A Ghostly Investigation with a Feline Sidekick
Solving a crime is a tricky affair. First, you need to examine the scene and work out how the act was done. Is there any evidence of a suspect or a murder weapon located nearby? From there you are best to narrow down your list of suspects, examining each person’s motives and what they could possibly gain from the crime. Only then, when you have the evidence and can point to the right person, will it be solved.
But imagine waking up from the dead and not remembering how you got to be that way. That is the premise of Detective From The Crypt. The best thing though? You have a little cat sidekick.
Waking Up Undead
There is a good story at the heart of this point-and-click adventure; one that will draw you in and immerse.
You play Jane Darkday, a ghost who comes out of her crypt on the day of her burial. She has no idea if she has become undead, but does know that she can only finally rest when she works out what did her in. She can see her parents buried beside her but nothing else. With the faintest of clues, she ventures out to work out what has happened.
She soon releases the spirit of a cat named Pulkheria, who becomes a sort of ghostly hint guide throughout the game.
A Ghostly Quest for Answers
As you progress through the mansion you meet other ghosts who might get involved in your story or put you out on some fetch quests. The ultimate goal of this story is for you to make a hypothesis as to who might have put you in the ghostly way. It’s an interesting premise and I liked the characters I met along the way. The narrative itself is pretty good too, full of solid writing.
Point, Click, and Ponder
The gameplay puts you in a 2D world and at first the interface and controls take a while to get used to. You can move Jane around, utilising screen hotspot areas which are marked so you know which one can be interacted with. Using the cat is good too, as certain items from your inventory can be put on her and she will provide further clues as to how they are used, or open up secrets in regards the area that you are currently in.
As you progress through the Detective From The Crypt some of the gameplay loops do get a bit repetitive and there seems to be a huge reliance on fetch quests for the ghosts you meet. The puzzles can be interesting though, and I have liked trying to work out how to solve them.
The detective elements of the gameplay are intriguing as well, with some materials that you collect before examining them under a microscope. There are the occasional minigames to partake in too. The thing is, these can sometimes feel a little clunky.
One big deal is the pace of Detective From The Crypt. There’s a real problem in that everything feels far too slow to take in. But I guess being a ghost, you won’t be in a hurry.
A Spectral Style
As a small-budget game, Detective From The Crypt has a great visual aesthetic. Its character and environmental designs are impressive with a great mixture of interior and exterior locations. I liked the colours used and the ethereal nature of the ghosts. That said, I didn’t like the UI layout as much and found it a bit more annoying than useful.
There is no voice acting either, which is a bit of a shame but understandable with the level of budget for the game. What is there in terms of audio is just about okay, with things accompanied by a pretty generic soundtrack.
A Ghostly Detective Tale with a Slow Pace
Detective From The Crypt is a reasonable game at a cheap price. The story and characters are good and, for a point-and-click adventure, it delivers a decent mix of puzzles, side quests, and detective work. However, the control system, UI, and the pace of the game does let it all down a tad, so much so that you may become frustrated.
Visually it’s fine and as Detective From The Crypt is a fairly short game at just a few hours long, you should well be tempted into the world of this ghost detective and helpful cat.
Important Links
Investigate A Family Murder in Detective From The Crypt on Xbox, PlayStation and Switch – https://www.thexboxhub.com/investigate-a-family-murder-in-detective-from-the-crypt-on-xbox-playstation-and-switch/
Buy Detective From The Crypt on Xbox, Optimised for Series Consoles – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/detective-from-the-crypt-xbox-series-x-s/9nb385h3ssnh
Buy the Xbox One version – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/detective-from-the-crypt/9nkthxtk706r
