Detective Girl of the Steam City

It seems that the game is afoot, mystery and intrigue are around every corner and it all seems to be happening on the streets of London. You would be forgiven for thinking that we were referring to a Sherlock Holmes adventure but instead, we are dropping into steampunk London to meet Sophie. She has the enviable task of finding clues, solving mysteries and not being afraid to get down and dirty to get to bottom of things. You may be asking, does Detective of the Steam City live up to it’s potential. Well, that my friends, is elementary.

This game plays like top-down RPGs such as The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past, Final Fantasy or Chrono Trigger to name a few. However because this game comes from the mind of Clymenia, this game will also bear some resemblance to other games from this developer such as Salvation or Civilian Justice League.

Pointless and Shallow

The gameplay on a base level works fine and serves as a driver for the overall plot. However, you can’t help but play through this game and wonder why the developer didn’t cash in on some very good concepts and ideas. One aspect that exemplifies this is the quest skill checks. Some of the best RPGs out there use skill checks effectively such as Divinity, Fallout or The Elder Scrolls, so this would have gone a long way to making this game feel authentic. Sadly though, these skill checks only present themselves in side quests and rarely amount to anything other than a different line of dialogue with no effect on the consequences of the interaction.

This is further exemplified with night vision goggles that barely changed your perception and could easily have been left out. Plus the combat is dreadfully basic with only two real approaches a player can take to down their enemy, attack and heal. It’s these sections that slow the pace of the game to a halt and it’s a real shame.

London Calling

Next up is the graphics and we have to say, these are truly inspired and a lot of work has clearly gone into the game’s presentation. The London setting has been replicated in a steampunk fashion and it’s unlike anything we have ever seen before. You get the industrial vibe of the environment through every area that is shown to the player throughout the run and every character is dressed and designed to represent the time period accurately.

Then with regards to the sound quality, this is also a really strong aspect of the title. There are a variety of tracks that fit the setting and often fit the themes conveyed in the storyline too. Most of the tunes are a mash of electronic music and smooth jazz which sounds ludicrous but really works in action. The only criticism is that the music often doesn’t ramp up for more intense moments, conversations or sexual encounters but aside from that, this is a great soundtrack.

The sexual encounters are a real high point for the title as well. While some games of this nature like to skimp on the adult content in favour of appealing to conventional publishers, this game stays true to itself.

The scenes look fantastic with a change from the pixel perspective to a more anime, hand-drawn character portrait style. Not only do these scenes look appealing though, but there is also a real sense that the developers worked hard to make these scenes mature and make sense in the narrative which is really appreciated.

Hot and Steampunk

Detective Girl of the Steampunk City has all the parts to create a truly unique and powerful steampunk universe. In terms of world-building, visual aspects, sound quality and character design, the game absolutely nails this. The sad fact remains though, that this is still a game and the gameplay simply isn’t fun for the most part.

Pros

• The sound and visual quality is very high
• Sexual encounters are mature and tastefully handled.
• The narrative is very strong throughout

Cons

• The combat for this game is laughably basic
• The gameplay has too many useless, arbitrary inclusions