Rest assured that Shadows of Doubt is getting closer

Written by Jack Allin — April 15, 2022 at 10:18

Most detective adventures have players following a proverbial trail of breadcrumbs to track down the culprit. Not so in ColePowered Games' upcoming Shadows of Doubt, an open-world stealth mystery in which you'll have "a whole city of secrets at your fingertips."

The game takes place in an "alternate reality hyper-industrialized 1980s, where the government outsources police work to private corporations and contractors." You are one such "private intelligence investigator" who makes a living off finding and selling information. Your latest challenge is to help capture a prolific serial killer for the "hefty bounty" offered as a reward, but "who knows what secrets you'll find along the way. In this world of secrets and lies, information is power, and the cards you hold are determined by how far you'll go to acquire it." Just remember to "keep a low profile" if you don't want to get caught.

Presented in free-roaming, first-person 3D, Shadows of Doubt puts players in the middle of an "incredibly detailed sci-fi/noir world." A blend of procedural generation with scripted elements ensures that "every room of every building" can be explored, allowing you to "break into apartments, rifle through secret documents and hack security systems." But the world doesn't stand still around you while you invade other people's privacy. Here each person has their own "apartment, a job, a daily routine, favorite things to do, places to go, and people to interact with." Learning their habits as they go about their business completely independently of you could come in very handy as you "dig into the lives of hundreds of simulated citizens to earn extra cash."

The gameplay promises to be as open-ended as the setting, as "how you achieve your objective is up to you." You can "choose where to go and who to pursue," making each player's experience feel totally unique. Along the way you'll engage in "lock-picking, hacking, sneaking, [and] climbing," and the more you do them, the more you'll "level up your skills and become a master of stealth." As you earn money, you can save enough to "upgrade your own apartment and home office, or even purchase a new one." But remember: there's a killer out there, and "it could be anyone, hiding anywhere..."

There is currently no target release date for this game, but Shadows of Doubt will be launched on Steam for Windows PC upon completion. In the meantime, you can follow its progress through the official website.