Detective Dotson is much and away one of the crucial charming video games I’ve performed this yr. It’s as should you had been to throw Ace Lawyer and basic 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 concept of what unbiased 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 help 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 yr’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 concerning the sport’s help for Xbox Play Wherever.
In Detective Dotson, you tackle the function of the title character, an aspiring actor turned beginner 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 celebration, or who’s liable for stealing somebody’s lunch to smash a movie manufacturing.
These lighthearted quests play out in a standard journey sport model, the place you information Dotson throughout a 2D aircraft with a brightly coloured, Indian-influenced 3D backdrop, speaking with different characters for clues, selecting up objects on 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 resolve the energetic case. Right here you’ll successfully transfer sticky notes with clues on them like, “Broke Up With,” “Skilled by,” and “Hides in,” to then draw traces between all of your suspects to resolve the thriller at hand.
What I loved probably the most throughout my time with the sport is that it faucets into basic journey gaming, a style I really like. It’s not fairly point-and-click, nevertheless it’s related sufficient in its features that it scratches that journey sport itch. It additionally looks like an extremely accessible, cozy expertise that players of all talent ranges will have the ability to take pleasure in.
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 sport does an excellent job of easing you into the expertise with its terminology, presentation of characters, in addition to the circumstances you’re given. There’s a purpose why being shunned from a tea celebration can have a dramatic affect on somebody’s social standing, which makes it the form of factor Dotson would need to resolve for – who appears to not solely be a greater detective than marketed, but additionally a standup dude who’s simply attempting to do proper in his neighborhood.
Though my demo was brief, it’s clear there are a lot of extra layers to discover inside Detective Dotson, ones that I’m wanting 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” record – which fortunately isn’t a protracted wait: Detective Dotson is ready to launch April 24, 2025, for Xbox Sequence X|S and Home windows PC with help for Xbox Play Wherever.
