Not really a 'Detective' game but a solid visual novel experience nonetheless | Review - Methods

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✨Overview Methods: Detective Competition is a visual novel game with a unique detective-themed story and is the first game in the Methods series. In the game, 100 detectives compete against each other in solving mysteries created by criminal masterminds. The game initially released in visual novel form last 2019, and was subsequently remastered for a Steam release last 2020. Now, it is finally out on both Android and iOS.

🟩Pros +Compelling mysterious storytelling +Very distinctive unique visual style +A huge ensemble cast of characters +Super-quick 100 small chapters that will roughly take you 10 hours to fully finish

🟥Cons -Non-existent gameplay, weak detective game elements -Characters with insufferable personalities

⭐️Score: 8/10

📖Premise Methods: Detective Competition immerses players in a world where 100 detectives vie for a one million dollar prize and a life-altering opportunity. Should a criminal emerge victorious, they not only claim the cash prize but also receive parole, regardless of the severity of their crime. The game is giving me vibes reminiscent of anime/game series Danganronpa or even the TV Show Squid Game with its reality/game show-esque premise and visual novel presentation mixing 2D and 3D visual styles. 🎨Visuals and Art The visual novel format of the game combines highly stylized 2D characters with 3D pre-rendered environments, featuring a distinctive and visually striking abstract-like art style. I was initially not a fan of the art style, and the characters are probably not the most beautiful thing to look at for most people, but it has grown on me over time as I played. 🎮Gameplay Methods: Detective Competition is a visual novel game, so typically these games feature text dialogue-rich content and the occasional decision making. The gameplay is almost non-existent here and you’re basically in for the narrative storytelling. It’s not even a proper Detective game — contrary to expectations, Methods: Detective Competition is not a traditional detective game where players are given free reign to deduce and analyze. Instead, it leans more toward a visual novel format with detective characters and themes. The game involves competing detectives solving crimes created by criminals. The crime scenes require ‘investigation’ but all it is really is clicking where the game wants you to click without much creative engagement and interaction. For example, you are free to inspect the crime scene, but the corresponding inspect buttons ironically obscure or does not indicate the actual items to inspect. Most of the times you don’t even know what you’re about to inspect until you actually select it — and it kind of defeats the purpose. Throughout the different kinds of investigations, players will be asked questions regarding their thoughts on the solution, and the game will then display the outcome of their choice. It actively guides the player toward the correct answer until they finally succeed. If you make too many mistakes, the game fails, requiring you to redo the sequence. However, in this situation, there's no true failure — you’re free to retry again and again and even fast forward the dialogue; as mentioned earlier, it's more about memorizing the choices and selecting what the game prompts you to choose. 📜Story and Characters As a visual novel though, Methods: Detective Competition actually has a pretty solid and compelling story. It’s not so much about playing as a Detective but rather experiencing a story that is about Detectives and Mysteries. The game consists of a super-quick 100 chapters that will roughly take you 10 hours to fully finish. The competition unfolds in stages, with detectives and criminals eliminated until only one of each remains for a final showdown. Winning as a detective rewards one million dollars, while a criminal victory grants both the cash prize and parole. Special Bonuses in each crime scene add an extra layer of challenge for detectives aiming for complete solutions. The game features an ensemble cast of Detectives and you will get to play among some of them throughout the story. These characters have their own unique personalities, backstories, and motivations on joining the competition, and it’s a kinda interesting to watch the competition unfold along with their backstories. These detectives also have their own unique ‘methods’ of solving crimes that will be available to the player. The game does predominantly feature insufferable characters, ranging from being too much of a jerk to too much of a weirdo or anything in between, and it can come across as annoying sometimes. There are no normal characters, so to speak; everything is a caricature and attempts to be funny. However, to their merit, the dialogue can be quite humorous. As with the art style, these characters do grow on you and despite these elements, the overall story does a great job of carrying the load of compelling you to play. 📊Technical Performance Aside from the long loading times the first time you run it, the game ran without issues and provided a generally smooth experience on mobile. The UI is a bit confusing at first, with slightly ambiguous icons for the menus, but it’s not much of an issue once you get familiar to it. Text dialogue can be automated, and its speed can be controlled, although there's no feedback when the text is currently automated, which can be annoying at times. ⚖️Conclusion Looking at its individual aspects, Methods: Detective Competition really exhibits hallmarks of mediocrity that I don’t really like: The weird art style, the insufferable characters, and the almost non-existent gameplay. However, when combined together and treated as the visual novel that it is, they all mesh into a cohesive visual novel experience that sucks you in easily and has you blazing through the chapters (a hundred of them) in a short while; you wouldn’t even notice the time pass by. I was pleasantly surprised myself that I am liking this game more than I expected. In essence, as a visual novel experience, Methods: Detective Competition stands as a solid title, offering an experience well worth the price of admission on Mobile, especially if you love visual novels and mysteries.

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