Detective Instinct: Farewell, My Beloved

“The art is beautiful (I mean, these are just some of the most charming designs I've seen in a while.), the music gets you into the mood each and every time, and the story is grand enough to surprise you with each new unraveling while also being small enough to wrap itself up with a neat, little bow by the time you're complete.”

“What the game has instead is just heaps of charm – be it the soundtrack that evokes both Ace Attorney or Professor Layton, the well-animated characters, the setting itself or the photoesque backgrounds (all in glorious crunchy pixels, DS style), it all feels nourishing, nostalgic, like a good cup of silky warm tea.”

“Absolutely fantastic game – everything has so much love, care, and soul put into it. I cannot recommend it enough. Absolutely insane story with so many unexpected twists complemented by charming and human characters who never bore. The art is just gorgeous and the composition is always spot on; the music is also just consistent bangers!”

“The art style is beautiful, the music is subtle but incredibly immersive, and together they create a mood that stays with you long after the game ends.”

“The aesthetic is flawless and makes me nostalgic for a classic era of video games that I never actually experienced before.”

“Beautiful retro graphics really made me adore the setting and characters more than I would have if it was a more modern style.”

“[i]Detective Instinct: Farewell, My Beloved[/i] is a short but sweet mystery visual novel that lovingly plays tribute to the Japanese classics of the genre in both visual design and gameplay, to the point any fan of the Famicom Detective Club series or Hotel Dusk: Room 215 should give this a try.”

“The game does a great job at modernizing the gameplay style of the Famicom Detective Club games, making it feel intuitive without losing the retro charm.”

“I found myself smiling a lot at all of the character interactions, even when they were being stinkers :] The gameplay was also good, there was never any point where I felt completely frustrated and lost on what to do next, I had a lot of fun figuring things out as the story went on and it felt good when I was right.”

“If you're even remotely into this style of game then you've gotta play this one. Not only does it look and sound fantastic, it also manages to tell an emotional story about love, cruelty, and what people can do when pushed past their breaking point. It was such a joy getting to peel the story's layers bit by bit, and its ending especially is something that's going to stick with me for quite some time. Again, can't recommend it enough, incredible game.”

“Again, I have to concede that all around the game would sorely improve in certain areas from having more of itself, be that in breadth or variety, but it is pleasant to experience visually and musically. The writing made me feel real emotions, even managing to shock me in a way that was not cheap nor grotesque.”

“The story of our main character, Emma, and the professor is phenomenal, sincere, and heartfelt.”

“But an extremely well-written locked-room (train) mystery with good humorous elements to balance the apparent heaviness of the plot.”

“Character dialogues are very fun to read through and the humor worked for me, and all the characters are very believable and easy to feel sympathetic towards.”

“Most of the fun in the game comes from interacting with the expertly crafted world and eccentric characters to learn more about them and get a funny reaction.”

“Great for fans of the Ace Attorney series, it has the same nice aesthetic, atmosphere, mood, OST, and graphics.”

“Really nice story and high quality artwork and sprite work. The music is also very atmospheric and sets the mood well.”

“The presentation deserves a mention as well - the mixed-media approach of combining pixel art portraits, pre-rendered 3D backgrounds, and traditional illustrations works great, and the soundtrack is a consistently great addition to the atmosphere.”

“The character design and sprite animation were killer.”

“Visually, the game does wonderfully in having dynamic character designs with a variety of poses, emotions, quips, and remarks.”

“The game runs smoothly and keeps you interested - if you like this type of game then you will certainly like this one!”