Meitantei Conan

A video game series based on the Detective Conan manga, featuring mystery-solving adventure games released in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Adventure

13

Games

1996–2013

Years

8

Platforms

$17.34

Ø CIB

-29%

24M change

About

This video game series adapts the popular manga and anime franchise into interactive mystery-adventure games. Early titles in the series include Meitantei Conan: Chika Yuuenchi Satsujin Jiken (1996) for the Game Boy, Meitantei Conan: Giwaku no Gouka Ressha (1998), and Meitantei Conan: Karakuri Jiin Satsujin Jiken (2000). Players typically take on the role of Conan Edogawa to investigate crime scenes, gather clues, and solve murder mysteries.

Bandai and other publishers drove the franchise's expansion across multiple gaming platforms during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Following the 1996 debut of Meitantei Conan: Chika Yuuenchi Satsujin Jiken, the series transitioned to home consoles with the PlayStation release of Meitantei Conan (1998), which introduced voice acting and pre-rendered 3D backgrounds. Handheld development continued on the Game Boy Color with Meitantei Conan: Giwaku no Gouka Ressha (1998), Meitantei Conan: Majutsushi no Chousenjou (1999), and Meitantei Conan: Karakuri Jiin Satsujin Jiken (2000), utilizing grid-based movement and menu-driven interrogation mechanics.

The narrative scope expanded with Meitantei Conan: Nishi no Meitantei Saidai no Kiki (2000) on the PlayStation, incorporating rival detective Heiji Hattori into the gameplay. The series also targeted niche handhelds, resulting in Meitantei Conan: Yuugure no Ouju (2001) for the WonderSwan Color. By the release of Meitantei Conan: 3-Jin No Meitantei (2002) on the Game Boy Advance, the series had established a formula of branching dialogue paths and logic puzzles, laying the groundwork for future anime-based detective games.