DeTechtive 2112 Review
Twin-stick shooter DeTechtive 2112 isn’t a detective game; it’s a mess.
DeTechtive 2112. Credit: M11 Studio, 5Deniz, indie.io
DeTechtive 2112 is a noir cyberpunk action game from M11 Studio and 5Deniz, published by indie.io. In truth, it’s an action-stealth hybrid. While the game looks gorgeous, I had a frustrating experience in the short time I’ve spent with it so far, leading me to abandon it.
From the developer:
A lone detective sits in his office, one of millions of common men and women living in crumbling cities of neon, steel, and concrete. High above, the rich live in splendor, free of torrential rains or the danger of cyber thugs ripping you apart as you cross the street. The detective is not yet aware that he's about to take on a case that will change his life - and make him wonder whether some things are better left buried.
DeTechtive 2112. Credit: M11 Studio, 5Deniz, indie.io
The game is an isometric twin-stick shooter with an emphasis on stealth. In addition to running, sneaking, and shooting, you have access to items such as grenades. You can also carry bodies and hide them so other enemies don’t spot them. You can sneak through levels or shoot your way through. In my experience with the tutorial and the following first level, taking the guns-blazing route wasn’t practical.
The guns you can afford at the beginning of the game barely put a dent in enemies, and if anyone sees you or hears you, every NPC will make a beeline to your location to murder you. Once they saw me, I couldn’t find a way to get enemies to exit their alert state. I used stealth to get to the first objective in the level, a computer to access an elevator; when I got there, I was spotted and killed. I restarted from the last checkpoint, which was that room. The problem was that enemies were already right next to my spawn point, and I was immediately spotted. Of course, every enemy ran for my location, and I was quickly overwhelmed. It was simply not fun.
The game’s dialogue is not good. It’s stilted and often sounds like it was machine-translated. The developers made the odd choice of only having voice acting for the protagonist, which was offputting when conversations are meant to be two-sided. They would have made much better use of that budget by hiring a professional translator or writer.
Where the game shines is in its art. The environments are vividly realized, with glowing lights and a wealth of detail. DeTechtive 2112 is very pretty to look at. Unfortunately, it was not enough to push me to continue playing the game. Without a compelling story or fun gameplay, the art is meaningless. I soon stopped admiring it because I was struggling not to throw my controller through my screen.
DeTechtive 2112. Credit: M11 Studio, 5Deniz, indie.io
I can’t recommend DeTechtive 2112. It was a struggle to play and quickly became completely unenjoyable. It needs drastic game design, enemy AI, and balance changes. This would be a winner if the gameplay were as polished and well-designed as the neon-tinged visuals. Alas, that’s not what we have here.
DeTechtive 2112 is available now on Steam.
Overall Score: 2/10
Played on: Steam Deck
