A Case of Distrust is a very interesting and noir-ish mystery visual novel. It got a good and solid story set in the mid-1920s during the Prohibition era in the US, San Fransisco to be specific, and the visuals of the game are minimalistic yet unique.
As with most interactive stories or visual novels, the writing is the key and so is the case with this game as well. One thing I did dislike with the game was that it was sometimes hard to find out which objects were clickable or not in the background scenes. Other than that there is no issues finding clues, which in turns leads to new clues as the flow of the game is good and it's, in my opinion, hard to get stuck.
When it comes to the writing, there was one part I especially enjoyed; during your taxi rides between places there is commentary on "current" political and cultural events of the 1920s. It's a nice touch and definitely makes the game more immersive, you can tell that the creator of the game did his homework and really studied his history; both for the US and for San Fransisco.
I recommend this to everyone who enjoys a good mystery as it's a quite short but enjoyable game!
As with most interactive stories or visual novels, the writing is the key and so is the case with this game as well. One thing I did dislike with the game was that it was sometimes hard to find out which objects were clickable or not in the background scenes. Other than that there is no issues finding clues, which in turns leads to new clues as the flow of the game is good and it's, in my opinion, hard to get stuck.
When it comes to the writing, there was one part I especially enjoyed; during your taxi rides between places there is commentary on "current" political and cultural events of the 1920s. It's a nice touch and definitely makes the game more immersive, you can tell that the creator of the game did his homework and really studied his history; both for the US and for San Fransisco.
I recommend this to everyone who enjoys a good mystery as it's a quite short but enjoyable game!
dig the style, but frustrated by the slowness of the ux, like how slow my cursor moves, how slow it is to open up the notebook and sift through everything, and basically everything
i think the coating of molasses on the ux kind of works against the game design of digging through all the evidence and trying to find exactly the right thing to say
eventually i got so frustrated by that (and, admittedly, my own stupidity, which just amplified the issue) and used a walkthrough
i don't mind feeling stupid but i don't like when i feel punished for being stupid, and unfortunately the aforementioned slowness gave me that feeling, despite the text of the game never admonishing me
i think the coating of molasses on the ux kind of works against the game design of digging through all the evidence and trying to find exactly the right thing to say
eventually i got so frustrated by that (and, admittedly, my own stupidity, which just amplified the issue) and used a walkthrough
i don't mind feeling stupid but i don't like when i feel punished for being stupid, and unfortunately the aforementioned slowness gave me that feeling, despite the text of the game never admonishing me
Very stylistic game set in the 1920s. You're a PI detective on your first real case. Point and click game with a focus on questioning suspects; like a 2D LA Noire.
I like the Saul Bass art direction and the animations were well done. The artists did a great job showing emotion in a silhouette form. I wish we got some kind of music from the era.
The story went further than I anticipated, which is welcomed. But it didn't feel memorable.
I like the Saul Bass art direction and the animations were well done. The artists did a great job showing emotion in a silhouette form. I wish we got some kind of music from the era.
The story went further than I anticipated, which is welcomed. But it didn't feel memorable.
It’s okay, plots nothing to write home about. The bartender cut me off >:(
A decent little bite sized title that could have used a lot more to it. I like the minimalistic art style a lot. It works for this game, this genre, because the lack of facial features make it more difficult to get a read on the characters. The music is also pretty damn good. The mystery and asking questions do require a little bit of thought to get some progression.
The game is waaaaaaaaaaaay too short. It's just this one case that won't take longer than 3-4 hours and then it's just over. So it's hard to really get too invested into such a small scale story.
I'd like to see this get expanded into something bigger someday. But as it is, it's a perfectly fine small scale game that you'll enjoy fine enough.
The game is waaaaaaaaaaaay too short. It's just this one case that won't take longer than 3-4 hours and then it's just over. So it's hard to really get too invested into such a small scale story.
I'd like to see this get expanded into something bigger someday. But as it is, it's a perfectly fine small scale game that you'll enjoy fine enough.
I remember picking up this game after seeing it in a GMTK video. Great visual style and kept me hooked for long enough to see the game through. Honestly most of these points are for the visual style alone because I don't remember much else. It was fun to explore, though.
Fun and super cool art, with the only real main weakness is that you'll get stuck at some point and bar you "cheating" with online guides, it'll just drain you of some enjoyment for the video game.
I don’t think this game is bad, despite how I wrote about it. It’s decent! The aesthetics are great! The prose is good! I just struggle because it looks pretty, and for what? I feel like there should be more to this, that this is a diamond in the rough that with a little shine, will become more than what it is. But, well… it just is. It is itself, and I find it wanting.
If you want a quick jaunt through 1920’s San Francisco, then you might like this game. But if you want a deeper and enjoyable mystery, other games might serve you better. It’s a decent game, but I just can’t remove the feeling of disappointment right now.
(full review https://doorplays.substack.com/p/door-reviews-a-case-of-distrust-2018)
If you want a quick jaunt through 1920’s San Francisco, then you might like this game. But if you want a deeper and enjoyable mystery, other games might serve you better. It’s a decent game, but I just can’t remove the feeling of disappointment right now.
(full review https://doorplays.substack.com/p/door-reviews-a-case-of-distrust-2018)