Game Review: Detective from the Crypt

By Manuel

Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, XBox One, XBox Series XS, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5

A while back we reviewed a game called Cat and Ghostly Road, as well as another called A Cat's Request, and they're both tied to the game we're going to be looking at today. Detective from the Crypt is not a sequel to either game, but they are all made by the same developer. Not only do they have similar visual styles and gameplay, but they also all feature cats. They may not be connected in any other way, but I like to think of this game as the final piece of a trilogy. That may be a bit odd considering that it originally release in the middle of the other games on PC, but let's not let details get in the way. Connected or not, Detective from the Crypt is out now on all major consoles, and we're going to be looking at the Nintendo Switch version today. There's a lot to go over in this one, so let's dive right in!

Detective from the Crypt places you into the role of Jane Darkday. She's a ghost who wakes up in her family's crypt, and she immediately wants to figure out why she is dead. Her and her family were killed by poison, but it's a mystery as to why that was the case. There is something involving stolen treasure, a conspiracy involving the family's butler, and even the separate murder of a painter, but the truth behind all of these deaths remains murky. A flashback sequence shows the events leading up to the start of the game, and it's here where the player will learn about their true goal in the game. It is odd that this sequence can only be seen by examining the picture in the in-game notebook, as it's central to understanding what's expected of the player. You'll also come back to that picture once you uncover the truth, but that's getting ahead of things a bit. I could get into further details of the plot, but I don't want to do so here for the sake of keeping things spoiler free. Also, the plot is rather convoluted, so explaining even a little bit of it would make this review far too long. Suffice to say that the titular detective is our heroine Jane, and she's out to solve her own murder.

Describing the gameplay of Detective from the Crypt is a bit difficult, as there's several different things going on at once. On the surface, it's a standard adventure game that relies heavily on inventory puzzles, with some light character-based missions. From the start of the game you're able to take on the tasks of other ghosts in the graveyard, and these are all noted in the in-game notebook. You then go about finding a way to complete said tasks, with some taking longer than others. Solutions may seem simple on the surface, but you'll often have to complete a chain of puzzles and events to get to the thing that will actually move the game forward. Much of the early sections of the game involves you trying to enter the Darkday Mansion, and once inside you're given almost free reign to complete the game's puzzles in several different ways. It never becomes truly open-ended, but the game moves along at a brisk pace. If that were all the game was, that'd be fine, but there's also an added mystery element here too. Since the murder of the Darkday family is central to the plot, Jane's actual main task is to uncover the truth her death, and the deaths of her closest relatives. This is done by collecting clues, and by examining evidence. There's a part of me that feels like everything else in the game is only secondary to this main goal, though this is mainly due to the fact that Jane herself seems like an odd choice for a detective. Nothing about her character feels like it's suited for the job, though the writing does a good job of making you forget that.

Since the adventure game aspects don't really warrant further explanation, let's move on to discussing the detective elements. When I say that collecting and examining evidence is central to the Detective from the Crypt experience, I mean it. Throughout the course of the game you'll gather materials that have to be examined under a magnifying glass or a microscope, and also collect liquids or substances that have to be tested for poison. Most of these clues become inventory items, or notations in your in-game notebook, though some clues stay out in the open in whatever area they're located in. Thoroughly examining evidence may seem above one's ghostly duties, but the Darkday Mansion is equipped with a fully functional laboratory. Getting to the bottom of evidence requires fiddling with many contraptions, and this was my least favorite part of the game. It's not as if these sections were hard, it's just that they just felt pointless. They're simple minigames that only come off as complicated due to their wonky controls, and I couldn't help but wish that these entire sections were automated. I get having the process Jane is going through to solve the murders, but it really should've been another series of inventory puzzles. Perhaps there's someone out there who will enjoy these segments, but it wasn't me. Having said that, I must once again reiterate that they're not difficult or particularly frustrating, they just drag down parts of the game. Thankfully there isn’t a ton of evidence to go over in this fashion, and it does feel satisfying seeing all the mysteries start to become clearer as you get all the clues and evidence in order.

Solving the Darkday murder mystery may be important, but you'll not want to forget about all the ghosts back at the cemetery you first started the game in. The most important of these ghosts is a cat named Pulkheria, who I guess belonged to Jane's mother. Why she seems to be meeting the cat for the first time in the afterlife is beyond me, but maybe I'm missed a detail about their relationship. Besides being a companion throughout the game, Pulkheria also serves as something of a hint system. They will let you know what you should be doing next, and also inform you of things you may have missed in the area you're currently in. I was actually a bit disappointed that the game didn't feature a cat from the beginning, but was pleased to find that you just have to play a bit to unlock them. Actually, mentioning Pulkheria's name is a bit of a spoiler, but it's early enough that I don't think it matters too much. Pulkheria isn't the only thing that helps you in the game, as there's also a candle that shows you hidden areas, and a mirror that allows you to fast travel between certain locations. These exist outside of your regular inventory, and along with your notebook, help to make the game far more manageable. Some of the puzzle solutions can be a bit esoteric at times, but I found that it was hard to get stuck thanks to Pulkheria's assistance. Also, having a cat along always makes everything better.

Though I mostly had a blast playing through Detective from the Crypt, there are some negatives I feel I should mention before moving on. My biggest issue of all would have to be the text itself. I'm not sure if it's the writing, or maybe translation issues, but there are plenty of sections where the tone seems to shift all over the place because of odd phrasing or weird lines that barely make sense. This wasn't a deal breaker by any means, but it can take you out of the game several times if you're one to take of note of such things. Issues with the text aside, the game also has annoying instant-death scenarios that you won't even know to avoid until you fall victim to them. Smaller issues would have to be the fact that the in-game system that is meant to show you clickable objects is never accurate, and some actions done out of order can soft lock the game. These seem like they could be a bit more game breaking, but they weren't all that common. Lastly, there's the console controls. I can only imagine that playing this game on the PC is a totally different experience, as it doesn't seem at all optimized for controller inputs. It can be confusing figuring out how to get to all the icons on the upper section of the screen, and the in-game cursor moves painfully slow. That last thing is extra annoying when trying to get to another screen, as exits have to be clicked on to leave. If your cursor is on the other side of the screen, leaving can take 10-15 seconds of real time. Once again, none of these are particularly big issues, but I'd be remiss if I didn't point them out.

While I wouldn't ever claim that Detective from the Crypt is a visually impressive game, there were several moments where it did surprise me. Everything sort of has a "paper doll" vibe to it, where the character and objects occupy a flat, 2D space, and make movements that look almost uncanny. The game world is rather small, but it does a lot with the space given. The outdoor areas are all varied, and the interior of the Darkday Mansion has so many different rooms that it could very have been the sole area of the game. The character and environment designs are all well done too, and I can't think of anything negative to say about them. I find it particularly amazing that this isn't the developer’s most recent game, as it feels like the best of the "trilogy" released so far. Nothing here will take anyone's breath away, but it's good for what it is. It doesn't reach for the moon, but it also doesn't fall flat while attempting that either. It's perfectly okay for games to occupy the middle of the road, and that's what we get here.

Though I have largely positive things to say about the game, there is one area where it falls short just a bit. Let me start by stating that I'm not totally sure that the music used in Detective from the Crypt is all original, but I can say that it's pretty boring. Traveling from Point A to Point B can be quite the chore in the early sections of the game, and part of this is due to the fact that the music just isn't all that good while you're doing it. It's not bad by any means, but it's barely even there. It sounds like stock library music, and maybe it is. (I actually couldn't confirm whether or not the music was created specifically for this game in time for this review.) The not-great music also has the added effect of making things feel more silent than they already are, since there isn't much else ever going on sound design-wise. Similar to the other games in this series, there are some actions that seem to be missing sound effects altogether, and there's no voice acting at all. I of course wasn't expecting the latter, but its absence doesn't help either. Horror movies can get by with simple atmospheric music, but not when it's as generic as what we get here.

Detective from the Crypt currently carries a price tag of $9.99 on consoles, and I feel that's more than worth the amount of content one gets. It's hard to judge the length of adventure games, but it's safe to say that most will reach the end of this one in about 2-4 hours. It can of course take longer for those who are having trouble with puzzles, but that's a good estimate to go off of. There are also plenty of things one can miss in a single playthrough, and there are hidden endings of a sort that players can see. I don't want to give away what I mean by that last bit, but I did stumble across a couple of surprises during my playthrough. I like to compare games of this length to watching a movie, and that comparison works well here. Players can take this as a ghost detective story, and the price aligns well with what it costs to check out a current release. Most noteworthy of all, there isn't even a console surcharge, as the game is priced the same across all platforms. That's probably not something that's worth praising, but I've noticed many games add on a console tax in recent months.

Even though I'm willing to admit that Detective from the Crypt isn't a game for everyone, it's still one that I fully recommend. It's a great adventure game, and the mystery element makes it very unique. Some of the investigative sections can be a chore to complete, but the overall experience is a memorable one. It looks like a budget release, and in some ways it truly is, but this is a title that is punching far above its weight class. If anything I've said made the game seem interesting to you, or if you simply love cats, then pick this one up now on whatever platform you can. You don't even have to thank me afterwards. See you in the next one!

Check Out Detective from the Crypt on Nintendo Switch:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/detective-from-the-crypt-switch/

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Story: A
Gameplay: B
Graphics: A
Music/Sound: B
Value: A

Overall: A-

Pros:
+ A neat take on the standard adventure game that mixes together mystery soling elements with inventory puzzles.
+ The game moves along at a brisk pace, and many of the game's objectives can be completed in any order.
+ Though the world is rather small, its locations are quite varied.
+ The graphics may not win the game any awards, but I like the paper doll aesthetic of the world and its characters.
+ While I didn't appreciate the investigation elements of the game, others might find the evidence gathering sections to be a nice change of pace.
+ It's hard to get stuck in this game thanks to the many help systems that are included.

Cons:
- The game's text feels a bit off a lot of the time, probably due to translation issues.
- Sound design is the game's weakest point, as there seem to be plenty of missing sound effects, and a soundtrack that leaves a lot to be desired.
- This is clearly a game designed for play on the PC, and the console controls feel quite wonky.
- Unique or not, I found myself wishing that the evidence examination sequences were automatic.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

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Yes, that totally makes sense...

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