano

A young detective who works under Boss.
Goes by the name Yasu.

Sometimes he tries a bit too hard to be funny, but as a detective, he is quite capable.

He is, however, a gentleman; he tends to be particularly lenient towards young women.

He has a strong sense of justice, and his hatred towards evil is uncommonly strong.

Kouzou Yamakawa

The president of the loan shark company Yamakin Loans.

Because of his profession, he seems to have had many enemies.  This story begins with the discovery of his dead body.

Suicide or homicide?  His lifeless body won't breathe a word...

Fumie Sawaki

The primary discoverer of Kouzou's dead body.  She was his personal assistant at Yamakin Loans.
Although beautiful in looks, her face shows hints of sorrow.  For a young woman, it must have been quite a shock
to discover a dead body.

Rokurou Komiya

An elderly man who works as the security guard at Yamakawa's mansion.  Along with Fumie,
he discovered the dead body.  He has no relatives, and apparently has been drowning his
loneliness every day by drinking.  In addition, he is a timid man, and always appears nervous.

* This list is not complete; you will meet many more people as the story unfolds.  In addition, the faces of
"Boss" and "Kouzou" are never seen during the game.

The Screen

The Controller

●

Used to move the cursor (),
magnifying glass (),
or hammer () on the screen.

In addition, it is used for navigation in the maze.

●A Button

Used to confirm a command.

In addition, when
is displayed at the bottom of the dialog area, this button is used to advance the dialog.

●B Button

Used to switch the group of commands displayed at the right side of the screen.

In addition, this button is used when you wish to cancel a command that you have started.

* The SELECT and START buttons are not used in this game.

Issuing Commands to Yasu

When Yasu is ready, a list of commands that you can issue to him appears on the screen.
Use the Button to move the
to the command you wish
to give, and then press the A Button.
Refer to the section below for descriptions of each command.

The available commands are separated into two groups.  Press the B Button
to switch between the two groups.

Some commands will prompt you with an additional list of choices, representing
to whom or to what.  Use the Button
to
move the to your choice, and then
press the A Button, or press the B Button to cancel the command
altogether.

The Magnifying Glass and the Hammer

The commands Investigate Thing→Magnifying Glass and
Hit cause a magnifying glass
() and a hammer (), respectively,
to appear on the main window.

Use the Button to select the area you wish to examine or hit, and
then press the A Button.

Using the Telephone

When you issue the Dial Phone command, a touch-tone dial pad appears on the right
side of the screen.  Use the Button to move the
and the A Button
to select each number to dial, in succession.

The numbers will appear in the dialog area as they are dialed.

Navigating the Maze

When the main window displays a maze,
you may issue the Move command and then use the Button to walk around in the maze.

Up - Advance forward.
Right - Turn and face the right.
Left - Turn and face the left.
Down - Turn around.

* Right, Left, and Down on the Button
only change your orientation.  They do not cause you to advance.

Additionally, press the A Button while navigating the maze to call up the
normal list of Commands.  This will allow you to do things such as examine that spot.

Conducting the Investigation
● The story begins in Hanakuma, the suburb in Kobe City where the incident took
place.  After introducing himself, your subordinate Yasu will prompt you for his first command
(See The Controller, above, for details).

● The following are descriptions of each of these commands:

I

II

Move

Investigate Thing

Ask

Evidence

Investigate Someone

Hit

Show Item

Take

Look for Someone

Theorize

Call Out

Dial Phone

Arrest

Close Case

Move

Use this command when you wish to move to another location.  When you choose this command, a list is shown of
the locations to which you can move.  Use the Button to select your desired destination,
and then press the A Button, or press the B Button to cancel.

Depending on your current location, the list of locations to which you may travel will differ.
Also, as the story progresses, you will learn about new locations and the list of destinations will grow.

If you get stuck during your investigation, try moving to a different location.  From there, you may
be able to pick up new leads.

Ask

When you are not speaking with a specific person, such as when you are in a town,
Yasu will question people in the area.  Based on the facts available at the moment,
Yasu will automatically decide what to ask about.

For this reason, even in an area where you couldn't get useful information before, it may be possible to pick up
leads after some circumstances change.
Even if you have already spoken with people in an area, you should return to question the people again and again.

If you have called someone out to the Police Station,
or are otherwise speaking with a particular person, this command will start an interrogation.

Investigate Someone
Yasu will conduct research and report such things as the job and personal life
of a particular person.  Also, choosing this command after hearing someone's alibi will cause
Yasu to investigate whether that alibi can be verified.

Whenever you hear about a new person, you may want to ask Yasu to do this first.

Show Item

Use this command to tell Yasu to show something to someone.

You can show an item you have found during your investigation and see someone's reaction.
Or, perhaps you can show a photograph of a person to someone, and ask about that person.

Even if someone doesn't recognize a person by a name, he or she might recognize a photograph of that
person, and give you information.

Look for Someone

This command is used to search for a person of whom you do not know the whereabouts.

When you specify the person you wish to find, Yasu will begin a search around the area
to find that person.

Call Out

This command is used when you wish to summon someone to the Police Station.

However, even if you know the person's name, you cannot call someone out if you do not know their location.

Additionally, some people may refuse to come even if they are called.

Arrest

Issue this command to tell Yasu to arrest someone.

However, you cannot thoughtlessly arrest someone when you do not have the necessary evidence.

Don't be hasty; investigate slowly and carefully.

Investigate Thing

This command is used to investigate something at your current location.  If you choose Magnifying Glass,
an icon representing a magnifying glass will appear in the main window, and you can use the Button and A Button to investigate something in the scene.

Even if something is not visible in the scene, you may find something if you look carefully
using the Magnifying Glass.  Be sure to search thoroughly.

Also, using this command at the Police Station will allow you to examine the pieces of
evidence in your possession.

Evidence

This command displays a list of the items that you have acquired thus far.  It may be a good idea to check
what you have once in a while.

Hit

Choosing this command causes an icon representing a hammer to appear in the main
window.  Use the Button and A Button to hit something in the scene.

However, excessively hitting objects or people is probably not a great idea.

Take

This command is used to tell Yasu to take something.

When you have found an item and have had Yasu examine it, be sure to tell him to take it.

Otherwise, you won't be able to show it to somebody in a different location.

Theorize
Yasu will theorize whether a particular person
committed the crime.  However, in the end you are the Boss.  Don't rely too much
on his reasoning, but use it as a starting point and try to think beyond on your own.

Dial Phone

This command is used to make a telephone call.
However, unless you know the number to call, dialing numbers aimlessly will not get you anywhere.
(For details on how to dial, see Using the Telephone, above.)

Close Case

Issue this command when the case has been solved.  Yasu will not accept this command
if the case has not yet been solved.  If you really must stop the investigation, please turn off
the power on your NES.

Investigation in Practice

● Let's take a look at how the actual game progresses.

The first step, quite obviously, is an inspection of the scene.

Tell Yasu to Move, and you will be presented with a list of destinations.
Select Yamakawa Mansion from this list, and you're on your way.  Once outside the mansion,
perform the Move command again, and select Inside Mansion.

Now in the study, use the command Investigate Thing to examine the dead body and the murder weapon,
and use the Magnifying Glass to search the room thoroughly for clues.

It may also be useful to give the command Investigate Someone and find out about Kouzou's
background.

It is also important to question people in the area near the scene.
Return to the suburb of Hanakuma,
and command Yasu to Ask around.  Perhaps you will hear about someone new.
In this case, you would use Investigate Someone to learn about that person's job and personal history.
You can also command Yasu to Theorize to infer something about that person.

In addition, it is very important to interrogate people.

Return to the Police Station, and summon the primary discoverer, Fumie.  After using
Investigate Someone to find out about her, try using Ask to have Yasu ask her what
she knows about Kouzou, and about her alibi on the night of the incident.

After you hear the alibi, you should also verify it by commanding Yasu to Investigate Someone.

...This is just an example of how to begin.

Where to go next?  Which suspect to begin the interrogation with?  These are all up to you, the Boss.

When you do find a lead, it's okay to forget Fumie for a while and follow that lead until you find
something new.

So, where do we begin, Boss?

The Road to Solving the Mystery

Portopia Q & A

Q

I've played for more than two hours, but I was unable to solve the mystery.
I've decided to come back to the game tomorrow, so I turned off the power switch on my NES.
The next day, can I play from where I left off?

A

When you turn off the power, the memory that keeps track of how far along in the
story you have progressed is erased.

So, when you turn on the power on the next day, you will have to begin again from the start of the game.

However, you should remember what can be found where, and who says anything important, so you should quickly be able to
progress as far as you had been.  You can then carefully continue your investigation from that point.

Taking notes is a good practice that is helpful in this scenario as well.

Q

I turned off the game after I found out that a particular suspect wasn't the culprit.
On the next day, I play the game from the beginning, but since I already know that this person is not the culprit, can
I skip the investigation on that character?

A

This story has various small episodes, but these episodes only occur when certain requirements have been fufilled.
What this means is that until your character learns one of them he will not be able to learn the next.

Therefore, even when you play the game the second time and beyond, please don't just say "I know that this guy is not
the culprit," and skip the investigation.

Until one episode is over, new facts may not surface.

Of course, there are a few sections that may be skipped.  You will probably figure these out for yourself, as you
play the game many times...

Q

I want to interrogate someone whom I feel is suspicious, but I don't know his
whereabouts, and so I can't call him out to the Police Station.  What should I do?

A

While you can go to various locations and look for this person, the chances of searching
aimlessly and coming across that person are rather slim.

Therefore, the suggested action is to forget that person for a while, and work on the case from a different lead.

As you investigate a different aspect, information about the whereabouts of the person you were looking for might
just turn up.

Q

When I chose the Investigate Someone command, a name appeared
in the list that I don't recognize.

Who is this?

A

That's simply impossible.
This is proof that you were not carefully reading what somebody said.

Don't skip over lines of dialog; instead, you should take notes whenever you learn something new.

This requires perseverance, but without that you simply cannot solve the case.

It may help for you to diagram out human relations and organize information in your own way.

Q

I have interrogated every person that I can call out.
Since there's no
need to interrogate anyone anymore, is it okay to continue the game without ever returning to the Police Station
?

A

No.  It's possible for someone to call in with a tip.

If you're out all the time, you'll miss this information.

Even if there is no true need, you should return to the Police Station once in a while.

Also, when you find new clues, you will probably need to call out people you have questioned in the past and show them
the new clues, speak with them, and see their reactions.

Some people will give you different information when circumstances change.

Q

I always get stuck at the same point in the investigation.  What should I do?

A

Although you can go around various locations trying everything you can think of,
but if that doesn't work, one idea may be to reset the game once, and reorganize your clues and start over.
You might notice a minute detail that you missed last time.

At times, you might consider inviting some friends over to play along with you.  As you all work together, maybe
one of you might notice something interesting...

We pray that you will be able to arrest this culprit and solve the mystery of the locked-room murder soon!

* Due to the nature of adventure games, we are unable to give hints or answer any questions relating to the
content of the game, and cannot accept any such inquiries by telephone or mail.  Additionally, The Portopia Serial Murder Case is a work of fiction, and all names of characters and parties are fictional; any resemblance
to existing individuals or parties is not intended and purely coincidental.

Investigation Notes

● People

Suspect

Relationship with Victim

Motive Exists

Alibi

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● Evidence

Evidence

Conclusion

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Notice to Owners

ROM cartridges are not defective unless the game display appears obviously garbled.  If you cannot solve the mystery,
you are not leading the investigation correctly.

At times during your investigation, an item that you have taken may not appear in your items list, may not be available
for
examination, or may not be available to show to people.  This is because it is not necessary to
solve the game and thus was programmed in this manner.  This is not a defect in the ROM cartridge or in the program.
The same is said for the situation where after hearing of someone's name you cannot summon that person to the Police Station
or investigate that person.

The mystery is solvable; please do not give up, and good luck!