Scene Investigators Review (Der Herr Schaft)
Just finished this game, so for mediocre amateur detectives 10hr ingame time is realistic.
I made the HUGE mistake to read the reviews before buying, so my expectations went in the complete wrong way. So i then started the tutorial and it took me 2,5-3hrs until i realized that i was thinking way too complicated for this game. I was so hyped when playing the tutorial, because i thought i finally found THE DETECTIVE GAME. I took several smoke breaks, etc (like the game tells you to lol), was making assumptions in my head, got a ruler to measure distances, tried many, many different ways to solve the questions in the tutorial to only come to the conclusion, that you dont have to do that all.
What to expect now from the game?
You can choose between case files. And difficulty (normal difficulty with clues how many clues in which room and if your answer is correct or not. "hardcore" difficulty with no help at all. -> i personally do not recommend playing that difficulty ever)
When you start you get a short summary (introduction) to a scene. Once you arrived you can roam freely within the scene, search for clues, listen to phonecalls, read notes, check purses, etc..
On the one hand i was still a little hyped, because i simply love that genre and kind of game, but on the other hand i was a little bit bummed because how the tutorial ended.
So what to expect now from this game?
It is NOT a detective game, where you put your assumptions, clues, etc. together. (i think this was the attempt from the devs)
Its more like a hidden object game, in which you need to find the informations until you can answer the questions.
This game has really potential. I mean, i couldve stayed in the tutorial scene way longer to solve the case and i wouldnt even mind. I really was in love with this game in the first hours, trying to solve the game "my way". But thats not how the game works. Once i realized i really would have only needed one item to solve the questions really took all the magic away.
Is it worth 23€? I cant answer that question.
Is it worth supporting the devs to improve that game? I guess so
Is it a detective game, in which you can test your theories? No
Will i remember the game in 5 years? No
Has this game potential? Hell yeah
Would i buy it again? propably no
Edit:
Proofreading my review made me realize how awful negative my review is and that the game doesnt deserve that.
I would give this game a neutral review, but steam only offers positive or negative feedback.
Some positive things i want to point out in this game:
The stories are all pretty unique and have depth in them. Yet its up to you and your imagination how deep that is.
The graphics and qualities of the items/clues are pretty good.
The translation to german is pretty good, some minor mistakes, but nothing to worry about.
When i found out that one case is linked to another case, i almost jumped of joy.