Tokyo Detectives

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Before downloading this game, I was scrolling through free games. I came across this game that is "free to play" so I downloaded it. After a good 30 minutes of playing I discover that I need to pay to finish the game and discover who the killer is. This would've been fine except the game was listed as free to play and that was very misleading

[i]Tokyo Detectives[/i] is a murder investigation visual novel developed and published by Rincho Games. You take on the role of Rin Miyamori, a detective of the Tokyo Police Department. Along with Rin's partner, Nadeshiko Suzukaze, you are called to investigate a murder in an affluent apartment complex in Akihibara. Your job is to find the victim's murderer, and in a style very similar to the [i]Phoenix Wright[/i] games, you'll have to investigate crime scenes and talk to witnesses. Also, if you purchase the DLC, you can complete the case by holding a "courtroom" trial and thereby, find the murderer. That's the basic gist of the story. As for the gameplay, [i]Tokyo Detectives[/i] is a mix of visual novel and point-and-click scenes. It is an investigative game like [i]Phoenix Wright[/i], so a lot of the gameplay is clicking on objects and such in a crime scene and interrogating witnesses. Assuming that you purchase the DLC to complete the first case (it is the only way to get Steam achievements, btw), you can rebut suspects' statements, present evidence, etc. As I just mentioned, there are Steam achievements, but they can only be unlocked if you purchase the DLC. The free version won't give you access to them. Also, as the game is in "Steam is learning about this game," the achievements won't count towards a user's global total. Now that I've gone over the story and gameplay, I'll move onto my critique. [i]Tokyo Detectives[/i] intrigued me for its pitch on it being a detective game. Immediately, I thought that this might be like the [i]Phoenix Wright[/i] games, which I absolutely am a fan of. (We need more [i]Phoenix Wright[/i] games on Steam. XD) Anyway, I'd say that [i]Tokyo Detectives[/i] is a more simplified version. I liked getting to play as a female detective and take a rookie detective under my wing. As for the case itself, there are some twists and turns although some things didn't surprise me, either. For example, [spoiler]it didn't surprise me that the victim turned out to be a stalker although finding out the murderer's identity took me for a bit of a surprise[/spoiler]. As for the writing, I thought it was fine, especially since the base game is free and all. I didn't feel like there were any pacing issues although I noticed a few typos. As for the gameplay, I found it simple and fun. I had no issues investigating the crime scene and finding all the relevant evidence, although there is a hint button in case you get stuck on finding evidence. As for the courtroom scene, some parts of it made sense while I struggled slightly with other parts. For the most part, though, it's fairly obvious to find statement inconsistencies and present evidence to back them up. As for Steam achievements, there was an issue with them not unlocking although this has now been fixed. (Thus, the positive review here. XD) As for the art, it's pretty simple. Backgrounds are simple and sprites are in an anime style. I wouldn't call it done by a professional, but since the base game is free and the DLC is cheap to purchase, then I'm not too picky about this. As for the soundtrack, there are several tracks and each one fits with the whole investigative or interrogation mood well. I don't have any complaints about it. Overall, would I recommend [i]Tokyo Detectives[/i]? If you're looking for a simplified, short version of [i]Phoenix Wright[/i], then this fits the bill. However, you do need to purchase the DLC if you wish to complete the first case. Personally, I thought it would have been better if the base game had been a demo and then make the full game be a commercial one that includes all of the first case. This is the only nitpick I have, but otherwise, I enjoyed the game and as there's going to be another case, I'm looking forward to giving it a try. ^^ [quote]Flying free and writing reviews solely for [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44702020/]The Introverted Gamer[/url].[/quote]