Chinatown Detective Agency: Day One prologue

73%
Game Brain Score Based on 95 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Chinatown Detective Agency: Day One prologue Game Cover
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Day 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 guide new PI Amira Darma through her first day in …

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Reviews

73%
Audience ScoreBased on 95 reviews
story25 positive mentions
stability6 negative mentions
  • The game features beautiful pixel art and a captivating cyberpunk aesthetic that immerses players in its world.
  • The unique mechanic of requiring players to conduct real-world research to solve puzzles adds an engaging and educational element to the gameplay.
  • The storyline is intriguing, with multiple endings and a variety of cases that keep players invested in the narrative.
  • The game suffers from numerous bugs and glitches, including issues with voice acting, saving mechanics, and inconsistent dialogue.
  • Many puzzles are overly reliant on external searches, which can break immersion and lead to frustration when solutions are found too easily online.
  • The lack of a manual save option and the tedious travel mechanics detract from the overall experience, making it feel more like a chore than an adventure.
  • story97 mentions

    The game's story is generally praised for its intriguing premise and beautiful pixel art, immersing players in a near-future Singapore while solving various mysteries. However, many reviewers express frustration with the pacing, lack of depth, and limited interactivity, noting that the narrative can feel repetitive and the save mechanics are poorly implemented, leading to a disjointed experience. While the dialogue and character development receive some commendation, the overall execution leaves players wanting more, particularly in terms of story branching and engagement.

    • “The story grips you with the desire to explore a near future of the island of Singapore while solving multiple mysteries, beautifully presented in pixel art.”
    • “The game has an intriguing story and beautiful aesthetic.”
    • “The art, the storytelling, the characters; all of them amazing in their own way!”
    • “I think the game is too short for its price - yes, you will play more and spend more time in the game if you do different paths and reach the end with a different partner and get different endings, but the paths are short and the main storyline starts to feel boring after the nth replay with a different character.”
    • “The nice artwork and the authentic Singaporean accent got me at first, but the flow is very boring, puzzles are not interesting, and the story is progressing too slowly.”
    • “The game isn't truly worth its price point considering how short the whole story is.”
  • gameplay33 mentions

    Gameplay in the game has received mixed reviews, with players appreciating the unique mechanic of using real-world searches to solve puzzles, which adds a layer of immersion and challenge. However, many criticize the game for its frustrating mechanics, such as a restrictive save system and cumbersome travel elements, which detract from the overall experience. While some find the gameplay engaging and innovative, others feel it lacks polish and can be tedious, leading to a sense of unfinished design.

    • “I'm huge into mystery and crime, and the overall vibe and game mechanics are really up my alley, although the UI can be a little finicky sometimes.”
    • “It was an interesting mechanic to allow players to use the web to find answers rather than just create a fake in-game site.”
    • “Many people seem to be mad about the Carmen Sandiego-inspired mechanic of conducting outside research for puzzles, but I think that is a huge part of the game’s charm.”
    • “The gameplay is what I have gripes with though.”
    • “A lot of elements felt thrown in haphazardly, not fully developed, and just a handful of wasted game mechanics that served more as an inconvenient barrier than anything.”
    • “Alas - the devs forgot in their quest for 'innovative mechanics' (like no manual saves and only one autosave per case, or forcing the player to use the real internet to find out how to solve in-game clues) that many adventure players are old school 'creatures of habit'.”
  • graphics30 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many praising the beautiful pixel art style and intricate artwork that enhances the overall aesthetic and atmosphere. However, some users noted issues such as low character fidelity, graphical errors, and minor clipping problems that detracted from the experience. Overall, while the visuals are often described as stunning and immersive, there are concerns about the game's unfinished feel and the balance between art and gameplay.

    • “And we loooooove the pixel art style!”
    • “The game has an intriguing story and beautiful aesthetic.”
    • “The artwork is phenomenal and the story is great too.”
    • “Graphically, I think that the characters could have had slightly higher fidelity.”
    • “I noticed that some of the walk-behinds were a little off, resulting in some minor graphical clipping in certain areas.”
    • “Came here for the visuals, left feeling unfulfilled.”
  • atmosphere11 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive qualities, featuring drifting ambient synths, beautiful pixel art, and gripping music that enhances the overall experience. While some reviewers note that the game feels unfinished in certain aspects, the combination of deep storytelling, engaging dialogue, and a serious tone contributes to a rich and inviting atmosphere that encourages exploration and investigation. Overall, the game's atmosphere stands out as a significant strength, making it a compelling experience for players.

    • “Drifting ambient synths drone on during more atmospheric moments.”
    • “The atmosphere is great.”
    • “It's visuals are absolutely gorgeous, the music and atmosphere are so gripping, and the voice acting is sincerely next level.”
    • “But there's a pretty big caveat: other than the art style and atmosphere, it feels unfinished.”
    • “What I like about it is that it invites some tinkering and researching on your own, and because these clues are actual things out there, it adds to the serious tone and atmosphere.”
  • music11 mentions

    The music in the game has received high praise for its quality and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, with many reviewers highlighting the superb soundtrack and its fitting integration with the pixel art style. While some noted issues with dialogue volume and quality, the general consensus is that the music significantly contributes to the immersive experience, making it a standout feature of the game.

    • “The art, music, and animations are phenomenal.”
    • “Graphics are very good, music and sound ambiance are excellent.”
    • “The pixel art is beautiful, the character portraits and personalities are memorable, the developers have created an immersive future world, especially the soundtrack, which is superb - I hope it is released separately.”
    • “The music is louder than the person talking.”
    • “The music.”
    • “The incredible low-res pixel art is grossly underutilized, and the soundtrack is fitting.”
  • stability7 mentions

    The game is plagued by numerous bugs, including audio issues, mismatched voicelines, and glitches that disrupt gameplay and immersion. While it generally functions without crashing, the prevalence of these issues suggests a need for significant patches to enhance stability and overall experience.

    • “The art is outstanding, the music is good, and the game generally works; by this I mean it didn't crash and wasn't buggy.”
    • “The game is fairly buggy (including spoiling a mystery in a way that certainly seems unintended), so the devs really should fix that stuff.”
    • “It's buggy, voicelines don't play or don't match up with the text, audio levels and quality differ greatly between characters, and typos galore.”
    • “Overall, the game is buggy which ruins the immersion and experience.”
  • humor5 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by a blend of clever dialogue and amusing character interactions, with moments of unintentional comedy adding to the charm. While it features engaging and funny elements, it does not reach the level of whimsical absurdity found in classic adventure games like Monkey Island or Thimbleweed Park. Overall, the humor complements the well-crafted story and characters, enhancing the overall experience.

    • “The dialogue could be funny at times, adding a nice touch to the overall story.”
    • “Sometimes, a character would walk the wrong way in a cutscene, which was sort of funny.”
    • “The characters have both deep and hilarious dialogue, making for a great mix of humor and storytelling.”
  • grinding3 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and unnecessary, particularly in tasks like waiting for flights and conducting research. While some appreciate the interesting mechanics tied to the mystery genre, others feel that certain puzzles lack engagement and intuitiveness.

    • “I found buying plane tickets, then waiting until 3 hours before the flight, and watching the plane go across the map unnecessary and tedious.”
    • “Doing the research is a tedious task, but it's definitely an interesting mechanic for a mystery game like this!”
    • “Some puzzles were a little less engaging, tedious, or not very intuitive.”
  • replayability3 mentions

    Players note that the game offers a decent level of replayability, primarily due to the inclusion of multiple choices and outcomes that encourage exploration of different scenarios. This design choice enhances the overall experience for those looking to fully engage with all possible cases in the game.

    • “This means the game does have a good bit of replayability.”
    • “I think they only made this choice to enhance the game's replayability.”
    • “I think they only made this choice to make the game 'replayable.'”
    • “This gives some replayability if we want to explore every possible scenario in the game.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    Reviewers note that while some games may balance gameplay and emotional depth effectively, in this case, the focus on puzzle-solving detracts from the overall emotional impact, leaving players feeling more accomplished than emotionally engaged.

  • character development1 mentions

    Character development in the game has been criticized for inconsistent character design, with sprites not aligning with their in-game representations, leading to confusion about character identities, particularly on the title screen.

    • “The character design doesn't match the personalities, making it hard to connect with them.”
    • “The sprites look completely different from the characters they represent, which is confusing.”
    • “It's difficult to identify who everyone is on the title screen due to inconsistent character designs.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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