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Track down a serial killer in ancient China as Detective Di on May 1st
Hi adventure gamers!
After 4 years in development, we are super excited to announce that Detective Di: The Silk Rose Murders will launch on May 1st, 2019!
Synopsis:
Amid lingering political turmoil, the first and only female empress of China, Wu Zetian rises to power. Within months of her ascension to the throne, murmurs of discontentment and revolution swell as detractors and enemies begin plotting against her. It is against this backdrop that our protagonist, newly appointed investigating magistrate Di Renjie, must solve a gruesome series of murders–which will lead him on a collision course with the Imperial Court and the empress herself.
Will our young detective overcome his own inner demons and his allegiance to the previous emperor? What is the connection between the murder victims and the capital’s many political secrets? YOU must uncover the truth…
Here’s the brand new launch trailer:
We’d love to get feedback from loyal adventure fans like yourselves. Let us know what you think of the trailer and if the game’s setting is appealing to you.
And if you enjoy the trailer and like the idea of playing a legendary Chinese detective on his first big case, please be sure to drop by our Steam page and wishlist the game!
Looking forward to your comments!
Been following this for a while. Best of luck! You and Guard Duty are launching a bit close to each other, I encourage everyone to give both games their attention, they look cool in very different ways
Thanks for the encouragement!
At this point I think the main thing that worries us is that few people want to try out a game with such a different setting. Hopefully we can buck the trend!
I think on the contrary, that’s a great point to your advantage, and one of the reasons I’ll be picking it up. You’ll be fine!
Oh, the setting looks definitely attractive to me! It’s refreshing and promises to be aesthetically pleasing, besides I look forward to learning a few things about 7th century China. It’s on my list of games-to-get-in-2019 (and it’s not that long a list).
I backed Detective Di on Kickstarter, so I’m looking forward to playing it.
Carpe chocolate.
I backed Detective Di on Kickstarter years ago, though I have absolutely no recollection of what prompted me to do it—but I’m glad I did, because I enjoyed the game!
The game is a point-n-click murder mystery set in 8th-century-AD Imperial China. After so many historical games rehashing the same periods (ancient Egypt, medieval Europe, Victorian London, etc.), I really enjoyed going somewhere different, and I ended up spending quite a bit of time on Wikipedia reading up on the period and the various historical figures portrayed in the game.
The story, which cleverly weaves murder investigations and political machinations during the ascent of China’s first and only empress regnant, was interesting and exciting. While the game is short (4 hours), it’s not rushed or unfinished, and tells a strong story with a proper narrative arc, a few memorable characters, and a satisfying conclusion.
Apart from a few inventory puzzles here and there (including rescuing some old lady’s cat), the gameplay is mostly investigative, as you gather clues and question witnesses while investigating several murders. Once the game decides you’ve figured out the case, you get to summarize the facts and answer a handful of very basic multiple-choice questions to check that you didn’t completely sleep through the whole thing. It’s pretty enjoyable, although I wish the game had placed more focus on making deductions. As it is, it felt like I (the player) investigated the murders, but the character solved them for me.
I can’t really think of any major negatives. I guess the pixel art feels very basic (it’s certainly no King’s Quest V), but, whatever—it’s serviceable. I wish the game had been longer, but, once again, it doesn’t feel unfinished—just good enough that I’d have enjoyed more. The ending leaves room for more stories with this character, and I’d definitely be interested in playing those.
3.5/5
I also really enjoyed the game for all the reasons above. I loved the time period and detective aspect and love the fact we got to explore a new location and time period. The writing is good and the detective a really interesting protagonist. I can wholeheartedly recommend this game to anyone and in particular to anyone who likes detective and historical games.
*Shameless self promotion*
If you want to know more about that time period and the making of the game as well as the inspirations behind the game then you can check out my interview with the developer for the Adventure Game Podcast below:
I liked the game very much too. I thought it was nicely put together & had a lot of charm.
The only downside for me was, apart from some thoughtful puzzles, I found the game very un-challenging.
It’s still got a long ways to go, but I’m glad the reception has been so positive so far!
OMG, Detective Di got a 4.5/5!
Review: https://adventuregamers.com/articles/view/37677
So happy right now ;-)
Congratulations! Very well deserved!
I liked it. It made me think of what Lamplight City would have been like had it been a lot better and set in ancient China.
Detective Di is 15% off during the Steam Summer Sale!
Link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/792040/Detective_Di_The_Silk_Rose_Murders/
Oh, looks like I missed the sale by just a few days but to be honest, despite its rather short length, the game was worth every single cent I paid for it. I found it well written, with an enthralling story and a ravishing atmosphere, sprinkled with fun puzzles that were never repetitive nor dull and - and that’s perhaps one the hardest things to get right in a game or story in general - a satisfying conclusion. Again, the originality of the setting did a lot for it, but that alone would not have been enough. Graphics and animation were lovely too, I was a bit sceptical at first of how well (almost) faceless characters would work but it did not ruin the immersion at all, and I particularly appreciated the colour palettes and use of patterns and decorative elements. I don’t know if there are any plans for it, but I’m looking forward to seeing Di on further adventures
Oh, looks like I missed the sale by just a few days but to be honest, despite its rather short length, the game was worth every single cent I paid for it. I found it well written, with an enthralling story and a ravishing atmosphere, sprinkled with fun puzzles that were never repetitive nor dull and - and that’s perhaps one the hardest things to get right in a game or story in general - a satisfying conclusion. Again, the originality of the setting did a lot for it, but that alone would not have been enough. Graphics and animation were lovely too, I was a bit sceptical at first of how well (almost) faceless characters would work but it did not ruin the immersion at all, and I particularly appreciated the colour palettes and use of patterns and decorative elements. I don’t know if there are any plans for it, but I’m looking forward to seeing Di on further adventures
Really happy to hear you enjoyed it! We’ve heard a lot of players talking about their hope for a sequel, which has been very encouraging ;-)
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