Detective: The Test

There is nothing genuinely praiseworthy or notable about Detective - The Test. It's not a game. It's barely an idea for a game. This low-effort, uninspired, and unappealing project may be the latest in a long line of similar titles, but it shouldn't be.

The game improves slightly on its predecessor, but still there’s no case explanation, and you can brute-force solutions. I didn’t need pen and paper, which is why I finished all three scenarios in just 55 minutes. The killer never changes, unlike in recent murder mystery games, reducing replay value. As a genre fan, some murderers and motives felt overly simple. As a solo indie developer, I respect the effort involved. However, taking notes seems to just be a feature to artificially extend the playtime past Steam’s refund window, which is a bit dishonest in this writer’s opinion. Although this isn’t the case on PS5. I am giving DETECTIVE: The Test a Thumb Culture Bronze Award.