Color us disappointed. Touch Detective looks so fascinating, from the unusual art style to the story to the eyebrow-raisingly strange sidekick Funghi. We were looking forward to it, and still are ... just with less fervor. It's interesting to note that while the game is often compared in reviews to Trace Memory (and, of course, our beloved Phoenix Wright), due to the gameplay and style, the way reviewers refer to Trace Memory is quite varied (it's terrible! it's great! it's so-so!), so it's probably not surprising that some love Touch Detective and others think the developers should probably be beaten. Most of the reviews have one thing in common, however -- the gameplay aspect of Touch Detective, well, it isn't so good.GameSpy - 40%: Touch Detective may have the weirdest, driest sense of humor I've ever encountered in a game. It's rarely if ever laugh-out-loud funny, but it did make me smile a bunch, particularly when reading Mackenzie's secret thoughts on the top screen. The localized script is very capably written. Despite all this, the storylines are just not very intriguing. Worse, the game isn't very engaging to play. The puzzles are a weird combination of simple yet obtuse; there's generally not a lot of items you can get at any one time, yet the way you use them is often weird enough that the solution's not very obvious. Sometimes I'd seem to run out of options, which led to much frustrated back-tracking through the game's decidedly small number of environments. The problem often turned out to be that I simply hadn't clicked in the right place on a certain screen; for example, in a store, it transpired that only one of the items was purchasable, and it took me several trips there (and a lucky tap) to figure out I could get the item I knew I wanted. That's the epitome of very annoying game design.
GameZone - 75%: The sound is pretty low-key, with the score sounding like something out of an equally quirky Super Nintendo game. Touch Detective is a creative game with a great look and a certain quirk about it that gives it a lot of character and appeal. The slow-paced gameplay may not be for everyone, but anyone looking for a good story with a unique feel should give it a look.
Games Radar - 50%: But like many adventure games, Touch Detective has moments where you'll get completely stuck. This is where the game's absurd humor actually hurts - some of the things Mackenzie needs to do to proceed are completely off the wall and not obvious in the slightest. It's extremely frustrating to learn that a solution to a puzzle is something you never would have thought of and that the game never even hinted at. ... Touch Detective is very brief, lasting only 4 cases (with short, optional bonus quests in-between). Once you're done, there's no reason to go back, unless you're completely obsessed with filling out the log of things Mackenzie's touched. But there's not really a very good reason to go through the game in the first place, either.
Definitely one of the more unusual review sets we've seen. The story is great! ... except it works to limit the gameplay. The game is funny and well-written! ... but not engaging. All in all, sounds like a rental or something you pick up super cheap a few months down the road. Phoenix Wright, where are you?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-24-2006 @ 5:54PM
tom said...
i'm dissapointed, i wanted this to be good cos i really love that little mushroom guy. he's so cute!
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10-24-2006 @ 6:07PM
Duscrom said...
tsk tsk tsk, develper should have concentrated more on gameplay then prtty graphics.
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10-24-2006 @ 8:26PM
Josh said...
I'm put off by the half-gothic look of the game, but when it comes to gameplay, I was never excited about it. It always seemed to be like Phoenix Wright, but without the court half of the game, and without that half, then what good is the detective half?
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10-25-2006 @ 12:53AM
20XX said...
That's so sad! I guess if adventure games are going to come back, then not-very-good adventure games are too. I almost can't remember when the PC market was flooded with point-and-click adventure games. It seems so... unlikely!
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10-26-2006 @ 11:51AM
Phil said...
I picked this up yesterday, along with Magical Starsign and my imported copy of Gyakuten Saiban 2. I have to say it's probably my least favorite of the three.
The story is actually really interesting, if a bit twisted. I'd love to know why everyone in town looks like a zombie. The puzzles can be a bit obtuse but thus far they're not TERRIBLY difficult (halfway through the second case).
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice For All (aka Gyakuten Saiban 2) was probably the best purchase of the day. The English translation has the same brand of humor as the first PW:AA, leading me to believe that once again Capcom is just delaying the game for three months for no real obvious reason other than the one typo I found in case one ('starting' instead of 'staring'). I could be wrong, however, once I get into cases three and four.
Magical Starsign: easily tied with PW:AA as an engrossing, if a bit linear and kind of simple, role-playing game. The graphics are nice, and I do like the mechanics of the spellcasting - it's simple rock-paper-scissors when it comes to the elements, but there's an element that reminds me of Super Mario RPG almost, of timing a tap so as to make your spells stronger. The characterization is interesting, too, and I'd like to try out the Amigo (tag) Mode, but I don't know anyone in this region with the game.
Anyway, I realize I rambled a bit more than I meant to, but the point is: Touch Detective is not an absolutely horrid game by any means, but it's far outshined by other games on the DS - not the least of which is the Phoenix Wright series.
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10-26-2006 @ 3:16PM
Md said...
Disappointing. I was really had hopes for this one.
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