The 3 Types of Detective Game

Introduction

In this section, the speaker introduces the topic of detective games and explains that there has been an increase in new detective games since a previous video was made on the subject.

The Need for Good Detective Games

• In 2017, the speaker made a video questioning the lack of good detective games that truly made players feel like detectives.

• While there were fun games where players could play as detectives, they lacked the mechanics to provide a real detective experience.

• Since then, there has been an explosion of new detective games that have changed the perspective on this design challenge.

How to Make a Good Detective Game

The speaker discusses different categories of detective games and provides examples for each category.

Categories of Detective Games

• Deduction-style games: These games involve gathering clues and using deduction to solve mysteries. Examples include "Return of the Obra Dinn," "Case of the Golden Idol," and "Scene Investigators."

• Contradiction-style games: In these games, players must identify contradictions in testimonies to uncover the truth. An example is "Lucifer Within Us."

• Investigation-style games: These are more open-ended investigative experiences where players explore and gather evidence. No specific examples are mentioned.

Deduction-Style Games - "Return of the Obra Dinn"

The speaker focuses on deduction-style games and uses "Return of the Obra Dinn" as an example.

Gameplay Mechanics

• Players take on the role of an insurance inspector aboard a 19th-century merchant vessel where all passengers are dead or missing.

• A magic timepiece allows players to witness freeze-frame vignettes showing each person's moment of death.

• Clues such as dialogue, accents, locations, outfits, and objects help players fill out a log book and deduce the identities and fates of the characters.

Other Deduction-Style Games

The speaker mentions other deduction-style games that follow similar gameplay mechanics.

Examples of Deduction-Style Games

• "Case of the Golden Idol": Players explore dioramas depicting moments of death and gather clues to solve murders.

• "Scene Investigators" (demo): Players investigate a 3D crime scene, gather evidence, and answer questions about the murder.

• "Riley & Rochelle": Players analyze documents to determine the exact date of key events in a documentary-style game.

Contradiction-Style Games - "Lucifer Within Us"

The speaker discusses contradiction-style games using "Lucifer Within Us" as an example.

Gameplay Mechanics

• Players assume the role of a digital exorcist hunting down humans who have been manipulated into committing murder by AI demons.

• Through interviews with witnesses and suspects, players must identify contradictions in testimonies to uncover the truth behind each crime.

Conclusion

The video provides an overview of different categories of detective games, including deduction-style games like "Return of the Obra Dinn," contradiction-style games like "Lucifer Within Us," and investigation-style games. It highlights how these games offer unique gameplay mechanics that make players feel like detectives.

New Section

This section discusses the different gameplay styles in detective games, focusing on logical deduction, interrogation, and investigation.

Logical Deduction

• In games like L.A. Noire, players must judge the truthfulness of statements made by witnesses using body language and facial cues. Cold hard evidence can also be used to prove if someone is lying.

Interrogation

• Some detective games, such as Papers, Please, require players to spot inconsistencies in documents presented by travelers. The goal is to assess the veracity of information and identify contradictions with known facts.

Investigation

• Investigation-style games, like Shadows of Doubt, present players with complex murder cases that require careful examination of evidence and interviews with suspects and witnesses. The challenge lies in navigating a large game space filled with red herrings to find the true culprit.

New Section

This section explores the challenges faced in investigation-style games due to their expansive game spaces and numerous potential suspects.

Expansive Game Spaces

• Games like Shadows of Doubt feature densely packed city blocks populated by hundreds of simulated citizens with homes, jobs, relationships, and unique characteristics. Finding relevant clues or identifying suspects becomes difficult due to the sheer volume of information available.

Navigating the Game Space

• Players must devise strategies for efficiently searching through vast amounts of information to find leads or evidence that can help solve the case. This may involve checking surveillance footage, interviewing witnesses or suspects, or exploring specific locations based on gathered information.

New Section

This section highlights the importance of content creation in investigation-style games and how they guide players towards the correct solution.

Content Creation Challenges

• Investigation-style games require a significant amount of content to provide multiple leads, dead ends, and red herrings. This content is crucial for hiding the true answer and creating an engaging detective experience.

Guiding Players

• Unlike open-world games like LA Noire, investigation-style games often provide more guidance by directing players to specific locations or individuals relevant to the case. This helps streamline gameplay and prevents players from getting lost in vast game spaces.

New Section

This section explores additional examples of investigation-style games that utilize procedural generation or databases to create expansive information spaces.

Procedural Generation

• Games like Shadows of Doubt use procedural generation to populate their game worlds with numerous citizens, making it challenging for players to identify the true criminal among them.

Information Databases

• Games such as Hypnospace Outlaw, Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective, and Her Story rely on extensive databases or simulated internet systems to provide a wealth of information for players to search through. Players must learn how these systems are structured and organized to uncover relevant clues.

New Section

This section discusses the importance of critical thinking and understanding the structure of game worlds in investigation-style games.

Critical Thinking

• In investigation-style games, players need to think critically about available information and make connections between different clues or pieces of evidence. They may need to search for specific terms, analyze timestamps, or consider the relationships between characters and locations.

Understanding Game World Structure

• Knowing how the game world is structured and organized can help players navigate through vast amounts of information more efficiently. This includes understanding recurring patterns, hidden locations, or specific moments in time that may be crucial to solving the case.

New Section

This section concludes by highlighting the missing element in detective games - the big reveal where the detective accuses the killer.

The Big Reveal

• While logical deduction, interrogation, and investigation are important aspects of detective games, they often lack a climactic moment where the detective confronts and accuses the true culprit.

New Section

This section discusses different types of detective games and how they focus on the process of accusation. It highlights games like Paradise Killer and Whispers in the West that emphasize the accusation as a primary gameplay element.

Types of Detective Games

• Paradise Killer: A game where the player, as detective Lady Love Dies, explores an open world island, gathers clues, and interviews suspects with unique names. The accusation is a significant aspect of the gameplay.

• Whispers in the West: A cowboy-themed detective game that incorporates co-op play. Players gather evidence within a time limit before making an accusation.

New Section

This section delves into what makes detective games engaging by requiring players to think like detectives. It emphasizes observation, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.

Thinking Like a Detective

• Detectives rely on their intellect and perception to grasp facts and their relationships.

• Detective games prompt players to observe their surroundings, think critically about clues and leads, and make deductions.

• These gameplay structures make players feel smart by challenging them to solve mysteries using their own reasoning abilities.

New Section

This section explores the importance of well-designed testers in detective games. It discusses how poorly designed testers can give away solutions or discourage critical thinking.

Designing Testers

• Poorly designed testers can inadvertently reveal solutions or patronize players.

• Providing multiple-choice questions can narrow down thinking or lead players to guesswork.

• Games like Obra Dinn avoid leading questions or choices that give away solutions. Instead, they trust players to write down relevant information and figure out connections themselves.

• Well-designed testers require players to think critically without relying on guessing or brute-forcing solutions.

New Section

This section highlights the unique design elements of Obra Dinn and other detective games that promote independent thinking and problem-solving.

Independent Thinking in Detective Games

• Obra Dinn's tester design prompts players to establish connections and deductions without being led or given choices.

• Other detective games, like Riley & Rochelle and Shadows of Doubt, also require players to think independently by providing numerous possible answers or requiring intentional choices during investigations.

• Contradiction-style games can be tedious if players resort to trying every piece of evidence on every statement until they uncover lies.

The transcript does not provide further sections beyond this point.

What Makes a Good Detective Game?

In this video, the speaker explores the elements that make a good detective game. They discuss how these games assist players in their investigations, ramp up in complexity over time, provide multiple avenues to reach the right answer, give small victories through step-by-step confirmations, offer useful tools and hints, and present different approaches to detective gameplay. The speaker concludes by emphasizing the importance of critical thinking and avoiding guesswork or brute force.

Elements of a Good Detective Game

• The questions posed by the game are straightforward and specific.

• The games ramp up in complexity over time.

• Multiple avenues are provided to reach the right answer.

• Useful tools such as notepads, pinboard systems, tagging footage, and bookmarking sites enhance investigations.

• Step-by-step confirmations give players small victories.

• Useful hints guide players when needed.

Examples of Unique Detective Games

Overboard

• Reverse detective game where players play as a murderer trying to falsify evidence and construct an alibi.

Silicon Dreams

• Cyberpunk interrogation game where emotional responses of androids are assessed instead of looking for contradictions.

Among Us

• Multiplayer detective game where players have to figure out who is telling the truth among them.

Conclusion

A good detective game provides clues and information to prompt critical thinking without leading or allowing guessing or brute force. There are various ways to achieve this goal, and the genre continues to evolve.