December 2023 report

I had some bold plans for December… didn’t exactly work out. ^^ Even though my progress with the Steam games slowed down we started working on our Visual novel backlog and we are quite enjoying it. So the fight still continues! :)

(Caught up with the reports! Yay me. :D)

Enough of small talks and now to the actual assassinations! Good luck in the new month and enjoy your games!

7.9 hours

10/10

4/5

Detective Di: The Silk Rose Murders tells a story about Di Renjie a newly appointed investigating magistrate on a trail of horrid serial killer. He has to stay open-minded and vigilant because the mysterious clues left behind by the killer are leading him down a path from which there may not be a return!

I am not familiar with the character of Di Renjie, but apparently, he is a true historical figure from Ancient China. But no previous knowledge of his endeavors is required for full enjoyment of the story. He is a brilliant detective who uses his sharp mind, observation skills and deduction to resolve the crimes. He is also very righteous, lawful and would do anything to uncover the truth. Even if it would cost him his position… or life.
The story is pretty interesting and well-written. Through it, we also learn about Ancient China although only briefly. Detective Di is a sympathetic character and playing as him is enjoyable. Most of the other appearing characters have only minor roles and are mostly tied to a specific case.

The pixel graphics are nice and some of the scenes are beautiful (like sunset in the throne room). The screens are mostly static - there is no idle movement of characters. The music is oriental and suits the game perfectly. But in some moments, mostly during conversations, there was just silence and I found that rather disturbing to say the truth. There is no voice-acting and there are no accompanying sounds during the text unfolding so you need to pay good attention to the text. And as with any good detective game, there is a lot to read!
Other than searching for clues at the crime scenes Detective Di needs to interrogate suspects and witnesses, so be prepared to uncover their darkest secrets. There are also puzzles to be solved, usually one for each case. As you aren't given precise instructions they become pretty challenging, but they are also quite logical and I have enjoyed solving them.

Detective Di is a very nice detective game from Ancient China times. The story is clever, dark, mysterious and even though you can see where it is leading, it remains captivating till the end. Wouldn't mind playing more games about Di Renjie.

Mystery of Unicorn Castle: The Beastmaster

4/5

12.2 hours

no achievements

Very good hidden object game with a male detective as a protagonist - quite unusual! The story isn't anyhow groundbreaking, but still enjoyable. A young girl went missing and her trail leads to an abandoned castle where overgrown rats serving an evil wizard have their nest. The wizard wants to absorb her life energy to become immortal and the only way to stop his evil plans is to free the magical Unicorn from his stony prison! As we search for the missing girl on the castle grounds we get to learn more about its history - especially about the gruesome end that met the previous owners. Their ghosts are still bound to this place unable to leave so they ask for our help and in return they will provide us with the necessary means to save the poor Sophie!

The visuals are very pretty with a lot of additional effects, like when there is a fire in the castle you can see it even from far away, which is a nice touch! Also, hidden object scenes often have living items, flickering lights or moving shadows, which makes them more lively. The scenes get repeated two or three times, but never in close succession so it doesn't become boring. The puzzles are nicely varied and of good quality! Few of them are truly challenging, but still solvable (on the highest difficulty they can't be skipped). At your disposal is a journal, where everything important gets noted down and through it, you can even replay cutscenes! You can also freely use a map where you can see active tasks even on the highest difficulty (not sure if you can fast-travel through it, as I always went on my own). As the area is quite big and there is a lot of backtracking it's advisable to consult the map - it will save you from wandering around and searching for what to do.
Through the game, you will have to make karmic choices that will influence your character and the ultimate ending of the story! After completing the game you can play a bonus story that serves as a prequel.

There are in-game achievements and to get them all at least two playthroughs are required. The game isn't long and has a good pace, you can also choose from four difficulty levels. My playtime is equal to three whole playthroughs (yeah my fault, my partner did say to play it on the highest difficulty right away ^^'). We have enjoyed it very much and can easily recommend it to all lovers of HOGs!