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A SIMPLE AND RELAXED INVESTIGATIVE VISUAL NOVEL

150 View2024-01-24

Game: Methods: Detective Competition

Platform: Mobile

Genre: Visual Novel, Detective, Mystery, Casual

Overview

As a detective novel, this takes a much more relaxed approach. If you're hoping for a taste of the deep thinking possibilities seen in series like Dangonronpa or even Ai Somnium Files, this won't cut it because it's too easy and doesn't present much of a challenge at all as it primarily focuses on the dialog and story.

Issues

The game was fine, but I found it strange that every few minutes there would be some dialogue, and then there would be a chapter change. This made it hard to keep track of who was speaking since you would switch from Hackett's point of view to Nell's, and then to the Game Masters', all while remaining in that "talking in their head" like a player character. I kept wondering if this was a story or something more substantial.

In short, I kept losing myself because they were changing so frequently when it should have just transitioned with a bit more information prior.

Graphics & Presentation

Although the visuals aren't particularly impressive, each of the 80 characters have their own distinct personality and abstract design, not being too overly complicated.

I was expecting a real detective game where you have to put pieces together and maybe even ponder many of the mysteries. Instead, I spent two hours solving three relatively minor mysteries and most of that was reading dialogue, which was fine, but it caught me off guard because I prefer to use my head when playing detective games instead of being led around like a child.

Great use of writing and personality with humor, but overall I was let down.

Gameplay

Along with 100 criminals, there are 100 detectives. A mystery will be built by the criminals, and the detectives will need to solve it fast. Their performance determines how many points they get. A million dollars and the possibility of freedom await the last man standing in this epic showdown. However, it isn't really all that exciting.

If you complete it in record time by spamming dialog and solving it, nothing matters because it is a very linear and straight to the point story and nothing more.

Conclusion

This is, as I've stated previously, primarily concerned with being a visual novel. There are a few puzzle-solving aspects involving tapping the screen and selecting a few options, but that's about it. This might be a turnoff for those seeking complexity, but if you're looking for a story with fascinating characters, then this is the game for you.

VisualNovel