Indian games on PC are rare since many developers focus on the more profitable mobile sector. The last big title that was released was Raji: An Ancient Epic in 2020, which was praised by both fans and critics. In contrast, Detective Dotson is a smaller project aiming to depict a more authentic image of modern India. Right now, you can try out the demo on Steam, and the full version is expected to launch in early 2025 for PC and Xbox Series S|X. We managed to get our hands on a playable pre-production version of Detective Dotson, though it's not completely without its issues. More on that later.
Visuals and Performance
Detective Dotson doesn't excel in visual quality. It's a 2D side-scroller with a nostalgic pixel art style reminiscent of the late 80s and early 90s. It can run on almost any machine with a CPU/GPU, but there's a significant issue to note. Thanks to a Unity bug, the game struggles at refresh rates above 60 Hz. Sometimes, it failed to recognize my inputs, and occasionally, it froze entirely when I attempted to look through a looking glass. There are additional bugs related to movement too. The developers are aware of these glitches and hopefully, they'll be fixed before the game officially launches.
Gameplay Mechanics
Set in a typical Indian city, you take on the role of a detective in Detective Dotson. Your job is to solve puzzles by gathering clues from various NPCs. I might even call it a platformer, because you can run endlessly and there’s no fall damage—the character magically pulls out a parachute whenever he falls.
The game’s visuals capture the essence of an Indian city. You’ll see street vendors, busy marketplaces, flashy advertisements, and plenty of litter on the ground. Occasionally, NPCs will offer side quests that provide hints to help out in your investigations, or sometimes, you'll receive items that aren’t very useful. At its core, Detective Dotson revolves around fetch quests mixed with light platforming elements.
Disguises and Progression
You also get to wear disguises that help conceal your identity, each with special abilities to influence NPC behavior. Progressing in the game often involves using these disguises, so pay attention to them. After collecting all your clues, you will need to connect the dots on a board in a Charlie Day-style manner, complete with strings and everything.
That pretty much sums up Detective Dotson. Interact with NPCs, explore, and repeat until you gather everything you need. The gameplay is rather bland. Depending on the cases you solve, characters from earlier interactions might offer unique dialogues. This detail adds a nice layer of coherence to the game’s world. As Masala Games' first outing, it wouldn’t be fair to expect the high polish found in AAA or even AA titles.
A Refreshing Experience
In a gaming landscape where ten-year release cycles are the norm, smaller projects like this are a breath of fresh air. After spending hours on Horizon Zero Dawn Remaster, I found Detective Dotson to be a pleasant change. It’s a decent game you could finish over a weekend without too much investment. This does mean there’s very little replay value, but I wouldn't lose any sleep over that.
However, when it comes to detective elements, Detective Dotson falls short. Even as an indie title, it feels a bit too laid-back. While you need to pay attention to NPC dialogues to form conclusions, the outcome doesn’t feel rewarding enough. A simple improvement could be adding more NPC interactions and variables in solving cases. In reality, not all clues are meaningful, and it would be great if Detective Dotson reflected that kind of complexity.
