Hotel Dusk Writer’s New Adventure Game Trace Memory Exceeds Crowdfunding Goal

Dark Auction: Hitler’s Legacy, a Japanese ‘authentic mystery adventure’, is being crowdfunded by IzanagiGames, Inc.

The game is already 170% funded at 2 million JPY and is expected to release on Switch next year. The 1980s story follows 18-year-old Noah, a seemingly normal young man who must deal with a mysterious estate possibly bequeathed by Adolf Hitler.

Dark Auction: Hitler’s Legacy, written by Rika Suzuki (Hotel Dusk: Room 215, Trace Memory) and designed by Kohske, is expected to ship to backers in October 2024, depending on development. It’s coming to Switch and Steam with Japanese, English, and Chinese (traditional, simplified) support.

Here are Rika Suzuki’s comments on the scenario on Izanagi’s website and some of the game’s key features (auto-translated):

The tale unfolds in an ancient castle in 1981, 36 years after Hitler’s death. 18-year-old protagonist Noah is determined not to turn out like his father, but, beyond that, he has no idea of the kind of person he wants to be. Noah takes part in a mysterious auction held at the old castle, and, as someone living in the 1980s, comes to terms with the absurdity of the trauma the war left behind, learning of the truths hidden deep within those affected, ultimately closing in on the big secret his father has been concealing.

When we learn about history, we think about the present and what it means to be human.

Thinking about the past also means thinking about the future.

・Interesting world view against the background of Hitler’s legend
・The charm of stylish and unique characters
・3D map that allows you to freely explore the old castle
・Word cloud system that can be deduced and considered by keywords
・Auction part where the truth of memory is solved with images and puzzles
・Multi-ending where the choice of the main character changes the future
・Authentic mystery adventure
・Rika Suzuki’s original work in the second year of the concept

The official Twitter account posts game character art with brief bios. “Sho Hayami—A mysterious auctioneer in parrot headgear.”

【ダークオークションキャラクター&CV紹介⑨】

オークショニア　CV : 速水奨

オウムの被り物をした謎のオークショニア。 #速水奨 pic.twitter.com/jOZ1jBfR1a

— ダークオークション-ヒトラーの遺産-公式 (@dark_auction) September 2, 2023

The game is still crowdfunding until October 31st, so if it sounds interesting to you, you can pledge your support with a simple thank you message or a fully voiced role in the game.