Shadows of Doubt
- March 29, 2019
- ColePowered Games
- 13h median play time
Shadows of Doubt is an incredibly smart and intricate detective thriller, giving you tons of freedom that can be both a blessing and a curse.
Get on Steam"Shadows of Doubt" is a detective stealth game set in a fully simulated neo-noir city where players must catch a serial killer. The game features a living, breathing metropolis with crime, gossip, and various characters to interact with. Players must use stealth, investigation, and interrogation techniques to gather evidence and solve the case.
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Reviews
- gameplay2,140 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Shadows of Doubt" is characterized by its innovative mechanics and engaging detective work, allowing players to solve procedurally generated cases in a richly detailed, immersive world. While the core gameplay loop is satisfying and offers a variety of approaches to investigations, many players note issues with bugs, repetitive mechanics, and a lack of depth in certain systems, which can detract from the overall experience. Despite these shortcomings, the game shows significant potential for growth and improvement as it continues to develop in early access.
“The gameplay loop is engaging, and because of the generative nature of the world, every case is different.”
“Shadows of doubt is probably one of the most unique and innovative games I've played in a long time, and I've been incredibly impressed with its entire concept and gameplay loop.”
“The gameplay is fantastic, really makes you feel like a detective in a noir film.”
“The gameplay loop does become simple after a while and there are some bugs, like me falling through the floor one time.”
“The mechanics barely work, and there are a massive amount of unwinnable quests.”
“Unfortunately, 10 to 30 hours of gameplay doesn’t justify the $20 price tag.”
- story1,672 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 82 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is largely procedural, with players creating their own narratives through randomly generated missions and character interactions. While the tutorial offers a compelling introduction, subsequent missions often lack depth and coherence, leading to repetitive gameplay and minimal overarching storylines. Many players express a desire for more structured narratives and character development, as the current system can feel chaotic and underdeveloped, with numerous bugs further detracting from the experience.
“It's truly incredible how a small team can create this open world where everybody has a meaning to the story. What I love about this game is that everybody has secrets, maybe they're drowning in loan shark debt or they have a secret lover. Even the little things matter in this game.”
“What I didn't expect was an absolutely compelling story told by what I have to keep telling myself are random events. And the best part about it is I know my next playthrough will have a whole new story to tell me, a story just for me.”
“The attention to detail is insane; everything has a backstory, and is demonstrated in the in-game world. The choices you make throughout the game have a tangible impact on the story, branching it in different directions and leading to multiple possible outcomes.”
“The game is too chaotic to be enjoyed and honestly feels underdeveloped; at the very least, it needs a story mode instead of the narrow, repetitive, and not-motivating open world.”
“There’s no real motivation behind the crimes, no intricate storylines that pull you in—just a mindless loop of the same boring tasks.”
“The biggest problem with the game is a lack of meaningful story.”
- optimization1,250 mentions
- 8 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 24 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with many players reporting significant performance issues, including stuttering, low frame rates, and long loading times, even on high-end hardware. While some users have managed to achieve stable performance by adjusting settings, the overall consensus is that the game requires substantial optimization improvements to enhance playability. As it stands, many players recommend waiting for further updates before diving in, as the current state hampers the otherwise engaging gameplay experience.
“The performance issues alone would put me off, but there are also tons of things that need to be added to achieve what they're aiming for.”
“I love this game a lot, but please make it lag less or add more performance settings in graphics.”
“If the developers fix the performance issues and finish implementing their vision of the game as they stated they would early on, then I think Shadows of Doubt will end up as my indie game of the year for 2023.”
“The performance in this game has taken a nosedive.”
“The performance is utterly horrible even on good hardware, it is riddled with bugs, it needs more diverse content as it can get very same-y very quickly despite its randomly generated nature.”
“If the 1.0 patches up the performance issues this review will absolutely change to positive, but it seems almost impossible to get a stable frame rate right now.”
- stability1,012 mentions
- 2 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 98 % negative mentions
The game is currently plagued by numerous bugs and performance issues, which significantly hinder the overall experience. Many players report game-breaking glitches, such as falling through the floor, freezing during gameplay, and unresponsive missions, making it difficult to recommend in its current state. While there is potential for improvement, the game's early access status means that players should expect a chaotic and unstable experience until further updates are released.
“Not bug free, but a hell of a lot less buggy than most AAA games that get released and sold for $60 or $70.”
“It's a fun game, although some bugs (just fell straight through the floor) occurred, but not very buggy considering it happened once in 7 hours.”
“Runs great for me, but some say it is hard to run, so it depends on your system.”
“A lot of good, fun ideas are at play, but it seems like all the potential of the game's premise will be permanently hampered by performance issues and glitches.”
“It's a buggy mess and will likely stay that way, the dev just announced the 1.0 release soon and it's not anywhere near out of early access content or quality-wise.”
“The game is infuriatingly buggy in ways that break the game entirely and make it impossible to succeed, mostly around actually finishing the jobs in the game.”
- graphics922 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many praising the unique voxel art style and its ability to create an immersive atmosphere reminiscent of a gritty cyberpunk noir setting. However, numerous players have reported significant performance issues, including low frame rates and a lack of graphical options, which detracts from the overall experience. While some appreciate the charm of the pixelated visuals, others find them limiting and feel that the game requires better optimization to fully realize its artistic potential.
“The graphics and soundtrack are so amazing creating an exciting atmosphere.”
“The visuals are fantastic, and the atmosphere is so powerful that you find yourself immersed in the whispers of a noir cyberpunk dark city.”
“The graphics are beautiful, really adding to the charm that is Shadows of Doubt.”
“Graphics of the game is in ugly voxel style, but somehow game can't handle to work with decent performance.”
“While i can run games with fancy graphics at 144+ fps with ease, i have an average of 30-60fps in this game, additionally a shit ton of stutters.”
“The first and foremost reason i am giving this a thumbs down is that whenever it rains, my framerate drops to a slideshow, i cannot understand how this can be with graphics like those.”
- atmosphere486 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of "Shadows of Doubt" is widely praised for its immersive and moody noir aesthetic, combining elements of cyberpunk and retro-futurism to create a captivating world. Players appreciate the detailed sound design, atmospheric visuals, and the dynamic, procedurally generated city that enhances the detective experience. While some technical issues and lighting concerns are noted, the overall ambiance and depth of the game contribute significantly to its appeal, making it a standout in the detective genre.
“The visuals are fantastic, and the atmosphere is so powerful that you find yourself immersed in the whispers of a noir cyberpunk dark city.”
“The atmosphere is so beautiful that I want to live in this game... the weather is gorgeous, the sound design is amazing, ugh and the voxels... it just.. wow..”
“The atmosphere, sound design, and visuals as far as voxel games go are on point, and it's fun.”
“The atmosphere is fine, but the people in it feel detached; there are no real personas, nothing is custom written to create compelling narratives, which is, in my opinion, the primary reason to play detectives.”
“Essentially, after some time the atmosphere of 'oh, I'm in the dark city where sneaky psychopaths can make everything even worse, need to be smart to stop them' changes with 'no, this thing again, I guess I must be glad that I'm not working as a detective in real life.'”
“Some areas of buildings are extremely dark, and I don't think intentionally so; the atmosphere is moody, but there are sections of buildings that are not navigable without a flashlight, even residential lobbies that should be lit.”
- replayability254 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game features high replayability due to its procedural generation, allowing for unique cases and environments in each playthrough, which keeps the experience fresh and engaging. However, some players note that the limited variety in case types and performance issues can hinder long-term replay value. Overall, while many find the game endlessly replayable, others suggest that additional content and improvements are needed to fully realize its potential.
“The idea of procedurally generated murders in a detective game is really cool, and opens layers of replayability and ongoing fun that I really enjoyed.”
“The game generates murder cases randomly, which adds to the replayability value and unpredictability of the game.”
“The procedural nature of the game allows for near-infinite replay value, and the stealth aspect of the game creates some very tense moments.”
“This game is steamrolling ahead towards 1.0 release despite the fact that the game is still very light on content, is compromised performance-wise, lacks long-term replayability due to your clairvoyant knowledge bank of sexiness, and has a very frustrating procedurally generated murder system.”
“The low number of cases available severely limit its replayability.”
“Only downsides are the performance issues and stuttering, as well as the lack of replayability.”
- humor208 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a standout feature, with players enjoying its quirky, often absurd situations and glitches that lead to hilarious outcomes. The writing, character interactions, and emergent gameplay create a comedic atmosphere that keeps players engaged, even amidst the game's bugs and jank. Overall, the blend of dark humor and lighthearted antics makes for a uniquely entertaining experience that resonates well with players.
“The game's humor is its secret weapon, turning mundane detective work into an unpredictable and hilarious adventure.”
“It's funny and interesting to learn and discover how it works, what you can do in it.”
“The writing is funny, with in-game book titles, dialogue, and emails adding plenty of humor to what may otherwise be a somewhat gloomy game.”
- music198 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric quality, effectively enhancing the immersive experience with a blend of noir jazz and ambient sounds. While many players appreciate the existing soundtrack, some express a desire for more variety and frequency in the music, suggesting that it occasionally feels sparse or repetitive. Overall, the combination of music, sound design, and environmental audio contributes significantly to the game's engaging and nostalgic atmosphere.
“The atmosphere and music is perfect.”
“The music and atmosphere set an incredible tone that I absolutely love.”
“Great atmosphere, great soundtrack, perfect noir detective gameplay.”
“The music is almost absent; it should be playing more often.”
“My only problem is a lot of the music does seem repetitive, and don't forget that if you enter a home, start breaking the law, or are being pursued, the music changes to fit the situation.”
“There is also a stark lack of sounds, soundtrack (and music direction) and first-person animations.”
- grinding124 mentions
- 2 % positive mentions
- 21 % neutral mentions
- 77 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being excessively tedious and repetitive, often feeling like busywork rather than engaging gameplay. Players note that the detective work can devolve into frustratingly long tasks with vague clues, making the experience feel like a chore rather than a rewarding challenge. While some appreciate the immersive nature of the detective role, many agree that the current systems need significant improvement to reduce the grind and enhance overall enjoyment.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“A bit grindy sometimes.”
“This is a max one hour tech demo that they've dragged out with busy work and repetitive grinding into a complete mess of a walking/fingerprint scanning simulator... that doesn't work 30% of the time.”
“The game has a cool world and premise, but the core gameplay systems feel fundamentally flawed in their direction and inflexible in their gameplay choices and seem like the devs did not want you to actually do much of the core detective parts like talking to people and the actual investigating of leads/crime scenes and instead wanted to make the tedious stealth (that pretty much always devolves into a fist fight) the entire focus of the game.”
“It's been a tedious experience, but it is immensely immersive, fun, and rewarding.”
- emotional40 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players report a deeply emotional experience while engaging with the game, highlighting its ability to evoke feelings of investment, fear, and cleverness through immersive storytelling and character interactions. Many express that the game successfully captures the complexities of real-life emotions and relationships, making them feel like genuine detectives in a compelling narrative. Overall, the emotional depth and realism set this game apart from others in the genre, leaving a lasting impact on players.
“It took me a long time and it was actually an emotional journey.”
“These are real emotional moments that most games never get close to making you feel.”
“Seriously, they go to work, eat, drink, chill at bars, hang out with friends, love, hate, break up, all the emotional life that you can think of in real life, it will happen the same in this game.”
- monetization30 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has drawn significant criticism, with many users labeling it a cash grab due to misleading advertising and the release of a bug-riddled 1.0 version. While the game features a unique premise and interesting world-building, players feel that it fails to deliver on its promises, particularly in terms of narrative depth and character development, leading to disappointment and frustration. Overall, the sentiment suggests that the developers may be prioritizing profit over quality, leaving players feeling shortchanged.
“Maybe the devs are running out of money, or they are just trying to do a cash grab at this point.”
“Despite its big premise, the game is a big cash grab with a lot of problems that were not solved, and the developer is not interested in solving them.”
“Releasing 1.0 during an extremely bug-riddled state is just a cash grab.”
- character development4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
Character development is highly praised for its superb execution, with well-written dialogue that effectively brings each character to life, enhancing the overall interaction experience. However, some reviewers suggest improvements in character design and technical aspects.
“The character development is superb, and the well-written dialogue brings each individual to life, making it a joy to interact with them.”
“However, I'd suggest reiterating on character design and technical approach.”
