Daedalus: The Awakening of Golden Jazz

52%
Game Brain Score Based on 22 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • atmosphere
Daedalus: The Awakening of Golden Jazz Game Cover
Starting at $1.78Buy now
Get on Steam

"Daedalus: The Awakening of Golden Jazz" follows Detective Saburo Jinguji as he investigates the murder of his grandfather in New York. Immerse yourself in this hard-boiled adventure game, exploring Saburo's past and the meaning behind his grandfather's last word, 'Daedalus.' With its rich storyline and nostalgic cityscape, help Saburo uncover the truth and honor his grandfather's legacy.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Windows
  • Play​Station
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

52%
Audience ScoreBased on 22 reviews
story16 positive mentions
grinding6 negative mentions
  • The game features a compelling overarching mystery that can engage players.
  • The art style and interface design are visually appealing, enhancing the overall experience.
  • The soundtrack, composed by Ayako Minami, adds a nice touch to the atmosphere, even if it could use more variety.
  • The pacing is uneven, with tedious mechanics and excessive clicking that detracts from the enjoyment.
  • The story often feels surface-level and fails to explore interesting plot points, leading to an unsatisfying conclusion.
  • Many characters lack depth and memorability, making it hard to connect with the narrative.
  • story68 mentions

    The story has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it lacking in depth and coherence, often veering off its initial premise and leaving numerous plot points unresolved. While some appreciate the episodic structure and the potential for a compelling narrative, others criticize its uneven pacing, surface-level exploration of themes, and reliance on contrived coincidences. Overall, the storytelling is seen as a blend of intriguing ideas hampered by poor execution and design choices that detract from the experience.

    • “There is a compelling story here, and I’m still playing it so it’s not a lost cause, but you really need to be all-in for the story to get past the tedium in its telling.”
    • “This overarching mystery is split up into episodic cases that are each their own contained mystery complete with a final confrontation, yet they all tie back into the main storyline.”
    • “The atmosphere, the storytelling, the writing style (complete with the trope of the mysterious killer with possible supernatural powers turning out to just be a conveniently nutso dude) is all represented here.”
    • “Absolutely pointless plot that veers off its initial premise and never gets back on track just to throw in sequel bait at the last moment.”
    • “The story itself also feels somewhat surface level in the things it introduces, such as the villain's motivations or the secrets you uncover.”
    • “Add to that contrived coincidences, lack of conclusion for certain events (even the ending), and potential plot holes.”
  • gameplay24 mentions

    The gameplay has been criticized for its simplistic mechanics and poor pacing, with many players finding it tedious and linear. The need for repetitive area searches and unnecessary confirmation prompts detracts from the overall experience, leaving players feeling frustrated and unsatisfied with the exploration elements. While the story has potential, it fails to delve deeply into its interesting points, resulting in a lackluster gameplay experience.

    • “All of this happens to an absolutely absurd degree in the game’s very first chapter, following a solid prologue that introduces you to the characters and mechanics.”
    • “There are a couple of other gameplay elements.”
    • “All in all, pretty simplistic in terms of gameplay compared to other investigative visual novels.”
    • “However, I feel this game's mechanics could use a lot of improvement; for example, I don't think the confirmation button every time we change location is necessary.”
    • “The pacing's a mess, the game mechanics are thin, and the writing leaves plenty to be desired.”
  • atmosphere8 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is described as chill and immersive, emphasizing a slow-burn experience that prioritizes storytelling and character development over clear objectives. While it lacks the emotional intensity of titles like Phoenix Wright, the effort put into character relationships and the writing style contributes significantly to its atmospheric appeal. Players are encouraged to appreciate the subtleties and nuances of the environment and narrative.

    • “The atmosphere, the storytelling, and the writing style (complete with the trope of the mysterious killer with possible supernatural powers turning out to just be a conveniently nutso dude) are all represented here.”
    • “Their value lies in how much you enjoy the slow burn of the atmosphere, and how much you can appreciate a game that does not really have a clear objective list of things to enjoy.”
    • “The amount of effort put into conveying the love for Kyosuke and Jinguji, and how it contrasts with the old man, pays off in atmosphere, I feel.”
    • “The atmosphere, the storytelling, and the writing style (complete with the trope of the mysterious killer with possible supernatural powers turning out to just be a conveniently nutso dude) is all represented here.”
    • “But the amount of effort put into letting you know everyone loved Kyosuke and Jinguji has a long way to go to catch up to the old man, which pays off in atmosphere, I feel.”
  • grinding6 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, with slow pacing and repetitive mechanics that detract from the overall experience. The lengthy transitions and lack of clear direction lead to frustration, making exploration feel like a chore rather than an engaging part of the gameplay.

    • “But all that got shoved into a distant corner by some atrocious pacing and brutally tedious mechanics.”
    • “Fade ins, fade outs, dialogue introducing the area, it takes about 7 or 8 seconds minimum just to go anywhere, and when the cases expect you to travel through five zones just to see nobody is there before proceeding, or does not hint where you need to go next and you have to do that to guess... the result is incredibly tedious.”
    • “I liked some aspects of this game, such as the overarching mystery, but other parts were tedious, and the ending was frustratingly abrupt and confusing, at least the ending I got.”
  • music6 mentions

    The music in the game is generally appreciated for its nice quality, though it is noted to be quite repetitive. Some reviewers highlight the evolution of the soundtrack, particularly the late-game jazz tones that reflect character development, but overall, the music does not compensate for the story's shortcomings.

    • “This sold the game for me, since I liked her take on 'mechanical' music and wanted to see her 'melodic' side.”
    • “But you see it in the story, the late game music taking on a jazz tone to suggest Jinguji is getting to where he has been in previous games.”
    • “The music is nice, but very repetitive.”
  • graphics4 mentions

    The graphics feature a stylized art style that captivates players initially, but the integration with real-world elements feels disjointed. While the visuals are appealing, they may not harmonize well with other game aspects, such as the story.

    • “The real-world bit is a little weird because the art style is somewhat stylized, so the two don't go together well.”
    • “The art style is what initially drew me in, but the graphics ultimately feel inconsistent and detract from the overall experience.”
    • “The graphics lack detail and polish, making the game feel outdated compared to other titles in the genre.”
  • monetization2 mentions

    The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as a low-effort cash grab by Arc System Works, leading to negative perceptions among users who feel exploited.

    • “Clearly, this is a low-effort cash grab from Arc System Works to rip players off.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by limited choices in dialogue trees that reflect different emotional stances, yet ultimately leads to a singular narrative path, reducing the impact of player agency on the emotional experience.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Buy Daedalus: The Awakening of Golden Jazz

Play time

10hMedian play time
10hAverage play time
10-10hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

Videos

Similar Games