Detective Instinct: Farewell, My Beloved

Short, sweet, and great art. The mystery is a bit simple because the game is so short but I enjoyed the cozy mystery of it all. Definitely worth it if you like a good mystery novel and want something short! It's clearly based on Famicom Detective Club and does a great job being an homage to it!

the art is gorgeous, the gameplay and story on the other hand are nothing special. you don't really "investigate" anything and the side character gives you a summary every chapter (that you can't skip and is extremely repetitive), and everything is basically handed to you.

Fantastic little piece! I think part of what makes this game excel is that its not a traditional whodunnit. Not in the modern idea of a "subversive mystery", with meta twists and genre commentary. Its a throwback game that's aiming for a Hitchcock vibe more than a mystery adventure. Reading that a major inspiration on the game was The Lady Vanishes made so much of the story click into place. Some of Hitchcock's most underrated horrors didn't operate from the fear of a murderer, but instead from the social anxiety of being dismissed. Of having your memory dismissed and the self-doubt that ensues when everyone seems dead-set to insist you're wrong. I don't think enough media is willing to play with the idea that your memory genuinely is skewed or flawed. Out of all evidence, memory can be trusted the least. But that's not what Detective Instinct is about and that's probably to the game's strength. It keeps its emotional and narrative focus on something simple: what if everyone is lying to you and what reasons do they have to justify that to themselves? The fact that its not trying to be a traditional whodunnit works immensely in favor of that theme! What you're facing is a ultimately a simple problem, complicated not by a vast network of evil, but people working towards their own self-interest. The conflicts emerge really naturally from people just trying to do right by themselves, even as they realize that self-interest is going to hurt someone else. Its so keyed into the core emotions of everyone at play that no one comes off as just an archetype to bounce off of. Some characters are certainly less developed than others, but they all get their moments to show a little nuance working under the hood. Moments where even the most annoying character decides to cut your protagonist a break, even if they have a strange way of showing it. Its a straight-forward graphical adventure, purely linear and no real choice. But its exceptional character writing, tightly woven plot, and gorgeous animation work makes it a stand-out in the genre.

Very good! I noticed it because of the art, but the mystery was engaging. If you're a Phoenix Wright fan, this is for you. I'm in for a follow-up; I love the art, tone, music, story, and sense of quirkiness—very deeply inspired by Phoenix Wright—but hope they mix up their inspirations and restructure to to make it less linear.

Два студента едут из континентальной Европы в Лондон, но тут в вагоне поезда начинается сущий кошмар. От игры ждешь, что каждый пассажир каким-то образом замешан в преступлениях, которые предшествуют рейсу, но по итогу получается история не о государственном перевороте и шпионаже, а о любви. Это немного разочаровывает, но в целом проект душевный и с секретными приколами.

A fantastic little visual novel/adventure game. While I don't have a lot of experience with the genre (the closest I've come is the Ace Attorney series), I found this game very enjoyable. The characters were great and very memorable and the story kept me intrigued throughout. My only real gripe with this game is how it portrays golfers. We may be a rambunctious bunch but by no means do these hooligans represent us. I'd go into this more but sadly steams 8000 character limit is not enough to contain my feelings. If you'd like to know my full thoughts on how golfers are portrayed in indie games, my manifesto is available on my WordPress blog. But besides that, yeah, pretty great game, can't wait to see what comes next! Also, Emma, if you see this, wanna hang out sometime?? lol jk... Unless?

Loved this little visual novel! It's a pretty light mystery but very enjoyable throughout. I finished it in about 7 hours, which sounds short but to me the length felt perfectly fine. The writing and characters were solid throughout! While the Detective unnerved me at first, I came to grow on him and his story role. I absolutely enjoyed the main girl Emma, and I adored all the side characters who felt as kooky as an Ace Attourney game! I appreciated a lot how the story was an evolving mystery, with each day having different goals and twists. Even if it's essentially 1 mystery, that single mystery had a lot of elements to unpack which made it feel bigger than it seems. Music was lovely, and the style of classical used in many songs is extremely my jam! Emma's theme is wonderful and the clear standout, but I love how the style feels appropriate without dipping into other mystery cliche genres. The art and presentation felt great too. Sprites looked great, animations were good, loved Emma's side sprites, and the colors were wonderful too. The UI was a bit weird with how I think each Talk pathway would kick you to the main menu, but overall the UI felt fine. I especially liked how smooth bringing up the conversation history is in the UI! If you're on the fence for this VN because it seems small, then I'd say please jump in. It's a very enjoyable experience that absolutely felt worth the price to me.

剧情不错

Fun game, engaging. Loved it.

The character design / sprite animation was killer. The art team knocked it out of the park. The music is well executed as well. I don’t think the story quite reaches the high highs you might want it to, but it’s never boring during the brisk runtime. I hope the team gets to make more games like this. They have the chops. Played on Steam Deck. It was a great way to play.