Black Closet

About

Black Closet is a single player role playing game with romance and mystery themes. It was developed by Hanako Games and was released on September 16, 2015. It received very positive reviews from players.

Command your minions to solve mysteries and cover up scandals in a high-class boarding school, where the competition is cut-throat and image is everything. But be careful - one of your minions is a traitor.

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92%

Audience ScoreBased on 243 reviews

story42 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

Unique and engaging blend of mystery solving, resource management, and visual novel elements with randomized cases providing high replayability.
Well-written and diverse characters with interesting story routes and romantic/friendship options enhancing immersion.
Challenging, strategic gameplay requiring careful planning of minion assignments and investigation approaches, with atmospheric art and music.

Gameplay can become repetitive over time due to limited variety of cases and recycled scenarios.
Steep learning curve and lacks comprehensive tutorial, which may frustrate new players; RNG elements sometimes result in unpredictable difficulty spikes.
Save system only allows saving at weekly intervals causing inconvenience, and some find the late-game and final boss mechanics confusing or too difficult.

story
156 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
69%
4%
The story in this game is generally praised for its intriguing mysteries, branching paths, and strong character development, with a mix of romance and political intrigue set in an all-female academy. While some find the plot engaging and appreciate its replayability due to randomized elements like the traitor's identity, others feel it becomes repetitive or flat over time, with occasional plot holes and uneven pacing. Overall, the narrative is well-crafted and enjoyable for fans of interactive storytelling but may require patience to fully appreciate.
- “The characters are interesting and sometimes complex, the story is entertaining and contains some interesting branches, and the gameplay is a really fun application of resource management to solve mysteries.”
- “Hanako Games has once again combined a unique, dynamic game system with a compelling story, excellent dialogue and characters you care about.”
- “The story branched nicely and the elements which are expertly randomized make for a surprising degree of replayability— I will definitely be playing this again soon.”
- “I feel like the writer themselves wasn't very enthusiastic about writing this part and felt insecure about some of the plot holes.”
- “You're eager to get the next bit of story or see what happens next with the characters you've become attached to, but you know you'll be slogging through the same thing for 30 minutes to an hour to get there.”
- “Also, if you manage to derail yourself from whatever relationship-based plot path you were on, the story scenes will kind of just disappear and you have to assume you botched things somehow.”
gameplay
129 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
66%
4%
The gameplay is a unique blend of visual novel storytelling and strategic resource management, centered around investigation and managing loyalty among characters. While initially challenging with a steep learning curve and occasional confusing mechanics, it offers engaging, tactical decision-making with high replay value due to randomized cases and branching storylines. However, some find it repetitive over multiple playthroughs, with UI clunkiness and endgame difficulty detracting slightly from the overall experience.
- “This mechanic, and many others, lead to an experience where the game's themes are woven into the gameplay mechanics: the game is partly about paranoia, and it achieves this not by having a character monologue at you about paranoia, but by giving you a gameplay mechanic that causes you to distrust your minions.”
- “The characters are interesting and sometimes complex, the story is entertaining and contains some interesting branches, and the gameplay is a really fun application of resource management to solve mysteries.”
- “The gameplay is simple and mostly intuitive, but has enough variety and moving parts to keep you guessing and keep things fun.”
- “The mechanics it sells itself on are ultimately shallow and easily predictable.”
- “Gameplay gets repetitive very quick, I didn't really connect with the romanceable characters, and the game ends rather abruptly without ever quite developing a main plot.”
- “It has a promise of replayability in its randomly-generated gameplay elements and different paths, but the game's core gameplay of handling cases becomes repetitive well before you even finish your first playthrough, killing all my interest in giving this a second playthrough - which begs the question of why even make randomly-generated cases in the first place.”
replayability
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
63%
6%
The game offers substantial replayability thanks to its randomized cases, multiple branching story paths, and varied character interactions, making each playthrough feel fresh and engaging. Players appreciate the mix of serious and humorous writing, as well as the strategic depth added by randomization and different traitor identities. While the core gameplay can feel repetitive for some, the strong narrative variation and achievement hunting provide strong incentives to replay.
- “The writing is excellent, with distinct and interesting characters and both serious and funny moments, and the amount of variation possible even within some individual routes is impressive and adds replay value on its own.”
- “Compared to all of the other games in the Hanako library, it's probably the most systems-driven, which I love: it's by far the most replayable game, in part because the identity of the traitor is randomized, and in each playthrough, you'll have to ferret out who they are through clever deduction—did your minion fail their task because of a bad dice roll, or did they botch things on purpose?”
- “They've added tons of replayability, with different story paths for different choices, 5 romance options, case endings differentiating, and randomizing the traitor.”
- “It has a promise of replayability in its randomly-generated gameplay elements and different paths, but the game's core gameplay of handling cases becomes repetitive well before you even finish your first playthrough, killing all my interest in giving this a second playthrough - which begs the question of why even make randomly-generated cases in the first place.”
- “The replay value isn't fantastic, but some major random variables (like exactly who - if anyone? - in your organization is actually a mole) keep some curveballs coming your way.”
- “[*] Linear story so once you have seen it/solved it, the replay value is mostly in seeing how the story evolves when choosing different allies and enemies.”
graphics
45 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
71%
7%
The graphics receive mixed but generally positive feedback, with praise for the game's unique, charming art styles and atmospheric visuals that complement the story and mood. The game offers two distinct art styles—one sharper and more photo-manipulated, the other softer and manga-inspired—both with their own appeal, though some users find the default art mediocre or inconsistent. Overall, the artwork and presentation enhance the game's aesthetic and storytelling, despite some criticisms regarding character proportions and style quality in certain assets.
- “The art style is unique and charming, the mood and music are awesome, the game mechanics are deceptively simple and novel, the story is cool, the characters feel layered and distinct, and the dialog is very well-crafted and flexible.”
- “The game comes with 2 different art styles - one sharp cornered, contrasting photo manipulation, one soft curved manga depiction - and both are simply gorgeous.”
- “The visuals and music are both well done, and like most of Hanako Games' releases, the presentation is top notch for this genre.”
- “The artwork is mediocre.”
- “If that wasn't the case, I wouldn't have bothered because I didn't like the art style at all.”
- “The art style in the non-default set looks like someone painted over pictures they grabbed from the internet, because none of the characters look the same when they're animated, and the proportions are seriously off.”
music
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
50%
19%
The music in the game is generally described as simple, ambient, and sometimes repetitive, but effectively sets the mood and enhances the overall atmosphere. While not particularly standout, the soundtrack complements the art style and game experience, contributing to tension and immersion in a subtle yet fitting way.
- “What really works for me is just the whole atmosphere of the game, with the background music, art style, and UI design all working in concert.”
- “I enjoy the board game look and feel of this game, and the ambient music definitely sets a mood.”
- “The visuals and music are both well done, and like most of Hanako Games' releases, the presentation is top notch for this genre.”
- “Music: 4/10.”
- “It's not bad, but it is really simple looping music.”
- “Soundtrack is very simple and a bit repetitive, yet brilliantly fitting to atmosphere also.”
atmosphere
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive, tense, and carefully crafted setting, enhanced by fitting background music, art style, and UI design that together create a strong thematic cohesion. The school environment and narrative elements, combined with intriguing cases and a subtle soundtrack, effectively engage players and heighten the overall experience. However, some find the mechanics and repetitive music slightly detract from replayability.
- “What really works for me is just the whole atmosphere of the game, with the background music, art style, and UI design all working in concert.”
- “The atmosphere and the drawings suit the thematics and gameplay really well.”
- “A great atmosphere and intriguing cases to solve, while making sure to keep your balance between karma and reputation, was quite engaging.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is well-balanced, blending seamlessly with serious and romantic moments to create a deeply immersive experience. It features distinct, interesting characters and surprising comedic elements that add charm and replay value. Overall, the game is thoughtful and dramatic but frequently punctuated with clever and enjoyable humor.
- “The writing is excellent, with distinct and interesting characters and both serious and funny moments, and the amount of variation possible even within some individual routes is impressive and adds replay value on its own.”
- “It was suspenseful and funny and romantic and deeply immersive, and I'm happy to have seen it through in one of many, many possible ways.”
- “Black Closet is thoughtful, expansive, dramatic, and very funny at times.”
character development
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
20%
The game is praised for its strong and intriguing character development, which enhances storytelling and gameplay. While some characters begin as standard archetypes, their story arcs evolve meaningfully, providing an engaging experience.
- “Also, the whole point of games like this is storytelling brought about through strong character development.”
- “Mixing excellent gameplay with some intriguing character development.”
- “I enjoyed the character development that I saw (I didn't complete everyone's story arcs), even though most of them start off as pretty standard archetypes.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
Grinding in the game can feel tedious, especially during late playthroughs and boss fights, which may diminish motivation to continue exploring. However, the engaging narrative and frequent story missions help mitigate the repetitiveness typically associated with procedural generation.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The majority of gameplay is procedurally generated, so the late game can get a bit tedious, but story missions and character interactions come around with such frequency that you rarely have time to get bored.”
- “Fighting the 'boss' (the game's true villain) can be a bit tedious, especially in later playthroughs; I feel like her having 100 in all stats is a bit much.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The game features mechanics that appeal to fans of optimization and strategic efficiency, with a strong emphasis on analyzing performance to identify traitors. It runs flawlessly without any performance issues, ensuring a smooth experience.
- “If you're the kind of person who gets excited by the idea of Pareto-optimization, then you will probably like these mechanics for the same reason I did. There's a demo available on the developer's website, which should give you a feel for the overall vibe of the game to see if it suits you.”
- “It's up to you to examine their performance, like if they're failing simple tasks and their success rates are far below everyone else's.”
- “The game ran flawlessly for me, and I didn't experience any performance issues at all.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players consistently find the game emotionally engaging, with well-developed characters and storylines that foster strong attachments and keep them deeply invested throughout multiple routes.
- “If you're looking to buy into a fantasy and get emotionally attached to characters, I highly recommend this game.”
- “I've played two whole routes and some partial ones, and each one had me emotionally invested as well as hooked.”