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
- Unique and immersive detective gameplay with procedurally generated cases and a living city.
- Satisfying investigation mechanics that allow players to piece together clues and solve crimes in various ways.
- Great atmosphere and art style that captures a noir cyberpunk vibe.
- Numerous bugs and performance issues that can hinder gameplay, including stuttering and clipping.
- Repetitive case structures and limited NPC interactions that can lead to a lack of engagement over time.
- The game feels unfinished and is not ready for a full release, with many players expressing concerns about its current state.
- gameplay1,070 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Shadows of Doubt" is characterized by its innovative mechanics and immersive detective experience, allowing players to solve procedurally generated cases in a richly detailed, noir-inspired world. While the core gameplay loop of investigation and evidence gathering is engaging and offers a variety of approaches, many players note that it can become repetitive over time, especially as the mechanics are not fully fleshed out and can be hindered by bugs and performance issues. Overall, the game shows great potential but requires further development to enhance its depth and variety.
“The gameplay loop is engaging, and because of the generative nature of the world, every case is different.”
“The gameplay is fantastic, really makes you feel like a detective in a noir film.”
“The core gameplay loop is just fantastic.”
“The gameplay loop becomes apparent after about 20 hours, but there's enough variety with the evidence and cases so it never feels stale.”
“The gameplay is where it falls short.”
“The mechanics aren't crazy deep once you figure out how the systems work together, but you can have lots of hectic fun getting to that point.”
- story836 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 82 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its lack of depth and coherence, with many players noting that the procedurally generated missions often feel repetitive and shallow, lacking meaningful narratives or character development. While some players appreciate the emergent storytelling that arises from their unique experiences, the absence of a structured plot or engaging storylines leaves many feeling unsatisfied. Overall, the game shows potential for interesting narratives but currently suffers from bugs and a lack of compelling content.
“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.”
“The game is a masterclass in storytelling, offering an enthralling narrative, stunning visuals, and engaging gameplay. 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 tutorial mission is expertly crafted, with unique twists, turns, and dialogues that make you feel like a detective, piecing together a complex story. The procedural generation at play really is impressive, but all the best detective stories ever written so far have been written, and the emergent storytelling the game offers has clear limits.”
“There's not much in the way of action or story - but the way you live in the world, and how it handles the simulation, you really feel like you're a part of that small slice of urban neighborhood.”
“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.”
- optimization625 mentions
- 8 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 24 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received widespread criticism, with many players reporting significant performance issues, including stuttering, frame drops, and long loading times, even on high-end hardware. While some users have managed to achieve stable performance with lower settings, the overall consensus is that the game requires substantial optimization and bug fixes to enhance playability. As it stands, many reviewers recommend waiting for further updates before diving in, as the current state hampers the overall 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.”
“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.”
“Despite some performance issues, this game is addictive!”
“The performance in this game has taken a nosedive.”
“The performance is utterly horrible even on good hardware; it is riddled with bugs and needs more diverse content as it can get very same-y very quickly despite its randomly generated nature.”
“Please, developers, many players, including myself, love and enjoy playing this game, but the performance optimization is so bad that it stutters like a PowerPoint slideshow.”
- stability506 mentions
- 2 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 98 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a significant concern among players, with many describing it as "extremely buggy" and "a buggy mess." Frequent glitches, performance issues, and game-breaking bugs hinder the overall experience, leading to frustration and lost progress. While some players find enjoyment in the game's concept and potential, the consensus is that it is not currently recommended for those who are not patient with its numerous issues, especially given its early access status.
“Not very buggy from what I've experienced; suffers from optimization issues, especially in larger maps.”
“Not bug free, but a hell of a lot less buggy than most AAA games that get released and sold for $60 or $70.”
“If you want a smoother, bug-free experience, I would suggest waiting a while for some fixes to roll out before picking it up.”
“The game is a buggy mess that lags even on RTX 3080/R7 5800X3D machine, but that's not the main problem, really.”
“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.”
“It's buggy as hell, makes my PC cry out for a merciful end, runs at wildly inconsistent framerates.”
- graphics461 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 that complements the noir aesthetic. 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 find the visuals charming and fitting for the game's theme, others criticize them for being rudimentary and poorly optimized, leading to frustration during gameplay.
“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.”
“The graphics of the game are in an ugly voxel style, but somehow the game can't handle decent performance.”
“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.”
“My PC isn't the greatest, but I could get more stable frames on mid-graphics in Elden Ring than on the lowest possible graphics and resolution in this game, which is a real shame because the parts I have played I really enjoyed.”
- atmosphere243 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of "Shadows of Doubt" is widely praised for its immersive and engaging qualities, blending elements of noir and cyberpunk to create a dark, moody environment that captivates players. The game's retro-futuristic aesthetic, combined with a compelling soundtrack and detailed world-building, enhances the experience of solving procedurally generated crimes in a vibrant, living city. While some players note issues with optimization and lighting, the overall consensus is that the atmosphere is a standout feature that draws players into its unique narrative and gameplay.
“The atmosphere is dark and dreary.”
“The atmosphere, sound design, and visuals as far as voxel games go are on point, and it's fun.”
“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..”
“There is no romantic noir atmosphere with the civilians, no charisma or personal touch you can give as the player to be the 'good cop/bad cop.' There were points where I wished just a bit of discussion I could appeal to civilians or workers or perhaps intimidate them just to feel like I'm playing some kind of story.”
“The atmosphere is fine, but the people in it feel detached; there are no real personas, nothing is custom written to create compelling narratives, in my opinion, is 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.'”
- replayability127 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is highly praised, with many players noting the procedural generation of cases and environments that keeps each playthrough fresh and engaging. While some reviews mention limitations due to a lack of content and patterns that can emerge over time, the overall consensus is that the game offers significant replay value, especially as updates continue to enhance its features. Players appreciate the depth of investigation mechanics and the freedom to approach cases in various ways, contributing to a compelling and immersive experience.
“The procedural generation makes the game very replayable, and I still find new ways to solve cases, which speaks volumes about its replayability value.”
“The game generates murder cases randomly, which adds to the replayability value and unpredictability of the game.”
“The randomness of everything adds so much replayability, and you actually have to be a detective - looking for fingerprints, interviewing people, reviewing surveillance footage, searching locations and gathering tons of evidence.”
“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.”
“Only downsides are the performance issues and stuttering, as well as the lack of replayability.”
“After a certain point, a lot of the gameplay begins to blend together because you've already seen all the different kinds of cases on offer.”
- humor104 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for its chaotic and unpredictable nature, often stemming from amusing bugs and glitches that lead to hilarious situations. Players enjoy the dark, absurd humor woven into the gameplay, with funny dialogue, quirky character interactions, and the absurdity of the detective work itself. Overall, the game successfully combines humor with engaging gameplay, making for a memorable and entertaining experience.
“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.”
- music99 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 to further enrich the gameplay. Overall, the combination of sound design and music contributes significantly to the game's engaging and nostalgic atmosphere, reminiscent of classic detective stories.
“The music and atmosphere set an incredible tone that I absolutely love.”
“The soundtrack is so good it brings out the most perfect atmosphere for the game, the gameplay is amazing with quite a lot of ways to solve a case.”
“The atmosphere and music are perfect.”
“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.”
- grinding62 mentions
- 3 % positive mentions
- 19 % 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 report that many tasks, such as solving cases or interacting with NPCs, can become frustratingly monotonous, detracting from the overall experience. While some find satisfaction in the detective work, the overwhelming sentiment is that the game requires a significant time investment for minimal reward, leading to a sense of drudgery.
“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.”
- emotional20 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players have expressed that the game delivers a deeply emotional experience, immersing them in the role of a detective and evoking feelings of investment, fear, and cleverness throughout their journey. The realistic portrayal of characters and their relationships, along with impactful moments, creates a strong emotional connection that resonates with players, making them feel genuinely involved in the narrative. Overall, the game stands out for its ability to evoke real emotions, setting a high bar for emotional engagement in the genre.
“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.”
- monetization15 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has drawn criticism for being perceived as a cash grab, with players feeling that the advertising overpromises on the game's content and quality. Many reviewers express disappointment in the lack of depth and unresolved issues, suggesting that the developers may be prioritizing profit over player experience. Despite some unique elements and an interesting world, the overall sentiment leans towards frustration with the game's monetization strategy and its execution at launch.
“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 development2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % 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 users 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.”
“The character development feels shallow and lacks meaningful progression.”
“I found the character arcs to be predictable and uninspired.”
