Pep's Detective Deep Dive - Game 7
Another FMV murder-mystery from the fine folks over at Wales Interactive (and developer Da'vekki Studios), The Shapeshifting Detective has you investigating the murder of a young cello prodigy who had more than a few murky secrets lurking underneath her perfect exterior.
As the name suggests, the gimmick of the game is that you have the ability to shapeshift into any of the characters you meet, and you use this over the course of the story to gain information and set suspects against each other. There are also elements of the supernatural that slowly creep in through the game, and there’s a really nice, spooky vibe to the presentation. In a similar vein to Contradiction! there's a lot of clicking around and trying to figure out which character to interact with to try and push the story along, and with the added task of figuring out who you should be "playing" it can get a little tedious at points.
Still, all the characters are very colourful, and when you begin to really see how everyone is connected and unravel their secrets the game absolutely shines. When you add in the fact that the killer is randomly chosen between three of the suspects, it just adds that extra element of tension - I was genuinely engrossed at the game's climax, terrified that I had chosen wrongly (I hadn't!).
The Contradiction! comparisons don't end at the gameplay; actors Rupert Booth and Anarosa Butler feature in both that game and The Shapeshifting Detective. Claude Dupont isn't quite as campy as Inspector Jenks but Booth is still the standout performer here. Overall, the acting is much better than in your average FMV game, with Aislinn De'ath's performance as Violet being another highlight. The only actors bringing the quality down slightly are those playing radio DJs Poe and Munro - and even then they're not really bad, it's just their 50s-esque transatlantic shtick feels horribly out of place.
The production quality is definitely on the "student film" side too - this isn't as flashy as something like The Isle Tide Hotel would go on to be, but isn't quite as rinky-dink as Contradiction either. In all honesty, I just wish Wales Interactive would have invested in some better lighting and makeup here. It's kind of crazy when you google Munro's actress and see how gorgeous she is - the Channel Awesome-level lighting job really does her no favours.
Overall, I'm actually surprised how much I enjoyed this. Wales Interactive's FMV games tend to vary in quality - for every The Bunker there's duds like Bloodshore and The Isle Tide Hotel. Even the other reviews on here and Steam are rather lukewarm, but I had a pretty great time with this. There's also a Poe & Munro-focused prequel which I may have a look into too.
P.S. no ending where I have a whirlwind romance with Violet? Cowards.
Another FMV murder-mystery from the fine folks over at Wales Interactive (and developer Da'vekki Studios), The Shapeshifting Detective has you investigating the murder of a young cello prodigy who had more than a few murky secrets lurking underneath her perfect exterior.
As the name suggests, the gimmick of the game is that you have the ability to shapeshift into any of the characters you meet, and you use this over the course of the story to gain information and set suspects against each other. There are also elements of the supernatural that slowly creep in through the game, and there’s a really nice, spooky vibe to the presentation. In a similar vein to Contradiction! there's a lot of clicking around and trying to figure out which character to interact with to try and push the story along, and with the added task of figuring out who you should be "playing" it can get a little tedious at points.
Still, all the characters are very colourful, and when you begin to really see how everyone is connected and unravel their secrets the game absolutely shines. When you add in the fact that the killer is randomly chosen between three of the suspects, it just adds that extra element of tension - I was genuinely engrossed at the game's climax, terrified that I had chosen wrongly (I hadn't!).
The Contradiction! comparisons don't end at the gameplay; actors Rupert Booth and Anarosa Butler feature in both that game and The Shapeshifting Detective. Claude Dupont isn't quite as campy as Inspector Jenks but Booth is still the standout performer here. Overall, the acting is much better than in your average FMV game, with Aislinn De'ath's performance as Violet being another highlight. The only actors bringing the quality down slightly are those playing radio DJs Poe and Munro - and even then they're not really bad, it's just their 50s-esque transatlantic shtick feels horribly out of place.
The production quality is definitely on the "student film" side too - this isn't as flashy as something like The Isle Tide Hotel would go on to be, but isn't quite as rinky-dink as Contradiction either. In all honesty, I just wish Wales Interactive would have invested in some better lighting and makeup here. It's kind of crazy when you google Munro's actress and see how gorgeous she is - the Channel Awesome-level lighting job really does her no favours.
Overall, I'm actually surprised how much I enjoyed this. Wales Interactive's FMV games tend to vary in quality - for every The Bunker there's duds like Bloodshore and The Isle Tide Hotel. Even the other reviews on here and Steam are rather lukewarm, but I had a pretty great time with this. There's also a Poe & Munro-focused prequel which I may have a look into too.
P.S. no ending where I have a whirlwind romance with Violet? Cowards.
dyl
1 month ago