The Shapeshifting Detective

The Shapeshifting Detective is an interesting idea that seems to have love and care put into it. Unfortunately, it's a little too basic, and despite the gimmick of changing into other characters, becomes dull after about an hour of play. The actual narrative is an interesting case however, with additional hinted backstory for your main character, which is somewhat compelling. The visuals and tone are good too, but the hit and miss acting and slow pace make for a slightly underwhelming shapeshifting whodunnit.

The Shapeshifting Detective is certainly an unusual game, which means it won't appeal to everyone. It focuses much more on conversation and characters than puzzle solving. The clever use of multiple identities to reveal new bits of information brings satisfaction in itself. Between the excellent acting performances, additional set pieces, and tonal background music, you'll enjoy the game from start to finish.

The Shapeshifting Detective is another example in the return of games based on the use of Full Motion Video and one which boasts a very good quality in that medium. The environment of mystery and suspense and the ability of the protagonist to assume the shape of any character stand out as the game's best qualities at the same time that a certain lack of interactivity and a plot with pacing issues keep this work from becoming a must buy.

Wales Interactive deliver a game that excels in taking the player into a mysterious and unsettling place rife with oddball characters, creepy radio stations and untimely death. However, it is not without issue and at times feels a little disjointed in delivery.

The Shapshifting Detective is a game from the past, a Full Motion Video project that is out of our time. You can only choose between a pair of multiple dialogue options to discover who is the murder or shift from a character to another one. The story is way too simple and is not among the best written thriller.

All in all, The Shapeshifting Detective is a functional but disappointing experience. The investigation lacks the twists and turns of a truly suspenseful narrative and the overriding feeling of weirdness is never really allowed to take centre stage. My initial playthrough seemed to end before it really got started and even though I correctly targeted the murderer, I didn't feel that this was anything more than a lucky guess. If you haven't yet played Doctor Dekker then I would recommend that over this any day. If the idea of a digital murder mystery night floats your boat, then there is still plenty to enjoy in The Shapeshifting Detective, but it does nothing to really advance the genre or push the envelope. It's sadly mediocre rather than transformative.

Despite some instances of odd acting, The Shapeshifting Detective is a fun supernatural crime drama that will leave you wanting more. This works well, since the story can be finished in a short amount of time. Coupled with a variety of decisions and character interactions via the shapeshifting mechanic, this gritty detective story is a great entry for the Switch library.

Acceptable murder mystery FMV game with poor actors, fair story and good replayability.

Being a Sega fan boy in the past, I’ve played quite a few full motion video games, some good, some not so good. The Shapeshifting Detective is held in my good book, as there is plenty in this role playing FMV to keep you captivated in your role and coming back for more as you look to hook and reel your killer in, solving the murder and not getting caught!

At its core, The Shapeshifting Detective has a good hook and a compelling enough story structure, but is marred by not feeling like your choices matter, uneven pacing, and the impression that not all the story beats were well thought out or executed. Without sticking the landing on either the story or interactivity, what had potential to be great feels more middle of the pack.