Jake Hunter, known in Japan as Tantei Jingūji Saburō (探偵神宮寺三郎, Detective Saburō Jingūji) is a mystery-adventure game series originally developed by Data East in 1987, and later developed by WorkJam and other companies.
Despite its popularity in Japan, only one of its games have been released overseas: Tantei Jingūji Saburō DS: Inishie no Kioku was retitled and released in North America on June 11, 2008 by Aksys Games as Jake Hunter: Detective Chronicles. The game was rereleased on May 26, 2009 as Jake Hunter Detective Story: Memories of the Past, which contains the original three cases with new translations to improve the original game content, plus three new cases, and a large number of unlockables including comics.
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The first game of the series, Shinjuku Chūō Kōen Satsujin Jiken (新宿中央公園殺人事件, Shinjuku Central Park Murder Mystery) was released in 1987 by Data East for the Family Computer Disk System. Numerous sequels have been released since then, and the series marked its 20th anniversary in 2007 by releasing a new title for the Nintendo DS. According to Enterbrain, the franchise has sold over 2,220,000 copies in total, making it one of the longest standing and best-selling Japanese adventure game series in history.
Tantei Jingūji Saburō debuted on the Family Computer with advanced graphics, sound effects, and distinct hardboiled scenarios to set itself apart from other adventure games of the time. Kazushige Nojima, the scenario writer of Final Fantasy VII, wrote the scenarios for the 3rd and 4th installments of the series. Time played an important role in the Famicom games, as each command selected by the player caused a certain amount of time to elapse within the game, and failure to solve the mystery during the allotted time period would result in a bad ending. This time system was later revived in the 7th installment of the series.
Production was halted after the 4th installment, but was revived in 1996 with the release of the 5th game in the series on the PlayStation and Sega Saturn. The series was revamped with improved graphics and sound made possible by the use of the CD-ROM disk, and featured voice acting for the first time.
In 2003, Data East went bankrupt, permanently halting production of many of its game series. WorkJam took over production of Tantei Jingūji Saburō, and the series continued with two games released for the PlayStation 2 and two games released as mobile phone applications. There are currently 12 console games in the entire series and 16 mobile phone games; 4 of which are remakes from the console releases.
The main character of the series is Jake Hunter (known in Japan as Saburō Jingūji (神宮寺三郎 Jingūji Saburō)), a 32 year-old private detective who operates a detective agency in Aspicio, USA (Shinjuku, Tokyo in Japanese versions). He was born as the third son of a wealthy business enterprise owner, and traveled to New York during his youth to work as an assistant detective. He is a heavy smoker, and often assembles his thoughts while smoking a Marlboro cigarette. According to his in-game profile, his favorite alcoholic beverage is cognac, and he drives a green Mini Cooper.
Other recurring characters include: Yulia Marks (known in Japan as Yōko Misono (御苑洋子 Misono Yōko)), Jake's assistant, and Scott Kingsley (known in Japan as Sanzō Kumano (熊野参造 Kumano Sanzō)), the inspector of the Aspicio police.
Voice acting was first used in certain game scenes in the 5th installment, Mikan no Rupo (未完のルポ, The Unfinished Reportage), and has been implemented in all subsequent releases, excluding those released as mobile phone applications. Jingūji's character has been voiced by Yukimasa Kishino, Akio Ōtsuka, Jūrōta Kosugi, and Kaoru Katō. Yōko's character has been voiced by Tsumugi Ōsawa, Yōko Saitō, Fumiko Orikasa, and Kazue Nakamoto. Other notable voice actors include Fumihiko Tachiki, Kōji Ishii, and Masaaki Tsukada as Sanzō Kumano.
| Japanese title | English title | Release date | Developer | Platform | Synopsis | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shinjuku Chūō Kōen Satsujin Jiken 新宿中央公園殺人事件 Shinjuku Central Park Murder Mystery |
The Petty Murder of a Fragile Heart (on DS remake) |
|
Data East | Disk System | The strangled corpse of a popular hostess is discovered at Asipicio Central Park. A doctor, homeless man and someone else may know something. | |
| 2 | Yokohama-kō Renzoku Satsujin Jiken 横浜港連続殺人事件 Yokohama Port Serial Murder Mystery |
Seaside City Conspiracy (on DS remake) |
|
Family Computer | The search for a missing girlfriend results in the discovery of her hiding guns, and the police begin to suspect a link with an underground trafficking organization. | ||
| 3 | Kiken na Futari Zenpen 危険な二人 前編 A Dangerous Duo Part 1 |
Crash and Burn (on DS remake) |
|
Disk System | Jake visits a race circuit at the invitation of one of Yulia's friends. A motorcycle racer, Sabin Olsen, crashes at the circuit, but a different racer's body is recovered from the crash site. At the same time, Sabin Olsen, at a hotel, is found where a man he was supposed to meet was killed causing Olsen to be framed as he fled the hotel. | ||
| Kiken na Futari Kōhen 危険な二人 後編 A Dangerous Duo Part 2 |
Crash and Burn (on DS remake) |
|
Disk System | ||||
| 4 | Toki no Sugiyuku Mama ni... 時の過ぎゆくままに… Let Time Pass By... |
As Time Goes By (on DS remake) |
|
Family Computer | Jake investigates a burglary at a mansion, while Yulia searches for the home of a young boy. Both cases seemed simple, until they become one. | ||
| 5 | Mikan no Rupo 未完のルポ The Unfinished Reportage |
— |
|
PlayStation Sega Saturn |
An overseas package containing a small key arrives at the detective agency from Jingūji's journalist acquaintance. Jingūji must uncover the hidden meaning of the key. | ||
| 6 | Yume no Owari ni 夢の終わりに At the End of the Dream |
— |
|
PlayStation Sega Saturn |
Jingūji is tormented by hideous dreams of his past. The mystery begins as Yōko unwittingly decides to investigate a requested case. | ||
| 7 | Tomoshibi ga Kienu Ma ni 灯火が消えぬ間に While the Light Remains |
— |
|
PlayStation | An injured young man suddenly takes refuge at the detective agency. Investigation of two cases becomes complex as they are gradually woven together. | ||
| 8 | Innocent Black | — |
|
WorkJam | PlayStation 2 | Jingūji is asked to search for a missing daughter from the director of a hospital where he had received treatment. This small case gradually expands to revive a deep and complex mystery. The game's scenario was written by Yutaka Kaminaga of WorkJam. | |
| 9 | KIND OF BLUE | — |
|
PlayStation 2 | Jingūji is bored and tired after several months without any cases. He gladly returns to work when the Kantō mafia requests the investigation of a certain individual. | ||
| 10 | Shiroi Kage no Shōjo 白い影の少女 The Girl with the White Shadow |
— |
|
WorkJam Marvelous Interactive |
Game Boy Advance | When Jingūji attends his friend's funeral, his friend's mother asks him to investigate a missing person, while police inspector Kumano asks him to investigate the urban myth called "Yū-chan". | |
| 11 | Inishie no Kioku いにしえの記憶 The Ancient Memory |
Jake Hunter: Detective Chronicles Jake Hunter Detective Story: Memories of the Past |
|
WorkJam Arc System Works |
Nintendo DS | Jake is arrested by the police for a crime he did not commit. He must prove his innocence while another story of a boy named Ken becomes a part of it and the cause of it. The release marks the 20th anniversary of Tantei Jingūji Saburō, and includes the first five games from the mobile phone series. The first four cases originally released on the Disk System and Family Computer were remade along with two new ones. This game is the only one in the series released in the U.S.; however, unlike the Japanese version, the U.S. version title Jake Hunter: Detective Chronicles only contains the first three cases and many of the extras were cut from the game. The game was later rereleased as Jake Hunter Detective Story: Memories of the Past, unedited and retranslated. |
|
| 12 | Kienai Kokoro きえないこころ The Abiding Spirit |
— |
|
WorkJam Arc System Works |
Nintendo DS | Jingūji is asked to investigate the suicide of an elementary school girl from 20 years ago. When he visits the girl's school, he meets the school principal, who demands the investigation of another new case... The title also contains five games from the mobile phone series (No.6–No.10) |
|
| 13 | Fuserareta Shinjitsu 伏せられた真実 The Withheld Truth |
— |
|
WorkJam Arc System Works |
Nintendo DS | ||
| 14 | Hai to Daiyamondo 灰とダイヤモンド Ashes and Diamonds |
— |
|
WorkJam Arc System Works |
PlayStation Portable | Jingūji meets the Kasumi Sisters, who run a Shinjuku bar. He ends up investigating five seemingly unconnected cases, but... (No.6–No.10) | |
| 15 | Akai Chō 赤い蝶 Red Butterfly |
— |
|
WorkJam Arc System Works |
Nintendo DS | ||
| 0 | Tantei Jingūji Saburō Early Collection | — |
|
Data East | PlayStation | This is a compilation of the early games released for the Family Computer and Family Computer Disk System |
The mobile phone games were developed by WorkJam. The first four games are remakes of the original Famicom versions, with minor changes made in text.
| Japanese title | English title | |
|---|---|---|
| No.01 | Shinjuku Chūō Kōen Satsujin Jiken 新宿中央公園殺人事件 Shinjuku Central Park Murder Mystery |
The Petty Murder of a Fragile Heart (on DS remake) |
| No.02 | Yokohama-kō Renzoku Satsujin Jiken 横浜港連続殺人事件 Yokohama Port Serial Murder Mystery |
Seaside City Conspiracy (on DS remake) |
| No.03 | Kiken na Futari 危険な二人 A Dangerous Duo |
Crash and Burn (on DS remake) |
| No.04 | Toki no Sugiyuku Mama Ni... 時の過ぎゆくままに… Let Time Pass By... |
As Time Goes By (on DS remake) |
| No.05 | Akai Me no Tora アカイメノトラ The Red-Eyed Tiger |
The Red-Eyed Tiger (on DS remake) |
| No.06 | Rokumai no Hankō 6枚の犯行 The Six Pieces of Crime |
— |
| No.07 | Bōen wo Sagase 亡煙を捜せ! Search for the Dying Smoke! |
— |
| No.08 | Aoi Me no Ryū アオイメノリュウ The Blue-Eyed Dragon |
— |
| No.09 | Kito no Yoru キトの夜 Kito's Night |
— |
| No.10 | Shikaku no Wana 四角の罠 The Square Trap |
— |
| No.11 | Inu to Yobareta Otoko イヌと呼ばれた男 The Man Who Was Called a Dog |
— |
| No.12 | Futairo no Shojō ふた色の少女 The Two-Colored Girl |
— |
| No.13 | Inochi Tatsu Kokugen 命絶つ刻限 Prophecy of Death |
— |
| No.14 | Takusareta Yubiwa 託された指輪 The Bequeathed Ring |
— |
| No.15 | Shingi no Hazama 真偽の狭間 In Between Truths |
— |
| No.16 | Tsubaki no Yukue 椿のゆくえ Whereabouts of the Camellia |
— |
| No.17 | Akenai Yoru ni 明けない夜に The Endless Night |
— |
| No.18 | Kadan no Itte 果断の一手 One Decisive Move |
— |
| No.19 | Rensasuru Noroi 連鎖する呪い The Linking Curse |
— |
| No.20 | Naki Ko no Shōzō 亡き子の肖像 Portrait of a Dead Child |
— |
| No.21 | Onihimeden 鬼姫伝 The Legend of the Demon Princess |
— |
| No.22 | Ai Yue ni 愛ゆえに For the Sake of Love |
— |
| No.23 | Wasurenagusa no Omoi 勿忘草の想い Forget Me Not |
— |
| No.24 | Yurameku Hitotose 揺らめくひととせ One Wavering Year |
— |
Eight novels based around the game have been released from 1988 to 2007 by various authors and publishing companies (most notably Dengeki Bunko and Famitsu Bunko). Four soundtrack CDs have also been released.
The first four games in the series were ported to the Wii's Virtual Console exclusively in Japan.