Deep Night Detective: Chapter One

About

Deep Night Detective: Chapter One is a single player action adventure game. It was developed by Trainwreck Studios and was released on June 16, 2021. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Deep Night Detective: Chapter One follows Detective Victor Spooky, a ghost detective investigating mysterious disappearances at the eerie Winterfield Manor. As residents remain tight-lipped, Victor encounters a sinister Will-O'-Wisp demon whose chaotic motives add to the chilling mystery. Unravel secrets in this atmospheric supernatural detective adventure.

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Play Modes

Single-Player

Deep Night Detective: Chapter One screenshot

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78%

Audience ScoreBased on 51 reviews

story8 positive mentions

monetization14 negative mentions

The game features a captivating noir atmosphere with stylish retro graphics, engaging jazz music, and a charismatic main character.
The writing is well-crafted, with interesting dialogue and a compelling story that keeps players invested in the mystery.
The gameplay combines detective work with platforming elements, offering a unique experience that appeals to fans of both genres.

The game suffers from numerous bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, including game-breaking issues that prevent progression.
Controls are often unintuitive and poorly explained, leading to frustration during gameplay and making it difficult to navigate menus.
The overall length of the game is short, leaving players wanting more content and depth in the story and gameplay.

story
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
31%
19%
The game's story is praised for its compelling narrative and strong writing, effectively blending a spooky detective noir theme with engaging dialogue and characters. While many players find the plot intriguing and well-developed, some express frustration with gameplay mechanics that detract from the overall experience. Overall, it serves as a promising proof-of-concept for a paranormal detective adventure, though technical issues and gameplay elements may hinder its potential.
- “In terms of story, this is a great proof of concept for a ghost detective investigating paranormal cases.”
- “Very competent writing, which works as a mouth-watering seasoning for the way the spooky detective noir motif is intertwined with the in-game mechanics and overall storytelling.”
- “A good story with a great protagonist, with an interesting spin on it.”
- “I didn't care for the story but the platforming and boss battles were hard and it was a nice treat.”
- “The art, story, and especially the dialogue make this very appealing in concept but the gameplay feels weak.”
- “It doesn't really add much to the game other than just having to spend more time getting from one point of the story to the other.”
monetization
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of "Deep Night Detective" has been heavily criticized, as it is perceived more as an advertisement than a legitimate game, offering no actual product for purchase. Players feel misled by the developer's choice to present this as a game, arguing that it occupies valuable marketing space that could be better utilized by genuine titles. Overall, the reception indicates a strong disapproval of this approach, with many gamers feeling they deserve more than what is essentially advertising disguised as a game.
- “If you enjoy advertisements, you can consume them for free on the web or on YouTube without needing to add them to your game library, download them, and then launch the advertising.”
- “While it might seem like an innocuous mistake, publishing demos and advertisements as if they are full games is misleading and, in some ways, harmful.”
- “It's impossible for me to recommend this incorrectly published advertising spam to gamers; you deserve better than adverts.”
gameplay
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
46%
27%
The gameplay of "Deep Night Detective" is characterized by a blend of engaging storytelling and pixel art, but it has received mixed reviews regarding its mechanics. While the core gameplay is brief and shows promise, many players feel it lacks depth and variety, particularly in enemy placement and level design. Some appreciate the integration of metroidvania elements, but others find the gameplay weak and reminiscent of older styles, suggesting that more focus on mechanics could enhance the overall experience.
- “Very competent writing, which works as a mouth-watering seasoning for the way the spooky detective noir motif is intertwined with the in-game mechanics and overall storytelling.”
- “The pixel art, the story, the gameplay... it's all just so goddamn good.”
- “A sleuthing game with some metroidvania sections in between to offer some gameplay more than the 'click buttons to progress between important dialogue' that a standard visual novel is often restricted to.”
- “The core gameplay of Deep Night Detective really only takes an hour, or maybe less if you're good at platformers.”
- “I think they should focus on bug fixes and maybe shrink the levels and put a little more thought into the placement of enemies and their mechanics.”
- “The unclothing aspect just seems to be a hindrance when you die to make you backtrack to your corpse; there's no interesting mechanic shown in this chapter for it to be useful.”
music
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
15%
14%
Overall, the music in the game is praised for its quality and integration, with many reviewers noting it as catchy and well-suited to the game's atmosphere. However, technical issues during gameplay, such as music glitches and soft locks, detracted from the experience for some players. Despite these problems, the soundtrack contributes positively to the game's unique charm and worldbuilding.
- “The music, graphics, and overall theme of the game come together very well, and makes for a very unique experience.”
- “The music is great and how it's used in this game is well done, especially with the interrogation segment with Mrs. Bordeaux.”
- “On the upside of things, Deep Night Detective's got a great soundtrack, solid pixel art, and legitimately great worldbuilding that's used for both drama and humor.”
- “During the last fight against a repeating boss, after dying and returning to the boss, various aspects of the game were broken: the music triggered about 15 times, creating a terrible sound; the boss would randomly not attack at all; and the boss would leap out of bounds. Defeating the boss led to a soft lock, making the game uncompletable.”
stability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability has been criticized for numerous game-breaking glitches and bugs that significantly detract from the overall experience, particularly towards the end of the playthrough. Issues include improper key bindings, missing sound effects, and problems with game progression, suggesting that players may want to wait for patches or consider alternative ways to experience the game.
- “While I enjoyed this game when I had the opportunity to play, I ran into two game-breaking glitches during my playthrough towards the very end, damaging the experience.”
- “At the time of writing, there are also some pretty noticeable glitches; missing sound effects for various events, boss fights not starting properly, reloading your game messing up collected evidence, etc. Also, the chapter cuts off abruptly after gaining access to the west wing of the house, which is a shame because that interrogation was well done.”
- “Not great, there are many things that can be worked on; for example, the key binds are a little off, and pressing space on the menu glitches the game out.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features a delightful blend of humor and charm, highlighted by witty dialogue and amusing observations from the detective that enhance their character. Players appreciate the effective use of humor alongside strong worldbuilding and engaging pixel art, although minor bugs have been noted as humorous rather than detrimental to the experience.
- “There's a good amount of humor and charm in here; it's lovely.”
- “The dialogue is amazing and charming, with very funny observations from the detective that add to their personality.”
- “On the upside, Deep Night Detective has a great soundtrack, solid pixel art, and legitimately great worldbuilding that's used for both drama and humor.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect tedious, primarily due to the presence of bugs that hinder the experience.
- “The grinding feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “The amount of time required to level up is frustrating and feels like a chore.”
- “The bugs make the grinding experience tedious and unenjoyable.”
graphics
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The graphics of the game are highly praised, contributing to a unique experience that is complemented by the music and overall theme, with some users rating the aesthetic a perfect 10/10.
- “The music, graphics, and overall theme of the game come together very well, making for a very unique experience.”
- “Aesthetic - 10/10”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The atmosphere of the game is generally appreciated for its potential and engaging characters, though some players feel that it is not enough to compensate for the presence of bugs and other issues.
- “I really enjoy the atmosphere and characters; there's a lot of potential!”
- “This isn't the only time I encountered bugs, and sadly the atmosphere wasn't enough to make up for it.”

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Frequently Asked Questions

Deep Night Detective: Chapter One is a action adventure game.

Deep Night Detective: Chapter One is available on PC and Windows.

Deep Night Detective: Chapter One was released on June 16, 2021.

Deep Night Detective: Chapter One was developed by Trainwreck Studios.

Deep Night Detective: Chapter One has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its monetization.

Deep Night Detective: Chapter One is a single player game.

Similar games include Neversong, The Plucky Squire, Eldrum: Untold, Text-Based RPG, Hob, Heartbound and others.

Deep Night Detective: Chapter One

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