The Okhotsk Disappearance was graphic adventure visual novel game for the Famicom/NES created by Yuji Horii, the father of Dragon Quest, where you play as a police detective. One morning, a man’s body is found floating in the Tokyo bay. He’s estimated to be in his forties. But the incident doesn’t stop here. It moves to Hokkaido’s cities: Kushiro, Abashiri, Shiretoko, Monbetsu… A second and third murder link the northern island to Tokyo. Your job is to find the truth behind the serial murders with the help of your subordinates. [Adapted from the Nintendo website copy]
Many regard the games in the original Portopia series to be among the first titles to include features that would later become staples for the JRPG approach to designing game mechanics. The Switch version includes a “showa-feeling” retelling of the original NES title set in 1987 and a “reiwa-feeling” new story set in more modern times.
Thanks in part to the quality of the in-game map, a screenshot was easily included for each pin location.
Players can notice discrepancies in the background art from the locations of Hokkaido seen in 1987 and the modern day, although none of these changes bear out in the design of the map or the story in the ‘sequel’ part.
The monument outside Kushiro Station exists in real life and commemorates the station’s 90th anniversary. The big wheel is modeled on the driving wheel of a steam locomotive. The text above the wheel simply reads as Kushiro Station in a calligraphy font. The wavy structures in front of the wheel were installed to commemorate the 5th anniversary of JR Hokkaido Kushiro Branch.
The copper-brown statue shown in front of Mashu Station has a plaque in real life that you can roughly make out in the background illustration.
LAKE MASHU MONUMENT
This monument is based on the shape of Lake Mashu, a mysterious lake blessed by nature that boasts some of the world’s greatest clarity.
- The monument depicts Mt. Mashu with multiple rocks and Nakajima with a single rock.
- Lake Mashu is represented by a flat plate.
A 2-night 3-day fan meeting will be held in Hokkaido where fans of the game can meet some key staff members including Yuji Horii and Gozo Shiozaki, starting February 3 2025. Reservations appear to be closed. Attendees will meet up at JR Abashiri Station before beginning their adventure.
