Detective Dotson is way and away one of the charming video games I’ve performed this 12 months. It’s as if you happen to had been to throw Ace Legal professional and traditional Monkey Island video games collectively, wrap it up in a Bollywood movie, after which set it in modern-day India. That ought to provide you with an thought of what impartial developer Masala Video games is attempting to attain, as Detective Dotson is quick approaching its April 24, 2025, launch date for Xbox Sequence X|S and Home windows PC with assist for Xbox Play Wherever.
The developer, which homes expertise that has labored at studios like Pixar, Digital Arts, and Prana, was one of many featured groups at this 12 months’s ID@Xbox Showcase throughout GDC and it was a standout expertise for me on the present — I additionally had an opportunity to talk with Director Sharlin Shodhan individually in regards to the recreation’s assist for Xbox Play Wherever.
In Detective Dotson, you tackle the position of the title character, an aspiring actor turned newbie detective who’s attempting to trace down who killed his father. That’s the high-level pitch. However the enjoyable of the sport are the wild adventures he’ll embark on as he turns into a extra honed gumshoe, taking over unexpectedly riveting circumstances like who shunned somebody from attending a outstanding tea get together, or who’s liable for stealing somebody’s lunch to wreck a movie manufacturing.
These lighthearted quests play out in a standard journey recreation model, the place you information Dotson throughout a 2D airplane with a brightly coloured, Indian-influenced 3D backdrop, speaking with different characters for clues, choosing up objects to your stock, scanning the environments for hints, and taking down notes to later piece all of your proof collectively.
As soon as all of your notes and clues are assembled, you’ll then head to an proof board to unravel the energetic case. Right here you’ll successfully transfer sticky notes with clues on them like, “Broke Up With,” “Educated by,” and “Hides in,” to then draw strains between all of your suspects to unravel the thriller at hand.
What I loved probably the most throughout my time with the sport is that it faucets into traditional journey gaming, a style I really like. It’s not fairly point-and-click, nevertheless it’s comparable sufficient in its capabilities that it scratches that journey recreation itch. It additionally looks like an extremely accessible, cozy expertise that players of all ability ranges will be capable to get pleasure from.
It additionally appears like nothing I’ve seen earlier than, with its brightly coloured world, numerous characters, and dance-offs. I’m not proficient within the realm of Indian customs, however the recreation does a very good job of easing you into the expertise with its terminology, presentation of characters, in addition to the circumstances you’re given. There’s a cause why being shunned from a tea get together can have a dramatic affect on somebody’s social standing, which makes it the sort of factor Dotson would need to clear up for – who appears to not solely be a greater detective than marketed, but in addition a standup dude who’s simply attempting to do proper in his neighborhood.
Despite the fact that my demo was quick, it’s clear there are numerous extra layers to discover inside Detective Dotson, ones that I’m desirous to uncover. This lighthearted story of a reluctant hero has already moved to the highest of my “Can’t Wait to Play Extra of This” listing – which fortunately isn’t a protracted wait: Detective Dotson is about to launch April 24, 2025, for Xbox Sequence X|S and Home windows PC with assist for Xbox Play Wherever.
