A Detective's Novel

About

A Detective's Novel is a single player action game with mystery and thriller themes. It was developed by Amaterasu Software and was released on July 28, 2016. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

In "A Detective's Novel" , players assume the role of legendary detective Knox, investigating the suspicious death of a successful businessman, William Goldberg. Joined by an aspiring detective, Clark, they must uncover the truth behind Goldberg's passing in his isolated estate, surrounded by family and close friends. As the details of this tailor-made case unfold, Knox must use his expertise to reveal the real killer and bring them to justice.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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69%

Audience ScoreBased on 324 reviews

story35 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

The story is captivating and features intriguing characters, particularly the two detectives.
The game has a pleasant soundtrack that complements the narrative well.
It offers a unique twist in the ending that can be surprising for players.

The writing is plagued with grammatical errors and typos, which detracts from the overall experience.
The gameplay is mostly reading with limited interactivity, making it feel tedious at times.
The art style is considered poor and lacks variety, which can be visually unappealing.

story
111 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
61%
7%
The story aspect of the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its intriguing plot and character development, particularly the detectives, while others criticize it for poor writing, excessive text, and numerous grammatical errors. Many found the mystery engaging, with a notable plot twist, but some felt the narrative lacked coherence and depth, leading to a frustrating experience. Overall, while the story has its merits, it is marred by execution issues that detract from the overall enjoyment.
- “The story was captivating, and the characters were intriguing, particularly the two detectives.”
- “This murder mystery features quite an intriguing story.”
- “A detective's novel is an addictive wonderwork with a deep background story combined with lifelike arts and awesome OSTs.”
- “The artwork in this game is not good, and the story is a pretty below-standard boring affair.”
- “The story itself is far below sub-par; it's downright one of the worst stories I ever had to endure.”
- “First of all, something that you notice almost immediately that is just incredibly irritating for a game centered around its story, is that it has a lot of typos and grammatical errors.”
music
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
60%
9%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the pleasant and fitting soundtrack that enhances the gameplay experience, particularly noting its jazzy and bluesy themes. However, many criticize the repetitiveness of the tracks and the lack of variety, suggesting that while the sound quality is good, the limited looping can become a distraction over time. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as one of the game's stronger elements, despite its shortcomings.
- “The only saving grace is the piano soundtrack which is ideal for a sick day's gameplay.”
- “Most themes are made of bluesy or happy themes; the soundtrack is unexpectedly nice, pleasant, and suited to various situations such as the funny classic guitar themes during the frequent squabbles between Knox and Clark, or during Knox's unorthodox interrogations.”
- “The sound quality is excellent, as is the musical score filled with peppy upbeat tempos that complement the narrative quite well.”
- “Topped off with the music that didn't quite fit, this was a bizarre experience.”
- “It has poorly drawn characters, walls of text, uninteresting dialogs, boring and borderline annoying music and a plot that travels as slow as your 1000 years old grandma lacking both legs!”
- “Oh c'mon, my eyes are bleeding from reading all that nonsense you're calling a story and my ears are bleeding too from repetitive cheap music samples from different styles that don't even crossfade gracefully.”
graphics
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
55%
18%
The graphics in the game have received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many users criticizing the artwork as simplistic, poorly executed, and reminiscent of amateur attempts. While a few reviewers noted that the visuals are not the primary focus of the game, the general consensus is that the art style detracts significantly from the overall experience. Overall, the graphics are considered subpar, failing to meet the standards expected in modern visual novels.
- “I appreciated the artwork and the setting.”
- “Graphics are nice, story is epic, but there is just too much text...”
- “Decent game with some nice artwork.”
- “The artwork is so bad I nearly suffered permanent loss of sight... it looks like a high school art dropout tried to copy the bad artwork of a high school art dropout but failed terribly at it.”
- “The developer seems to have scoured the world for the person least qualified to do visual novel artwork, and hired them for the job.”
- “The art style looks like the artist just started practicing character design two years ago.”
humor
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in this visual novel is a standout feature, with many users praising its entertaining dialogue and quirky characters, particularly the eccentric host, Knox. While the grammar may be lacking, the comedic elements, including witty banter and absurd situations, contribute to an enjoyable experience. However, opinions vary on the effectiveness of the humor, with some finding it hilarious while others feel it can be overdone or inappropriate.
- “The story is kind of funny and enough for an hour and about 20 minutes of reading.”
- “But he sure brings some good humor to the investigation.”
- “In closing, this visual novel's narrative is just really entertaining and quite funny.”
gameplay
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
43%
43%
The gameplay is criticized for its lack of interactivity, primarily consisting of reading dialogues and making minimal choices, which leads to a tedious experience. While the search for clues and questioning elements are present, they are overshadowed by poor writing and a lack of coherent story, making the overall gameplay feel uninspired. The only redeeming quality noted is the piano soundtrack, which provides a soothing backdrop for the otherwise lackluster gameplay.
- “The gameplay is a search for clues, questioning and comparison of facts.”
- “A detective's novel suffers from a lack of story coherency, tedious gameplay, and poor writing.”
- “The absence of real gameplay could be considered a bad thing.”
- “The game lacks real gameplay; most of the time you'll just read dialogues and narration on screen, while occasionally you'll be asked to make a few dialogue choices.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players report a strong emotional impact, with moments that evoke genuine feelings of empathy and connection to the characters and story. The narrative effectively immerses players, making them feel as though they are part of the unfolding drama, while character portrayals, such as Mrs. Goldberg's grief and Mr. Rosenthal's consistent demeanor, enhance the emotional depth of the experience. Overall, the game successfully elicits a range of emotions, contributing to a more engaging and relatable storyline.
- “Tears welled up in his eyes when he realized what exactly was at stake.”
- “Besides scaring me with unexpected twists, it made me feel like I was actually in the story; although this was quite late, it made all the events that happened before feel much more real.”
- “Mrs. Goldberg remains an emotional wreck from her husband’s death; Mr. Rosenthal is as blunt as he was from the start to the end of the game.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and unengaging, contributing to a lack of story coherency and overall poor gameplay experience.
- “The grinding in this game feels endless and monotonous, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “I found the repetitive tasks to be a major drag, turning what could be an exciting adventure into a chore.”
- “The amount of grinding required to progress is overwhelming and detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
Character development in this game is criticized for being poorly executed, with players feeling that the interactions are shallow and unengaging. The dialogue is described as frustrating, featuring misspellings and a lack of depth, while the character designs are seen as amateurish, detracting from the overall experience.
- “No, this game doesn't even let you examine the full evidence to try and figure out the case. All your options are just pointless because this is just a train wreck of watching Knox berate Clark with a series of misspellings and bad character design.”
- “The art style looks like the artist just started practicing character design two years ago.”