2 
0 Detective Dotson marks the Steam debut for India’s Masala Games. Taking place against the vibrant backdrop of Holi, we join Dotson, an aspiring actor turned detective, tasked with solving the riddle of his father’s disappearance. Will he crack the case, catch the bad guys, and live his Bollywood dream?
Much Urdu About Nothing
Masala Games has called Detective Dotson – India’s first ever adventure game. So, let’s jump straight into this colourful crime caper!
Gameplay
This being Masala Games’ first foray into the genre, mechanics are kept simple. As Dotson, you traverse the game world like any 2D platform game, running, jumping, and chatting to characters to further the quest. Underneath this veneer lives a modest collection of mini-games that help you accrue in-game cash. You’ll find yourself breaking into impromptu dance-offs, picking up litter, and hunting down hidden objects to earn extra money.
This gets quickly spent on the items required to get the inhabitants of Dotson’s world to impart their knowledge, provide clues, and generally point you in the right direction. These clues are imperative as they get added to the in-game corkboard, where you build a timeline of events to help find the culprit of that particular crime.
But it’s not just cash that loosens the lips; a barter system will have you hunting down a plant for the lady, so that she can give you a cricket bat for the chap by the well, and so on. Various shops throughout the world also sell items of importance, and in keeping with the cultural setting, you are encouraged to haggle down the price to secure the best deal.
It’s also worth mentioning the underused disguises required to enter certain areas or grant Dotson new abilities. You can dress Dotson up in a myriad of outfits that both impress and amuse. Like I said, it’s a shame not more use is found for them in the game. When they crop up, they are an undeniable highlight.
Graphics & Audio
Masala Games has opted for a pseudo-2D world inspired by the graphical stylings of Octopath Traveler and Live-A-Live, albeit on a considerably tighter budget. The pixel art appearance alongside the primary colour hues creates a vibrant and original setting that simply oozes with life. While the entire game is probably no more than ten screens in length, each area has its distinct atmosphere. Transitioning from the Hindi temples to the busy throes of the city is a surprisingly seamless experience.
While framerates and scrolling are buttery smooth, poor Dotson would, on occasion, find himself stuck in the scenery. Or even worse, encounter broken UI elements that would make some of the puzzles impossible to finish. All resolved with a relaunch, but beware, Detective Dotson is not without a glitch or two.
For the most part, the audio shines, capturing the vibrant buzz of city life, and pairs nicely with the Bollywood-inspired soundtrack. That said, the voice acting unfortunately doesn’t quite hit the mark. Some performances feel stiff, and the audio quality isn’t the best, which can take you out of the moment. Either some extra polish or an option to turn them off would have been beneficial in the long run.
Longevity
Remarkably, Masala Games has crammed so much into a limited play area that you are never short of things to see and do. While the main quest can be completed in under four hours, the mini-games and NPCs will keep you entertained if you wish to delve deeper. In fact, on completion, you are thrown back into the world where all the remaining fetch quests can be completed. That is if you are willing.
The game also ends on a cliff-hanger. Which seems to leave it clear that the developers will have us returning soon with new crimes to solve.
Final Thoughts
As a game proudly rooted in Indian culture, Detective Dotson gets credit for embracing its heritage rather than hiding it. It gets it mostly right. Though a few minor missteps on the journey leave the game feeling a little rough around the edges.
If you are a fan of LucasArts games like Monkey Island or Sam and Max, you will probably enjoy solving the puzzles and tracking down clues. However, unlike those games, the route to the end is logical and less esoteric. It’s true, nothing here will make you jump out of your seat or fall off your chair. That being said there is a sense of something potentially much bigger in the future. And I look forward to playing more of Dotson’s adventures and seeing where the story takes him next.
So, for his hard work and effort in the field of crime fighting, I give Detective Dotson the Thumb Culture Silver Award
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
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