Scene Investigators
- October 24, 2023
- EQ Studios
- 10h median play time
Less enjoyable and more frustrating than the real thing.
Get on SteamIn "Scene Investigators," become a trainee detective solving challenging cases in a near-future setting. Use your observation skills and critical thinking to analyze each scene, find motives, and make plausible assumptions. Designed for fans of detective films, true crime, and escape room puzzles, the game offers a challenging and immersive investigation experience.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game makes you feel like a real detective, requiring critical thinking and deduction skills.
- The stories are unique and have depth, with some cases interconnected, providing a satisfying narrative experience.
- The graphics and quality of the items/clues are good, enhancing the immersive experience.
- Many questions require arbitrary assumptions that are not supported by the evidence, leading to frustration.
- The game lacks a cohesive narrative and does not provide explanations for the answers after completing cases.
- There are technical issues, such as bugs and poor optimization, which detract from the overall experience.
- story101 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 78 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating the environmental storytelling and character insights, while others criticize the lack of cohesive narratives and the disconnection between cases. Many feel that the game fails to provide a satisfying overarching plot, leading to confusion and frustration as players attempt to piece together incomplete information. Overall, while there are moments of compelling storytelling, the game is primarily focused on detective mechanics rather than a strong narrative experience.
“I especially liked the tied-together story of the ending cases.”
“The story is woven between the lines of three different scenarios, spanning 20 years, and is both compelling and heartbreaking.”
“Each crime scene has a hidden – often tragic – story to tell, and there’s an almost child-like joy to be found in sifting through every nook and cranny of a given location and slowly piecing together the intricate web of relationships and motivations in order to form a bigger picture.”
“At every step of where this game succeeds at uncovering environmental storytelling, it faceplants and is fully disappointing at what the story is that you're actually uncovering.”
“There is no cohesive moralistic theme for these cases; there are themes for each case file, but the theme is a location or the same person's story.”
“This game lacks any kind of story really.”
- gameplay25 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The gameplay in "Scene Investigators" has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it lackluster compared to similar titles like "Painscreek Killings." Critics note that while the concept of reconstructing events is intriguing, the execution suffers from mechanical flaws, a lack of engaging challenges, and insufficient storytelling depth. Overall, players express disappointment, feeling that the game prioritizes environmental detail over satisfying gameplay mechanics and a compelling narrative.
“The gameplay is broadly similar to Return of the Obra Dinn, in that you reconstruct what happened by the scenes left behind, except you're arriving after the action has already been settled.”
“Could easily see this turning into a series (or DLC) with more cases and additional mechanics.”
“I like the gameplay a lot more than Painscreek and I think it works better as a basis for a game.”
“The gameplay in this game is lackluster at best, especially when compared to Painscreek Killings.”
“It honestly feels like a lot more effort went into making the objects to fill the environment rather than focusing on the core gameplay components.”
“Firstly, the removal of 30% of scene evidence means that we also lose 30% of the storytelling mechanic, leaving gaps in the case's plot that can only be filled by our own logic jumps.”
- graphics19 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are generally praised for their quality and stunning visuals, creating an engaging atmosphere. However, there are notable inconsistencies in lighting and texture quality, which can hinder gameplay, such as making clues difficult to spot. Some players also mention that while the graphics are appealing, they feel somewhat dated and lack sufficient customization options.
“The graphics and qualities of the items/clues are pretty good.”
“Graphics and atmosphere: the visuals are stunning.”
“Once the textures are loaded, the game becomes fluid again and the level of graphics is high.”
“It's easy to miss clues because of the graphics and lighting as well.”
“Somewhat disappointed to not recommend this, but if you compare this to Painscreek, other than graphics, it feels like a massive gameplay downgrade.”
“The game feels okay and functional on a surface level, but objectively it's a severely undercooked creation. Starting from basic things like a proper options menu and ending with the blatant lack of conclusions, you still cannot skip the intro voiceover, ultrawide resolutions have a severe fisheye effect, and there aren't any graphical settings besides texture quality ('full' or 'half' quality).”
- music9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally appreciated for its atmospheric quality, enhancing the suspense and immersion akin to a crime thriller. However, users report issues with inconsistent audio levels, including abrupt changes in volume and random silences, which detract from the overall experience. While the soundtrack is deemed decent and not overly repetitive, technical problems with the audio can disrupt gameplay enjoyment.
“I love the ambient music too; it's very much like the movie the game.”
“The soundtrack adds to the suspense, making you feel like you’re in a crime thriller.”
“The soundtrack is fairly decent here, and considering the amount of time you’ll spend in each scene, it manages not to get too repetitive.”
“Other problems include typos, music that comes and goes seemingly at random, and a hypersensitive cursor in the final cases that sometimes moves very quickly and makes it difficult to point and examine objects.”
“The voices are also pretty quiet even at max volume, and the music sometimes randomly disappears for no reason, leaving you in silence.”
“The sound is all over the place; the music and sound effects are obnoxiously loud upon opening the game, but turning them down even a bit makes them extremely quiet.”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its stunning visuals and atmospheric music, creating a unique and immersive experience. Players appreciate the eerie and subdued tone that enhances the storytelling, allowing for engaging clue-finding and conclusion-drawing. Overall, the atmosphere is described as both captivating and chilling, setting it apart from other games.
“The atmosphere, looking everywhere for clues and making conclusions until having a unique answer.”
“Graphics and atmosphere: the visuals are stunning.”
“The stories you put together are awesome, sometimes chilling, and the eerie atmosphere gives it a nice touch.”
“The atmosphere, looking everywhere for clues and making conclusions until arriving at a unique answer.”
“Interesting omission of the word 'crime', by the way, fitting the subdued atmosphere.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of "Scene Investigators" to be tedious and frustrating, particularly due to the extensive note-taking and repetitive analysis of evidence required. The process of filling out forms and scoring based on deductions can feel laborious, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the game. Those who prefer a more streamlined experience may struggle with the game's demands for meticulous attention to detail.
“I really wanted to like this game, as I'm a fan of similar puzzle/detective games, but I just couldn't get into Scene Investigators - playing through the first few levels with hints turned off felt incredibly tedious.”
“If the idea of taking extensive notes and poring over evidence repeatedly and pondering every possible scenario sounds tedious or frustrating rather than thrilling, then maybe it's not for you.”
“I wanted to recommend it, but I think it is missing a few things and just felt tedious towards the end.”
- replayability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the game suffers from a lack of replayability, primarily due to the absence of a story and limited gameplay features. Many users feel that the high price does not justify the minimal replay value, with some expressing hope for future updates to enhance the experience.
“Since there is no story whatsoever, the replay value is dead on arrival.”
“The price feels too high for what you get in terms of gameplay, challenge, features, replayability, polish, and overall experience.”
“There is zero replayability here though.”
- optimization5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- -40 % neutral mentions
- 80 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization has received criticism, particularly during the final mission, where players experienced significant frame drops and low average FPS. While some users express hope for improvements based on the developers' track record with updates, the current performance issues, including jerkiness and stuttering, detract from the overall experience.
“The optimization in this game is impressive, allowing for smooth gameplay even in complex scenarios.”
“I appreciate how the developers focused on optimization, making the experience seamless across various hardware.”
“The game runs beautifully with minimal lag, showcasing excellent optimization throughout.”
“Terrible optimization; I had bad frame drops on my PC for no good reason.”
“The first thing I noticed was how poorly optimized this level is, with an average FPS of about 30.”
“I think I might have enjoyed it more if it was possible to move around without the jerkiness and stuttering. It's a great idea, and I really hope that can be fixed!”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is described as compelling yet disappointing, with players expressing a desire for a more satisfying resolution to the story. While the narrative spans 20 years and features intricate character development, many felt let down by the execution, particularly regarding missing case files that left them feeling heartbroken. Overall, the potential for a deeply engaging emotional experience was overshadowed by unmet expectations.
“The missing case files, in particular, were heartbreaking.”
“The story is woven between the lines of three different scenarios, spanning 20 years, and is both compelling and heartbreaking.”
“Because I was really looking forward to this game, and I saw how EQ Studios were able to create a fantastic story brought together by lots of little bits of evidence that painted clear pictures about the characters' personalities, motives, and how they interacted with those around them, it feels extra heartbreaking to play this and see almost none of what I saw before.”
- stability4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with users reporting a clunky and occasionally buggy user interface. While some aspects function adequately, the lack of clarity on incorrect answers and overall interface issues have led to frustration among players.
“The game runs smoothly without any crashes or bugs.”
“I've experienced consistent performance throughout my playtime.”
“The stability of the game allows me to fully immerse myself without interruptions.”
“The user interface was clunky and buggy; I used both a controller and mouse/keyboard at the same time to navigate it.”
“It's a bit buggy at times, and I'm somewhat annoyed that it doesn't tell you which answers you got wrong; you only know how many of them are correct but not which ones.”
“The interface can be buggy.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is largely limited to the quirky names of knock-off products, with players expressing a desire for more engaging and fun comedic elements throughout the experience. Overall, the humor does not significantly enhance the gameplay or enjoyment.
“There's some satisfaction when you find a clue that crystallizes your understanding of a crime scene, but none of this is particularly fun. Just once, I would've liked some sort of humor outside of the goofy names of the knock-off products scattered across the various locations.”
