Dominique Pamplemousse

About

"Dominique Pamplemousse" is a stop-motion musical detective adventure game following a down-on-their-luck private investigator of ambiguous gender. They're tasked with finding a missing pop star, but soon find themselves framed for a crime and confronting their mysterious past. The game features singing and humor throughout the story, making for a unique and engaging experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

75%

Audience ScoreBased on 375 reviews

music53 positive mentions

atmosphere3 negative mentions

The game features a unique stop-motion art style that is charming and reminiscent of classic claymation.
The musical aspect, while off-key, adds a quirky and humorous element to the gameplay, making it a memorable experience.
The game successfully touches on themes of gender identity and the music industry, providing a light-hearted yet thought-provoking narrative.

The singing is often off-key and can be grating, which may detract from the overall enjoyment for some players.
The gameplay is very linear and lacks depth, with minimal puzzles and a short playtime of about an hour.
The character animations are simplistic and can feel unpolished, which may not appeal to players looking for high production values.

music
246 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
76%
2%
The music in "Dominique Pamplemousse" is a defining feature, characterized by its quirky, off-key singing and a unique blend of styles that some find charming while others deem grating. The game employs a musical format where dialogue is often sung in sync with the background score, creating an engaging yet polarizing experience. While the soundtrack and musical elements are appreciated for their originality and humor, they may not appeal to everyone, particularly those who dislike musicals or offbeat aesthetics.
- “It's an entertaining and bizarre musical, detective adventure with old-timey film noir aesthetics.”
- “The soundtrack that is timed to each interaction is entertaining and shows an appreciation for dramatic flair.”
- “A fantastic charming little adventure that parodies the fails of the music industry while also commenting on gender and economics.”
- “The musical aspect is so bad that it is good, and each room and character has a different musical vibe.”
- “The musical parts of Dominique Pamplemousse are without a doubt the worst part of the game, grating and out of tune.”
- “The worst part was the kids were enjoying the silly animations and off-key music!”
story
140 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
68%
4%
The story of "Dominique Pamplemousse" is a quirky, claymation noir detective tale that blends humor with themes of gender identity and economic issues, though it often feels simplistic and linear. While some players found the narrative engaging with unexpected twists, others criticized its abrupt ending and lack of depth. Overall, the game offers a charming, albeit brief, storytelling experience that may appeal to those who enjoy unique artistic styles and lighthearted plots.
- “The story is humorous but relatable, with contextual puzzles that make perfect sense, and the protagonist appears to be a pretty good representation of a non-binary character.”
- “The story was actually captivating and I wanted to keep playing to find out more as it unraveled.”
- “Using real clay characters, animated in the stop motion style, Pamplemousse tells the story of wealth inequality, gender politics, and detective work, while having the characters break out into song.”
- “The story is just okay and the ending was a bit abrupt.”
- “The plot itself, however, isn't very remarkable and you'll see the twist coming a mile away.”
- “The game's story is not that interesting either.”
humor
65 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in "Dominique Pamplemousse" is described as quirky, charming, and often hilarious, with well-written dialogues and amusing character interactions. While some players found the off-key singing and absurdity endearing, others felt it could become grating over time. Overall, the game offers a unique blend of humor, social commentary, and a playful aesthetic that appeals to fans of experimental and whimsical storytelling.
- “I got those in a cute and funny claymated game, along with brilliant undertones of capitalism and gender critique.”
- “The dialogues are very well written, and the music is funny.”
- “The story is compelling and funny, and the game is well made, so really the only thing you could object to is the singing.”
graphics
54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
69%
6%
The game's graphics feature a distinctive claymation aesthetic that combines black-and-white visuals with a low-budget, stop-motion style, which some players find charming and unique, while others consider it crude and unappealing. The simplistic animations and overall visual quality reflect a deliberate artistic choice that may not resonate with everyone, but contribute to the game's quirky, musical narrative. Overall, the graphics are a polarizing aspect, celebrated for their originality yet critiqued for their execution.
- “The unique stop-motion art style and low-budget audio are strangely its strongest features.”
- “I like that this game has a unique art style - most games wouldn't touch black and white, old-style stop-motion, or a tinny radio-era soundtrack with a thirty-foot pole, and this game does all three.”
- “The aesthetic design, characters, music, and story blend all together into a nice small game.”
- “The art style has been described as 'claymation noire'; there's little er... 'mation', and it all looks a bit muddy.”
- “You will spend 80% of your time watching shoddy claymation figures (an aesthetic choice, I assume, rather than a lack of skill... I hope) talk-sing tuneless songs with straightforward, uncreative lyrics.”
- “It's very low resolution assets with no graphic options to speak of.”
gameplay
43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
84%
7%
The gameplay of "Dominique Pamplemousse" is primarily a simple point-and-click adventure, characterized by basic mechanics and minimal challenge, which some players found unfulfilling. While the game features a unique aesthetic and musical elements, many reviews highlight that the gameplay lacks depth and complexity, often serving merely as a vehicle for the story rather than an engaging experience. Overall, it is seen as a short, straightforward experience that may appeal to those interested in its creative presentation rather than its gameplay.
- “The mechanic where characters wait for background music to sync up so that the music wouldn't just start out of nowhere was a really nice touch.”
- “The gameplay is a standard point and click, with most of the gameplay consisting of clicking dialogue options and listening to the characters sing.”
- “The game mechanics are simple but completely workable: you click on items on the screen to get dialogue or action options, or add things to your inventory.”
- “The gameplay is definitely the weakest element of the game; very simple point and click mechanics and puzzles that aren't very difficult to solve. It's just a means to an end to carry the exposition.”
- “Ugly, beyond ugly; no actual thoughtful gameplay, it's just going through every button in order and moving on to the next (horrendously sung) room.”
- “This game takes at the most two hours to complete, so don't expect complex gameplay... in fact, don't expect any gameplay.”
atmosphere
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
38%
38%
The game's atmosphere is characterized by a unique blend of humor and an offbeat setting, enhanced by a fitting soundtrack that complements its artistic presentation. While some may find the visuals amateurish, they contribute to a warm and welcoming vibe, creating an engaging experience as players interact with singing characters in a musical-like quest. Overall, the atmosphere effectively immerses players in its quirky world.
- “I liked the unusual and offbeat setting and atmosphere.”
- “The soundtrack fits the atmosphere the game is going for very well.”
- “The presentation looks amateurish and cheap, but it seems like an artistic choice; I have to admit, it adds a warm, welcoming atmosphere.”
- “The content is exactly what you see in the game trailer above where you get to click on things and listen to the characters talk/give clues into the case you're on while you, as the player, are immobilized while characters sing their hearts out with a monotonous atmosphere.”
- “Generally peculiar atmosphere.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
Overall, the game is criticized for its lack of replayability, with many reviewers noting its short length and easy puzzles. While there is a single interesting choice at the end that may encourage a second playthrough, the consensus is that the game offers minimal incentive to replay, unless players are particularly drawn to its humor.
- “There is an interesting choice to be made at the end, which gives it some replay value.”
- “Dominique Pamplemousse is a fairly short game, clocking in at a little over an hour for me, and while it has zero replayability, I would recommend it if you like mysteries and visual novels.”
- “Yeah, it's kinda short, the puzzles are incredibly easy and it has next to no replay value.”
- “There's no replay value unless you really think the game's funny, and personally, I do not.”
- “Dominique Pamplemousse is a fairly short game, clocking in at a little over an hour for me, and zero replayability.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
Reviews indicate a significant lack of character development, with criticisms aimed at poor writing and character design. The overall execution, including animation and performances, detracts from the potential for meaningful character growth.
- “There's no character development to speak of.”
- “It needed better writing, character design, animation, and performers.”
- “The character design is hideous.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, particularly due to unclear objectives and repetitive dialogue sequences that disrupt the flow of gameplay. The need for specific actions, like using Devon's alarm clock, adds to the frustration. Overall, the grinding elements detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- “Pandergast is painfully tedious, especially when you're like me and didn't realize that you were supposed to use Devon's alarm clock to distract Prudence in order to gain access to her computer and learn Casey's lawyer's name.”
- “The other tedious issue I had was that Officer Rathbone left the cell after every single topic of dialogue.”
- “[Disclaimer: main review is the first three sentences. The following is tedious TL;DR that no one but maniacs should pay attention to.]”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find "Dominique Pamplemousse" to be a heartfelt and endearing experience, largely due to its unique production by a single individual using available materials. The emotional impact is heightened by the game's heartfelt qualities, although the presence of two different endings leaves some players feeling unsettled.
- “The fact that all the voices and literally everything in the game was done by one person, apparently with materials they had lying around, gives Dominique Pamplemousse a heartwarming, endearing quality.”
- “This game, for me, is the definition of heartfelt.”
- “The ending made me feel weird though: there are two endings.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The optimization of vocal performances has received significant criticism, with many users describing them as ranging from awkward to painful, which detracts from the overall experience. While some argue that this is contextually relevant, the consensus leans towards dissatisfaction with the quality of the performances.
- “The performances range from awkward to painful.”
- “There are several reviews condemning the poor vocal performances.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is generally stable but experiences occasional bugs, particularly during saving and exiting. While it lacks widescreen support, this did not significantly impact the overall experience for some users.
- “An okay game, but it has no widescreen support. It didn't really bother me, but it can be buggy at times when saving and exiting.”