So here I am, writing my first early access review. I'm trying to balance out the fact that there is a lot of progress to be made while still providing constructive criticism. To sum up my thoughts in one sentence: Watson's Watch needs work, but it has several promising elements that make me want to see more. For further details, please keep reading!
I had never heard of Watson's Watch until I saw it in an IndieGala bundle. Being the sucker I am for RPGMaker games, I happily kept it. At the time of purchasing it, Watson's Watch had no reviews. Thus, I put it high on my priority list of games to play so I could help people decide whether it is worth picking up or not. It only has one episode released so far out of three, so everything I write here is based on this first episode.
Watson's Watch is a mystery game that focuses on storytelling. There is no combat, nor does your character have stats at all. I didn't go in expecting any, and it suits me just fine. If you want a "typical" RPG with turn-based battles and such, you're in the wrong place. If you're interested in a fairly good story with some intriguing elements, it ought to suit you well.
To avoid spoilers, here's a bare-bones summary. You play as a detective (who you get to name) that is on vacation in a town called Watson's Watch. Except work never takes a break, because while he's staying in a hotel, he learns people in Watson's Watch have gone missing. Suspecting foul play, he takes on the case, and it's your job to lead him in the right direction.
The mystery elements are good. It kept me wanting to know what twists and turns would occur. Watson's Watch is a strange town that serves as an effective setting. The answers that come forth are not as clear-cut as one might first believe. The story leaves off in episode one at an effective cliffhanger point. I am a bit puzzled as to why some of the bigger plot twists were revealed in episode one, but I trust that they are needed for the remaining two episodes.
One thing that bugs me, though, is that you don't do a lot of detective work. Let me compare this to the Ace Attorney series for a better example. In Ace Attorney games, you can go to multiple scenes and interact with people in different orders, find clues at your own pace, and take different routes to the same outcome. In Watson's Watch, you have a linear path that can only be deviated from a limited amount of times. I don't mind a railroaded plot if it makes sense. However, you are working as a sleuth. It was weird to me that there really wasn't much exploring, especially with so few places to visit. Honestly, this might be one of the biggest flaws for this game to have, given what type it is.
On a higher note, the characters are done well overall. The protagonist has more to him than meets the eye. There are different traits to each person that define them for who they are. Even the cab driver has his own quirks. Yet some of the actions these characters take are a bit strange. I can't go into much further detail without spoiling it, but there is one especially odd choice at the end of the game that left me scratching my head. Luckily, that's what early access is for. I plan to bring some of these concerns up in the forums with a proper spoiler-warning title.
The dialogue could use some work. Some of it feels a bit disjointed. There are spelling and grammar errors all over the place, but I still understood everything. I would normally be a lot harder on those kinds of errors, especially in a story-driven game, but the developers have said they are working on fixing these. Since they have said that and it is an early access game, I'm more understanding of it in this circumstance.
Speaking of the developers, they are friendly and responsive. I reported a bug and they fixed it swiftly. They seem dedicated to the project and eager to hear player feedback. That goes a long way in my mind. I appreciate developers that seek constructive criticism and that pour their hearts into their works. That kind of passion is in Watson's Watch, which is one reason I am enthusiastic about where this game will go.
All that being said, the cost of the game is still pretty high. It took me two hours or so to beat the first chapter of Watson's Watch. If all the other chapters are going to be that length, we're looking at about six hours total. A two-hour RPGMaker game would have to have something truly spectacular to warrant a $7.99 price tag. When the entire thing is released, I'd say that it's still a tad bit high, but more acceptable. I was quite pleased with it as a bundle purchase, but I would have felt ripped off if I poured the full price into it. At least, I would have felt ripped off at this stage of the game. It will supposedly cost the same amount when the final version is out, so that might be justified.
Graphics-wise, everything looked fine to me. I don't know much about common RPGMaker assets so I can't say if they're overused or not. It ran smoothly beyond that bug I mentioned, which has already been fixed. The controls are simple. However, you can't sprint. That really, really bugged me. A lot of RPGMaker games let you run, and that would have made it less tedious to check some areas for further clues. There were some oddities (apparenlty you can walk on water!), but nothing that got more than a shrug from me.
Other than an items list, you also have a journal. That's useful for keeping tabs on where you need to go and getting some insight in what the protagonist is thinking. It's a good combination for a game like this. The journal does assist a bit in the railroading, though, so I'm torn on whether I think it's good in its current state or could use some alterations.
There are four achievements present, with two being automatic to find and two being more out of the way. I like that ratio, and they were a nice touch. Apparently there will be trading cards added at some point. It would be nice, but it's not necessary by any means.
In conclusion, I like a lot of what Watson's Watch does. If this version was the final product and was selling on Steam for this price, I would probably not recommend it, much as I enjoyed playing it. However, for an early access version with promised improvements and two more chapters coming, I encourage those interested in the game to pick it up, play it, and weigh in your recommendations to the developers. The complete package should definitely be worth it!
