Livi🍎ng in a small, close-knit society is exactly how you might imagine it. I do, and my cute little gated community runs like clockwork. There's the guy who walks his dog everyday at 4pm, an annoying old man who tinkers with his loud car well into most evenings, while my upstairs neighbour has a walking stick I can hear every morning as she comes down for a walk.
Masala Games' Shalin Shodhan On Detective Dotson And Standing Out From The Crowd
We spoke to Masala Games CEO Shalin Shodhan about how Detective Dotson can break through the clutter as a gam🐠e from India.
While a small community such as this offers security, it's also near impossible to hide something from your neighbours. Somebody, somewhere, at some time has seen you deviate from yourও schedule, and eventually, they'll spread gossip. You just need to ask the right person to spill the tea. It's this sense of community snitching that Deไtective Dotson captures so wonderfully.
Most ga꧂mes from India kee𝓡p harping on history and mythology, but this cute point-and-click mystery game shows you what life is like in a typical Indian city.
India As A Fever Dream
What do you think of when you picture India? Temples? Bollywood? Trash? Crowds? Any and all of those are correct. Detective Dotson captures what it's like walking down a street in this country. If you manage to peer through the crowd, you'll see a temple, a roadside cigarette shop, a high-end boutique, all right next to each other. People of all religions and socio-economic backgrounds live their lives in each other’s faces, even thou🐎gh some people may not want us to.
Not only does the world created by Masala Games manage to capture this, but the pixel-based art style adds a tinge of nostalgia. Dot City is a completely fictional place, but if you grew up or have ever visited India, it will feel like you've been there before. It made me miss walking down a market 𒐪street even though I hate crowds and noise – something I never thought possible.
The world is littered with all kinds of people, locations, buildings, and shops – a little slice of an Indian metro city. Speaking of litter, there's a lot. Both in India and the game. While most of us sweep it under the rug, Detective Dotson addresses it. Not only do you get rewarded for picking up trash and throwing it in the bins, but you ꦍalso get the satisfaction of throwing it back at the people who dropped it. It's a great way to break the monotony of running from one place to the other.
Connecting The Dots
There's something charming about a whodunnit mystery set in a place where everyone knows each other♏. But when you swap out the rich snobs and butlers for normal, everyday people, the results are something truly special. Not only do you learn about different cultures and backgrounds, 🌳you’re able to witness a sense of unity in diversity.
How would you connect a famous director to your local nosey aunty? Just ask a few people. The game takes the concept of six degrees of separation, and creates a murder mystery around it where you need to talk to people to get clues. It starts with simple things like someone telling you they saw a suspicious person lurking aro♈und the buffet. Before long, you're going on fetch quests to get clues like in Link's Awakening.
Sometimes, you'll need to use disguises to get into restricted places. Each disguise also comes with some ridiculous abilities like reading minds and making everyone spontaneཧously break out into dance. Bollywood enough for you?
There's a silliness at the heart of Detective Dotson that permeates into its gameplay as well. If you're sprinting long enough, Dotson will start skipping gleefully, using the mind reading ability will have you levitating, but nobody will be phased by it. At ⛄one point you can also do a fetch quest for a god to gain access to a sealed off area.
Talking to someone on one side of the spectrum will eventually lead you to the other end of this societal spectrum. As you uncover more about harmless, petty crimes some prominent and powerful people will start getting involved and the stakes only get higher. It's not lo🎉ng before finding a stolen biryani becomes a murder investigation of Dotson's father.
While talking to people for clues and completing☂ fetch quests takes up much of the moment-to-moment gameplay, you also have to connect the dots revealed by unearthed clues to solve crimes. Masala Games has surely taken some inspiration from the crime board in Alan Wake 2 and classic crime dramas with a love 🎃for wooden boards and red thread. While it's fun to fill out the board with clues and motives, it can feel unintuitive at times. I found myself guessing on several occasions, rather than coming to solutions in ways that felt earned and natural.
Means, Motive, Opportunity
Detective Dotson succeeds in both its objectives – to capture everyday Indꦜian life and create a compelling whodunnit murder mystery. Apart from some clunky animation, a slightly unintuitive mystery board, and unnecessary voice acting that sounds like a last minute addition, it's a point-and-click adventure that h💝its all the right notes and doesn't take itself seriously.
It's a reminder that India i♉sn't just Bollywood and mythology. It's crowded streets, people from all walks of life, and knowing everything about your neighbour who you have nothing in🌳 common with.
168澳洲幸运5开奖网: Detective Dotson
Reviewed on PC.
- Top Critic Avg: 62/100 Critics Rec: 63%
- Released
- April 24, 2025
- ESRB
- Everyone
- Developer(s)
- ❀ Masala Games Private Limited ꦗ
- Publisher(s)
- 𝄹 Masala Games🀅 Private Limited
A Cozy Mystery Game
Explore the colorful streets of modern India while you’re on the job! As you dive deeper into what seems to be a normal case for Detective Dotson, more unfolds and you learn how it all connects to your father’s sudden passing.
Solve cases, one clue at a time.
Investigate four unique cases, starting simple and building toward a thrilling final mystery that ties everything together. Trade, bargain, and uncover hidden clues from a cast of over 50 characters — each with their own secrets, needs, and personalities.
Explore a hand-crafted world.
Wander through a lively city where 2D and 3D art styles blend seamlessly. Stroll past food carts, dance stages, and busy bazaars, soaking up the sights, sounds, and spirit of India. Every street corner holds a potential lead, a valuable item, or an unexpected encounter.
Barter, bargain, and buy your way to the truth.
Nothing comes easy in Dotson’s world — you’ll need to haggle like a pro to get what you need. Buy incense sticks, street food, Bollywood memorabilia and more, and trade them smartly to open up new conversations, gather intel, and move closer to solving each case.
Play mini-games and earn your keep.
Jump into fun mini-games scattered around the city, including street cricket and Bollywood dance-offs. Winning games means better bargaining power — and sometimes, vital clues.
Meet an unforgettable cast.
From mischievous shopkeepers to notorious gangsters, the city is full of colorful characters waiting to help (or hinder) Detective Dotson. Charm them, outwit them, or catch them red-handed — how you interact can change the outcome.
A mystery with heart (and a lot of samosas).
As you cr𒆙ack each case, a deeper, more personal story begins to unfold — one connected to Detective Dotson himself. Expect surprises, laughs, and a love letter to the rich culture and chaotic charm of India.
- Engine
- Unity
- Brilliantly captures the charm and chaos of small-town India.
- A fictional world that feels familiar.
- Great use of humour and absurdity.
- Mystery board can feel a bit unintuitive.
- Voice-acting is unnecessary and seems like a last-minute inclusion.
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