Detective Instinct: Farewell, My Beloved

Fantastic little piece! I think part of what makes this game excel is that its not a traditional whodunnit. Not in the modern idea of a "subversive mystery", with meta twists and genre commentary. Its a throwback game that's aiming for a Hitchcock vibe more than a mystery adventure. Reading that a major inspiration on the game was The Lady Vanishes made so much of the story click into place. Some of Hitchcock's most underrated horrors didn't operate from the fear of a murderer, but instead from the social anxiety of being dismissed. Of having your memory dismissed and the self-doubt that ensues when everyone seems dead-set to insist you're wrong. I don't think enough media is willing to play with the idea that your memory genuinely is skewed or flawed. Out of all evidence, memory can be trusted the least. But that's not what Detective Instinct is about and that's probably to the game's strength. It keeps its emotional and narrative focus on something simple: what if everyone is lying to you and what reasons do they have to justify that to themselves? The fact that its not trying to be a traditional whodunnit works immensely in favor of that theme! What you're facing is a ultimate…

Loved this little visual novel! It's a pretty light mystery but very enjoyable throughout. I finished it in about 7 hours, which sounds short but to me the length felt perfectly fine. The writing and characters were solid throughout! While the Detective unnerved me at first, I came to grow on him and his story role. I absolutely enjoyed the main girl Emma, and I adored all the side characters who felt as kooky as an Ace Attourney game! I appreciated a lot how the story was an evolving mystery, with each day having different goals and twists. Even if it's essentially 1 mystery, that single mystery had a lot of elements to unpack which made it feel bigger than it seems. Music was lovely, and the style of classical used in many songs is extremely my jam! Emma's theme is wonderful and the clear standout, but I love how the style feels appropriate without dipping into other mystery cliche genres. The art and presentation felt great too. Sprites looked great, animations were good, loved Emma's side sprites, and the colors were wonderful too. The UI was a bit weird with how I think each Talk pathway would kick you to the main menu, but overall the UI felt fine. I especially…

Wonderful little game. If you like Phoenix Wright, Hotel Dusk, Famicom Detective Club, (Neo Geo Big Tournament Golf?), etc. then you'll be right at home here. The characters are likeable, the story is gripping, and it's generally a great time. I played this back and forth on a plane ride and the time just zipped by. Playing on a separate device meant my play time wasn't tracked, but I'd say it took me 5-6 hours.

badass

Lovely art and a good story.

Short game with a lot of charm and soul in it. The artstyle is beautiful and most of the music is awesome (very ace attorney inspired). The length of the story (or lack thereof) does mean that you get railroaded a bit as a player. There's usually only one real way to continue progressing through the game since there simply isn't enough time/complexity to explore alternative options. In terms of visual novel and puzzle solving, this definitely leans more towards a short story/novel. Not necessarily bad, but don't expect to solve difficult puzzles in just a few hours.