Until Telltale Games embraced the episodic storytelling in games, the staggered released of content was very much a rarity in games. Much like television shows, episodic games provide enough space between each episode to have the community discuss their thoughts, feelings and reasons behind what they chose to do in their game. This of course depends on the themes, topics and storytelling throughout the series and Rival Games’ new release The Detail looks to attract similar discussions about their new noir crime-drama, which has recently been Greenlit on Steam.
Having limited knowledge on TV shows, The Detail seems to draw inspiration from murder drama CSI and crime drama The Wire and fuses these together to create an interesting story which all stems from the murder of a gang lord. As what happens in the story is so integral to the overall experience, I will avoid spoilers and instead focus on the gameplay mechanics and how well the story is told.
The Detail can be played exactly like a point and click game, meaning that anyone can get used to the controls. The game begins by introducing two of the smaller roles in the games in the form of two cops, Katelyn and Scott, who are chasing down a known child molester. This situation explains itself very well and allows the player to see exactly what needs to be done. While there are no time restraints to completing a task, situations which you find yourself in throughout the episode force you to think quickly and have you frantically clicking the mouse. Different situations offer different options for you to choose which can greatly alter the outcome, meaning that some games will have varying outcomes. As well as explaining itself very well, the game’s presentation will hit home with comic book fans.
While the art style in The Detail is reminiscent of a comic, the way in which you take in the story is very similar, too. The game has no voice actors and instead relies on the player reading the text that is put in front of them. Even though some may dislike the lack of voice narration, the writing in the game provides solid context and a great insight to the overall story. As much as the storytelling is very accomplished, the art style is exquisite in places. When investigating the crime scene of the gang lord, you are aware that the media and public are also keen to see what the situation is and you see the eccentric ‘KLIK’ from the paparazzi. One of the finer touches of this style comes subtly as cars that drive above the crime scene, a faint ‘VROOM’ follows in their tracks and these are effective uses of onomatopoeia.
In place of voice narration, The Detail features a brilliant musical score. The slow and harrowing tones set the mood perfectly when you’re questioning a suspect or investigating a crime scene and switch up the pace when in the middle of a frantic situation. While we have seen The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us being brought to life by the use of voice actors, The Detail creates its own style by focusing on the music rather than the voice actor, allowing you to play the game at your own pace.
Much like every TV show or episodic game, the debut episode allows you to get to know the characters and what their personality’s traits are. The main character Reggie is a homicide detective and seems to have had a difficult time in the force recently having cost the department a lot of money. Reggie’s short fuse seems to work in his favour, more often than not and it seems as though that there is more to this character than what you learn in the opening episode. Reggie’s partner Tyrone provides great experience from his time in the police force and seems to be on the same wavelength as the main character. Even though The Detail does allow you to become attached to characters to a certain extent, you don’t see enough of them to force an emotional attachment to them.
At times it feels as though you’re one character, then you’re him and then you’re her. The game feels as though it’s trying to do too much quite often and this can make some events in the opening episode feel numb, but there are some heartfelt moments in The Detail‘s debut. Moving forward I’m sure that as you get to know the characters more, the story will open up and the player will feel more emotionally attached to some of the characters in the game.
Establishing an opinion on the opening episode of a television show is always hard to do. While it is slightly easier to do with a game because of gameplay mechanics and the overall design, it is hard to tell where The Detail will go from here. The opening episode does provide some insights into the key characters and the roles they will play, but it does feel as though you’re changing characters all too often, especially with the amount of time it takes to complete the episode. The first episode is a solid experience and is something which I’d recommend for fans of crime and murder dramas. With some twists and turns, the future looks promising for The Detail.
The Detail is available now on Steam for £4.79.