Living in a small tight community is just like you'd expect. My little gated neighborhood runs smoothly. There's a guy who walks his dog every day at 4pm an old man who works on his noisy car in the evenings and my upstairs neighbor uses a walking stick I hear every morning when she goes for a walk.
Many games from India focus on history and mythology. but this charming point-and-click mystery game shows everyday life in a typical Indian city.
India as a Fever Dream A Surreal Journey Through Culture and Perception
What comes to mind when you think of India? Temples? Bollywood? Trash? Crowds? All of these are part of it. Detective Dotson shows what it's like walking down the street there. If you can look past the crowd you'll see a temple a cigarette shop and a fancy store all next to each other. People from different religions and backgrounds live close together even if some might not want that.
Masala Games world captures this feeling perfectly and the pixel art adds a sense of nostalgia. Dot City is fictional but if you've ever been to India it will feel familiar. It even made me miss walking down a busy market street despite not liking crowds or noise something I never expected.
The world is full of people places, buildings and shops like a small part of an Indian city. There’s a lot of litter both in India and the game. While many ignore it Detective Dotson takes action. You get rewards for picking up trash and throwing it in bins and you even get to throw it back at those who dropped it. It’s a fun way to break up the usual running around.
Connecting the Dots Unraveling the Mystery Behind Detective Dotson
A whodunnit mystery is interesting when it's set in a place where everyone knows each other. When you replace rich people and butlers with regular folks it becomes something special. You not only learn about different cultures. but you also see how people can come together despite their differences.
How would you link a famous director to your nosey aunty? Just ask around Just ask a few people. The game uses the idea of six degrees of separation and turns it into a murder mystery. You talk to people to gather clues. It starts with simple things like someone mentioning a suspicious person by the buffet. Soon you are off on quests to find clues similar to Link's Awakening.
Sometimes you'll need disguises to enter restricted areas. Each disguise has silly abilities like reading minds or making people start dancing. Bollywood style right?
Detective Dotson has a silly vibe that shows in the gameplay. If you run for a while Dotson starts skipping happily. Using the mind-reading power makes you float but no one seems to notice. At one point you also do a quest for a god to unlock a blocked area.
Talking to someone on one side of things will eventually lead you to the other side. As you learn about small crimes powerful people get involved and things escalate. What starts as a stolen biryani soon turns into a murder investigation about Dotson's father.
Most of the gameplay involves talking to people for clues and doing fetch quests. but you also need to connect the clues to solve crimes. Masala Games seems inspired by the crime board in Alan Wake 2 and classic crime dramas with their use of wooden boards and red thread. While it’s fun to organize the board with clues and motives it can be confusing at times. I often found myself guessing instead of figuring things out in a more natural way.
Means, Motive, Opportunity Unraveling the Mystery
Detective Dotson achieves its goals showing everyday Indian life and telling an engaging murder mystery. Despite some awkward animation a confusing mystery board and unnecessary voice acting. it's a fun point-and-click game that doesn't take itself too seriously.
India is more than just Bollywood and mythology. It's busy streets people from all backgrounds and knowing everything about your neighbor even if you have nothing in common.
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