Methods: The Detective Competition
- June 1, 2020
- LockedOn Games
- 12h median play time
Get on Steam"Methods: The Detective Competition" is a visual novel and crime investigation game where 100 detectives compete to solve mysteries created by criminal masterminds. Gameplay involves examining evidence and answering multiple-choice questions about the solution. The game features over 25 interactive crime scenes, an original soundtrack, and additional extras like a CG gallery and character bios. With 100 chapters and 139K words, it offers approximately 10 hours of gameplay.
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Reviews
- The writing is colorful, engaging, and clever, making the storytelling and character interactions genuinely compelling.
- The game features a large and memorable cast of eccentric characters, each with unique personalities that enhance the overall experience.
- The art style and soundtrack are well-executed, contributing to the game's charm and immersive atmosphere.
- The mysteries are often simplistic and lack depth, which may disappoint players looking for intricate puzzle-solving.
- The pacing can be uneven, with some chapters feeling drawn out or lacking focus on key characters.
- The game leaves several plot threads unresolved, leading to an unsatisfying conclusion and a sense of missed potential.
- story72 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story is engaging and character-driven, featuring a unique premise where 100 detectives and criminals compete in a battle royale for a million dollars. While the mysteries themselves are relatively simple and sometimes linear, the rich character development, humor, and numerous plot twists keep players invested throughout the narrative. Despite some pacing issues in the middle, the overall storytelling is praised for its charm and ability to evoke genuine emotional investment in the characters and their fates.
“All of that added up to my sincerely caring about these characters, their interactions, and their success or failure, as well as my genuine interest in the detective competition and how the story would end.”
“The writing and storytelling are so good, in fact, that by about a third of the way through, I realized that the character design was no longer off-putting to me--everyone in this world was endearing to me in their distinctiveness.”
“I was quickly captured by the art style, character designs, dialogue, and story it had to offer and loved every second of it.”
“Ironically, the least interesting part of the game were the actual puzzles/mysteries; they only felt like simple plot devices to drive character interactions.”
“The story was not as attractive in the beginning, and the cases were not as 'deductive' as I expected them to be.”
“And the direction of the plot is a bit erratic in the middle and late stages, and bugs may appear when using the controller to play.”
- music30 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its jazzy score, which enhances the overall atmosphere and complements the eccentric characters and art style. Players particularly enjoy the soundtrack, noting standout tracks like "772 investigates," "baggage," "beth," and "locomotivation," and appreciate how the music dynamically shifts with the dialogue, adding depth to the storytelling. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a highlight, contributing significantly to the game's charm and engagement.
“The soundtrack was just amazing, tapping my feet throughout the whole game.”
“You can hear the music altering slightly as the dialogue progresses, which was super intricate and helps hone the atmosphere of the story so well.”
“While the puzzles and mysteries are serviceable, the characters are all a blast, the humor is on point, the soundtrack is killer, and the story is one wild ride.”
“Very unique chapter design, interesting character creation, simple but fun reasoning design, and lazy and emotional jazz music.”
“However, there are definitely a few songs that fit that description as well!”
“Love the unique art, story, characters; the music is all bangers.”
- graphics20 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The graphics in [i]methods[/i] are widely praised for their unique and eccentric art style, which enhances the personality of the characters and contributes to the overall enjoyable experience. The attractively drawn and animated chapter-title screens, along with the lighthearted focus, make it stand out among visual novels. While some may find the style occasionally quirky, it is generally regarded as memorable and engaging.
“Another large part of what drew me into [i]methods[/i] was the graphic design, particularly the attractively drawn and nicely animated chapter-title screens.”
“As a visual novel fan, this one does stand out quite a bit with a unique art style and more lighthearted focus.”
“The art style really helps drive home the personality and uniqueness of every character.”
“As for the presentation, the art style is... unique, occasionally looks a bit dopey but it's interestingly stylized.”
“Don’t be tricked by the art style into thinking that it’s weird or something (ok maybe a little bit), it was really good!”
“Along with the visuals, another key point of the experience is the audio!”
- gameplay16 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The gameplay is primarily focused on visual novel elements, featuring minimal interactive mechanics that involve making choices from a limited set of options. While the core gameplay includes solving simple puzzles and switching between characters and perspectives, many players find the linear mysteries and the need to replay sections for minor mistakes detract from the overall experience. However, the engaging narrative and strong character development help to compensate for the lack of depth in gameplay.
“There is somewhat minimal gameplay, with mysteries being rather linear, but the strength of the characters and overall story help carry the game well.”
“The core gameplay does revolve around solving puzzles, but throughout the narrative you constantly switch characters and perspectives.”
“The gameplay itself is quite minimal, as the game is primarily a visual novel that periodically breaks off into simple mini-mysteries for you to solve.”
“The gameplay isn't really gameplay, just picking the right choice out of 3 or so options.”
“I also felt the mechanic of forcing you to replay cases if you got even one tiny detail wrong in the first half-ish or so of the game was kind of pointless but that got dropped eventually.”
- humor13 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's humor is widely praised for its colorful and clever writing, featuring an ensemble cast that delivers both absurdity and heartfelt moments. Players who enjoy American humor and engaging character interactions will find the comedic elements particularly enjoyable, although some specific character traits may not resonate with everyone. Overall, the humor is considered a standout aspect of the game, enhancing the overall experience.
“The writing is colorful, engaging, funny, and clever.”
“But if you're a fan of absurd characters, solid humor, and interesting concepts, the game's packed full of those.”
“While the puzzles and mysteries are serviceable, the characters are all a blast, the humor is on point, the soundtrack is killer, and the story is one wild ride.”
- character development8 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The character development in the game is praised for its strong writing and storytelling, which ultimately makes the initially off-putting character designs endearing and distinctive. Players appreciate the art style and dialogue, noting that the characters become more engaging as the story progresses, enhancing their overall experience.
“I was quickly captured by the art style, character designs, dialogue, and story it had to offer and loved every second of it.”
“The character designs do have a lot of personality.”
“Usually, I prefer character designs that are pleasing to look at.”
“The writing and storytelling are so good, in fact, that by about a third of the way through, I realized that the character design was no longer off-putting to me--everyone in this world was endearing to me in their distinctiveness.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game effectively combines unique chapter design, engaging character creation, and a simple yet enjoyable reasoning system, all enhanced by lazy, emotional jazz music. This synergy creates a rich emotional experience that balances humor and heartfelt moments, resonating deeply with players.
“They all play off of each other very well, in both humorous and heartfelt ways.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is enhanced by intricately changing music that evolves alongside the dialogue, creating a deeply immersive storytelling experience.
“You can hear the music altering slightly as the dialogue progresses, which is super intricate and helps hone the atmosphere of the story so well.”
