REVIEW: Chinatown Detective Agency (PC). Forget it, Jake
A good mystery is something everyone loves. It’s always fun following the clues to the end, whether it’s a bank heist or a murder of repute. Chinatown Detective Agency by General Interactive Co has a point-and-click adventure that tells a story of intrigue through the various missions given to it by mysterious clients.
Amira Darma is a strong ex-policewoman from Singapore who wanted tangible results in her work in the not too distant future of 2039. She founded the Chinatown Detective Agency and became a private investigator to combat crime. By tapping into her contacts in law enforcement and other interesting characters that you will meet along the journey, you can help her accomplish this.
Amira will be paid for every job she does, and bonuses will be given for jobs done correctly. These funds will help keep your office afloat and pay for travel expenses or acquire clues from your library contact. You can fail some missions, but the game will autosave at every end. However, you can manually save between each mission.
Voice acting is a great way to get into the drama. This helps make the characters memorable. It also gives the game an episodic feel that it is a crime drama.
If you can make a lot of money from your investigation, you can expand your office or hire staff to assist. Although it will cost you more monthly, the immersive character building is well worth the extra expense. There are many story paths to choose from, but you need to pick one. This will determine the tone of your adventure. Each mission gives you two missions to complete before you have to decide. You’ll feel the need to explore everything the game has to give you.
Chinatown Detective Agency is the worst offender in this area. You are notified that the game will use your web browser and real search engine. This is because you will need to search online for clues to solve the puzzle. You can even tab out of the game by using a dedicated button. However, this is somewhat immersion-breaking in practice and clunky as Steam may not recognize that the game has closed if your browser is still open.
The game can sometimes feel like homework. Some subjects, such as finding the origin country and the city where a stamp was issued, can be tedious and time-consuming. Sometimes the game will be finicky about what it wants you to answer. This can lead to you feeling like you are playing trial and error even after you have figured out something. It can also take you out of the moment when there isn’t enough polish in the written dialogue. The pixel graphics are not as deep and can make it difficult to find interactive elements.
As frustrating as the controls, they can also feel a little shaky. Amira can move to any location you click, but she moves at a snail’s speed even when danger. This can make it difficult to time or be in a certain place at a particular time. You’ll need to be there on time or early for most events. This can lead to more waiting. Mini-games and inworld puzzles are a refreshing break from the grind of searching for answers online and walking slowly around the game’s locations.
