Culturally diverse video games are a bit of a rarity. Gamers are constantly swimming in an ocean of US-centric action titles, fantasy RPGs that don’t usually stray far from their European or Middle-earth comfort zone, and there’s always plenty of Japan viewed through the lens of anime-style pieces of software. Almost everything else is a minority, and that surprisingly includes India as well, despite it being home to almost one and a half billion people. Long story short, it is easy to appreciate the existence of Masala Games’ Detective Dotson, whose main mission seems to be to show the “other” side of the country, instead of the two or three stereotypes that tend to appear in most pieces of pop culture. All this is rendered in some simple yet cute, appropriately colourful pixel art…but that’s where the praise ends. Beneath the good-looking surface, this turns out to be an absolute mess.
If in search for the next exciting detective experience, this isn’t it. The titular hero is investigating his father’s death while solving smaller neighbourhood mysteries, with the writing being paper-thin throughout his search for the truth. There are four cases to solve, which wrap up abruptly, with the cast of characters never evolving beyond their roles as clue givers.
Sure, Detective Dotson has its few charming moments, mostly when it leans into its more light-hearted, humorous side, but when it tries to add some emotional weight, it fails completely. Expect none of the satisfying “Aha!” moments, either, usually found in great sleuth gems, like Kathy Rain 2: Soothsayer.
The first tutorial-esque case is about a dog that had been dyed pink with paint. It’s a simple and way-too-easy deal, but that is probably the point. The core gameplay loop revolves around gathering clues, which can be used on a board where the dots must be connected. If the character profile pictures and post-it notes are placed in the correct slots, congrats, you’ve found your man. The problem? Gathering info isn’t exactly that fun.
Playing like a series of fetch quests, cases have Dotson go to NPC #1 in order to buy an item that NPC #2 needs, so that they can provide the next item in line, which NPC #3 requires. In the first mission the tedium is passable, but after the second one (where Dotson is searching for a…biryani thief), the repetition increases quite a lot. If that wasn’t boring enough, buying items needs money – money usually rewarded for winning simplistic and/or unpolished mini-games.
The bulk of the mini-games is comprised of hidden object and rhythm-based gameplay. Some are better than others, none of them enjoyable in the least. Some could say that the lack of challenge makes Detective Dotson a great pick for younger gamers, but many of these mini-games are very rough around the edges, with bad, clunky controls, or mechanics that just refuse to work as intended. That’s a big issue as one needs to gather lots of money, and that’s mainly done through betting higher…which makes losing due to bad controls extra aggravating.
There is some minor adventure-style puzzle solving thrown in as well, which ranges from childishly easy pieces of cake to childishly easy pieces of cake that become hard by how some of the mechanics behave in this world. Two examples are the half-broken platforming or the unreliable ability to throw items, which occasionally doesn’t register.
What takes the nankhatai, however, is the control scheme. This is one of those very simple games that somehow manages to make one constantly question their inputs. X opens doors, Y talks with people and…wait, which one is used to pick and throw an item? How does this or that menu open? What must be pressed here? It’s all on your screen, but it never feels natural.
If there’s one reason to recommend Detective Dotson, it’s the art. Masala Games’ pixel work isn’t top tier, but it manages to recreate the atmosphere of everyday modern India. Detailed street scenes with posters plastered on the walls, all sorts of colourful folk walking around, intricate architecture, dynamic use of light, colour and ambient sound effects – all these come together to form a stunning, authentic mosaic. It’s clear the development team loves its country and wants to share that love. Too bad the game itself leaves a lot to be desired.
Save your money and just order some spicy vindaloo. At least that kind of pain is enjoyable.
