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Chinatown Detective Agency: Day One

Chinatown Detective Agency: Day One Game Cover
84%Game Brain Score
story, graphics
stability, grinding
84% User Score Based on 108 reviews

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Chinatown Detective Agency: Day One Game Cover

About

Chinatown Detective Agency: Day One is a single player simulation game. It was developed by General Interactive Co. and was released on October 2, 2020. It received positive reviews from players.

WISHLIST THE FULL GAME TODAY About the GameDay One is the prologue for Chinatown Detective Agency, a mystery adventure game inspired by the classic Carmen Sandiego series that will take you across Singapore and the world in hot pursuit of criminals, witnesses and clues. I remember my first day at INTERPOL like it was yesterday. Now it was just me, my office and my very first case. You’ll guid…

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Chinatown Detective Agency: Day One screenshot
Chinatown Detective Agency: Day One screenshot
Chinatown Detective Agency: Day One screenshot
Chinatown Detective Agency: Day One screenshot
Chinatown Detective Agency: Day One screenshot
Chinatown Detective Agency: Day One screenshot
Chinatown Detective Agency: Day One screenshot
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84%
Audience ScoreBased on 108 reviews
story11 positive mentions
stability2 negative mentions
  • The game features a unique mechanic that requires players to conduct real-world research to solve puzzles, making it engaging and educational.
  • The art style and atmosphere are beautifully crafted, with a strong cyberpunk aesthetic and well-done voice acting that enhances the overall experience.
  • The story is intriguing and the characters are well-developed, creating a compelling narrative that keeps players invested.
  • The game suffers from significant bugs and issues, including a lack of a save function, which can lead to frustrating experiences for players.
  • Some puzzles are overly simplistic or tedious, relying too heavily on external searches that can break immersion and detract from the gameplay experience.
  • The user interface can be clunky and unintuitive, with some players finding it difficult to navigate and interact with the game world effectively.
  • story
    46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is generally well-received, featuring an intriguing and engaging narrative that combines mystery and character development, though it is noted to be somewhat linear. Players appreciate the art and writing that enrich the setting, but some express a desire for deeper interaction with the environment to enhance storytelling. Overall, the missions are compelling and balanced, with a strong emphasis on detective work, though technical issues and pacing can detract from the experience.

    • “And you get a nice story too as you investigate the cases that are full of mystery and intrigue.”
    • “Chinatown Detective Agency delivers a compelling story paired with a unique and challenging gameplay.”
    • “Loved the story and setting, as I am from Singapore.”
    • “Broken quest 10 minutes into the game.”
    • “It bugs out when traveling or trying to complete parts of the story, therefore making you have to redo things you've already completed.”
    • “Here, using 'real-world detective skills to ... solve cases' is a euphemism for googling geography trivia to progress a linear story.”
  • graphics
    36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their beautiful pixel art and effective integration with the cyberpunk aesthetic, creating an immersive atmosphere that enhances the storytelling. Many reviewers appreciate the unique art style, though some note inconsistencies and a preference for more detailed visuals. Overall, the visuals are considered a standout feature, appealing particularly to fans of retro and pixel art games.

    • “Just love the art style and the whole texture.”
    • “The graphics are beautiful in ways that shouldn't be achievable with pixel art.”
    • “The visuals are intoxicatingly pixelled; your headspace gets into a cyberpunkish 80s-90s, and the art direction is really good.”
    • “It's a shame all budget games go for the same lo-fi 16-bit aesthetic these days.”
    • “And, while I get that the game is supposed to look retro, the graphics are too chunky for my taste.”
    • “I just can't get past the art style.”
  • gameplay
    28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of Chinatown Detective Agency is praised for its engaging investigation mechanics, which cleverly incorporate web research to solve puzzles, reminiscent of classic titles like Carmen Sandiego. Players appreciate the unique blend of time management and endurance challenges, although some express concerns about the execution of certain mechanics, such as the feeling of agency in solving cases. Overall, the game offers a compelling narrative and innovative gameplay that encourages exploration and critical thinking.

    • “A nice Carmen Sandiego-styled game with an interesting investigation mechanic where you use Google to research history, cities, etc., to solve the clues.”
    • “It takes a lot of clever design to pull off this kind of gameplay for the detective genre, and I'm happy to see games like this pushing themselves to deliver some well-thought-out and engaging mechanics.”
    • “Chinatown Detective Agency delivers a compelling story paired with unique and challenging gameplay.”
    • “The time mechanic seems poorly thought out.”
    • “Mechanically, it's a standard point-and-click adventure, though rather than having a strict inventory that you use items from to progress, your tool to solve any given puzzle is ultimately information which leads to some odd decisions that I have mixed feelings about.”
    • “The only other thing that bothered me about the mechanics is that there is a murder that you'll have to solve, but I never really felt like I, the player, did anything about it.”
  • music
    26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received praise for its beautiful, atmospheric quality, often described as fitting well with the visuals and enhancing the overall experience. However, several users have noted issues with audio mixing, particularly that the music is too loud compared to voice acting, which detracts from immersion. Overall, while the soundtrack is appreciated for its style and mood, improvements in audio balance are needed for a better experience.

    • “The visuals, music, and gameplay all tie in together smoothly.”
    • “The music is pretty much what you'd expect for a cyberpunk game, rooted in 80's synths and the moodiness associated with it.”
    • “The art is beautiful and mixed with the soundtrack, it creates a fantastic atmosphere.”
    • “The music/sfx/voice default mix had the voice way too quiet, and there isn't much music/sfx, so it bombs your ears whenever it happens.”
    • “The audio mixing could use a little work as the voices are sometimes a bit quiet with the music and a little way into it the main character's voice only came out of the right speaker which threw me off when she entered a room from the left side of the screen while talking.”
    • “I will try to continue playing, but the fact that the music is so loud that I cannot hear the voice acting is a bit of a negative for me and does impede my enjoyment somewhat.”
  • atmosphere
    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its beautiful pixel art, noirish elements, and immersive soundtracks that enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the blend of captivating visuals and excellent voice acting, which together create a compelling environment that encourages exploration and engagement with the mystery. The cyberpunk aesthetic is particularly highlighted, making it a standout feature for fans of the genre.

    • “Beautiful pixel art, noirish atmosphere, a mystery to unravel, and it does not hold your hand; it slaps it away in fact and tells you to go do research.”
    • “I'm a big fan of cyberpunk and this game does a great job of capturing the atmosphere.”
    • “The art is beautiful and mixed with the soundtrack it creates a fantastic atmosphere.”
  • stability
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users report experiencing several glitches that affect gameplay stability, such as walking while seated and persistent UI issues like the subway map not closing. These problems have led to increased playtime due to interruptions and frustrations.

    • “For me, this caused a few issues and boosted my playtime a lot higher than it needed to be, mostly because of the time management being specific in its actions that led to a few glitches along the way.”
    • “Some glitches: I can walk while sleeping in the chair, and the subway map overlaps with the game and doesn't close.”
  • humor
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in "Chinatown Detective Agency" is well-received, with players appreciating its cleverness and charm, which complements the engaging puzzle gameplay and strong voice acting. Fans of witty and entertaining narratives, reminiscent of classic titles like Carmen Sandiego, will particularly enjoy the game's comedic elements.

    • “If you're at all interested in interesting puzzle gameplay, good voice acting, and great humor, or if you're looking for a game inspired by the best parts of Carmen Sandiego, you'll find a lot to like with Chinatown Detective Agency.”
  • grinding
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game frustrating, particularly in the prologue where puzzles require minimal effort to solve but can be time-consuming and tedious, detracting from the overall experience.

    • “The puzzles in the prologue require just one Google search, and one of them takes a tedious amount of time to decode a message.”
    • “Grinding in this game feels more like a chore than an enjoyable experience.”
    • “The repetitive tasks needed to progress are exhausting and detract from the overall enjoyment.”
  • character development
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The character development is praised for its depth and integration into a compelling story, complemented by engaging and challenging puzzles that enhance the overall experience.

    • “The character development is impressive, with each character evolving in meaningful ways throughout the story.”
    • “I love how the game allows for deep character growth, making choices that truly impact the narrative.”
    • “The story is engaging, and the character arcs are well-crafted, providing a rich experience.”
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Frequently Asked Questions

Chinatown Detective Agency: Day One is a simulation game.

Chinatown Detective Agency: Day One is available on PC, Mac OS and Windows.

Chinatown Detective Agency: Day One was released on October 2, 2020.

Chinatown Detective Agency: Day One was developed by General Interactive Co..

Chinatown Detective Agency: Day One has received positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its stability.

Chinatown Detective Agency: Day One is a single player game.

Similar games include Chinatown Detective Agency: Day One prologue, Tails Noir: Prologue, Chinatown Detective Agency, This Bed We Made, Cyber Manhunt and others.