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The Darkside Detective

PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, iOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Android, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Linux • 2017

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Quick resume

Grab your trench coat, tune your sixth sense and join the Darkside Division as they investigate the outright bizarre, the downright dangerous and the confusing cases of Twin Lakes. Flesh-hungry tentacles, mafian zombies, and the occasional missing sock are no match for The Darkside Detective.

Global score

94/100

Genres

Adventure, Casual, Indie, Point-and-click, Puzzle

Similar games

    Pros

    • Humorous and witty writing
    • Engaging episodic cases
    • Accessible point and click gameplay
    • Charming pixel art style
    • Memorable character duo

    Cons

    • Short overall length
    • Minimal challenge for veteran players
    • Limited character expression
    • Lack of voice acting
    • Some puzzles occasionally unclear

    Motivations

    • Autonomy

      Game with the same Autonomy vibe

      4

      "Players freely explore scenes, choose dialogue options, and solve puzzles with multiple approaches and outcomes."

      Capsule for Demetrios - The BIG Cynical Adventure Demetrios - The BIG Cynical Adventure

      "Players freely explore scenes, choose dialogue options, and solve puzzles with item combinations, showing strong control over actions."

    • Competence

      Game with the same Competence vibe

      3

      "Puzzles require logical thinking and problem solving, though generally not very difficult, providing a sense of skillful progression."

      Capsule for Toonstruck Toonstruck

      "Puzzles require logical thinking and problem solving, though generally not very difficult, providing a moderate sense of skill mastery."

    • Competition

      Game with the same Competition vibe

      -4

      "Focus is on solo play and personal puzzle solving; no competitive elements."

      Capsule for Spy Fox in "Dry Cereal" Spy Fox in "Dry Cereal"

      "Focus is on solo play and personal puzzle solving without competitive or ranked elements."

    • Continuation

      Game with the same Continuation vibe

      3

      "Players report long play sessions and desire to replay for multiple endings and achievements, indicating sustained engagement."

      Capsule for Tormented Souls Tormented Souls

      "Players report enjoying multiple cases and replaying for achievements, indicating sustained engagement despite short individual episodes."

    • Cooperation

      Game with the same Cooperation vibe

      -5

      "Game is single-player with no multiplayer or cooperative gameplay elements."

      Capsule for Space Pilgrim Episode III: Delta Pavonis Space Pilgrim Episode III: Delta Pavonis

      "Game is single-player with no multiplayer or cooperative gameplay elements."

    • Creativity

      Game with the same Creativity vibe

      2

      "Players combine items and experiment with puzzle solutions, encouraging some creative thinking."

      Capsule for Kelvin and the Infamous Machine Kelvin and the Infamous Machine

      "Players combine items and experiment with puzzle solutions, encouraging some creative problem solving within predefined scenarios."

    • Domination

      Game with the same Domination vibe

      -5

      "No social dominance or power dynamics; interactions are humorous and balanced."

      Capsule for The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition

      "No social dominance or power dynamics; interactions are narrative and humorous without hierarchical control."

    • Escapism

      Game with the same Escapism vibe

      4

      "Players enjoy immersive detective story and supernatural setting as a form of escapism from real life."

      Capsule for RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army

      "Players enjoy humorous supernatural stories and lighthearted mystery solving as a form of escapism from real life."

    • Expectation

      Game with the same Expectation vibe

      -4

      "Players engage voluntarily for fun and humor, with no indication of obligation or external pressure."

      Capsule for Octodad: Dadliest Catch Octodad: Dadliest Catch

      "Players engage voluntarily for fun and humor, with no indication of obligation or external pressure."

    • Experimenting

      Game with the same Experimenting vibe

      3

      "Game encourages trying different item combinations and exploring dialogue options; some puzzles reward experimentation."

      Capsule for Voodoo Detective Voodoo Detective

      "Encouraged to try different item combinations and explore dialogue, supporting experimentation within adventure game mechanics."

    • Exploration

      Game with the same Exploration vibe

      2

      "Players explore various distinct scenes and environments, though exploration is guided and limited in scope."

      Capsule for Gomo Gomo

      "Exploration is limited to discrete scenes but players discover new cases and interact with many objects and characters."

    • Expression

      Game with the same Expression vibe

      -3

      "Minimal character customization or visual expression; presentation is fixed and pixel art based."

      Capsule for The Blackwell Legacy The Blackwell Legacy

      "Minimal character customization or visual expression; pixel art style is fixed and characters have limited visual differentiation."

    • Fantasy

      Game with the same Fantasy vibe

      4

      "Game features supernatural themes, paranormal investigations, and imaginative storytelling."

      Capsule for The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark

      "Game centers on paranormal investigations, supernatural creatures, and absurd fictional scenarios."

    • Fellowship

      Game with the same Fellowship vibe

      -4

      "Primarily a solo experience with limited social interaction beyond narrative character relationships."

      Capsule for God of War God of War

      "Primarily a solo experience with limited social interaction beyond narrative character relationships."

    • Growth

      Game with the same Growth vibe

      2

      "Players develop puzzle-solving skills and learn game logic, though challenges are moderate."

      Capsule for Samorost 2 Samorost 2

      "Players develop puzzle-solving skills and understanding of game logic over time, though challenges remain moderate."

    • Health

      Game with the same Health vibe

      -5

      "Standard sedentary gameplay with no physical activity or health-related mechanics."

      Capsule for Control Ultimate Edition Control Ultimate Edition

      "Standard sedentary gameplay with no physical activity or health-related mechanics."

    • Idle

      Game with the same Idle vibe

      -3

      "Requires focused attention to solve puzzles and progress; not designed for passive or background play."

      Capsule for Shady Part of Me Shady Part of Me

      "Requires focused attention to solve puzzles and progress; not designed for passive or background play."

    • Intimacy

      Game with the same Intimacy vibe

      -4

      "Limited social or emotional connection beyond scripted character interactions."

      Capsule for Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga

      "Social connections are limited to scripted character interactions without deep emotional or relationship building."

    • Leadership

      Game with the same Leadership vibe

      -5

      "No leadership or group management mechanics; player controls only own actions."

      Capsule for iBomber Defense Pacific iBomber Defense Pacific

      "No leadership or group management mechanics; player controls only their own actions."

    • Progression

      Game with the same Progression vibe

      3

      "Progression through story advancement and puzzle completion, with item collection and unlocking achievements."

      Capsule for Deponia Deponia

      "Progression through unlocking new cases and achievements, with item collection and puzzle completion."

    • Relaxation

      Game with the same Relaxation vibe

      4

      "Lighthearted humor and simple puzzles create a relaxed, enjoyable flow state."

      Capsule for There Is No Game: Jam Edition 2015 There Is No Game: Jam Edition 2015

      "Humorous tone, light puzzles, and short episodes create a relaxing and enjoyable flow state."

    • Sensation

      Game with the same Sensation vibe

      2

      "Pixel art and soundtrack provide pleasant sensory stimulation, with humor adding emotional enjoyment."

      Capsule for Doom & Destiny Advanced Doom & Destiny Advanced

      "Pixel art and soundtrack provide moderate sensory stimulation; humor adds emotional engagement."

    • Status

      Game with the same Status vibe

      -4

      "No social status or ranking systems; achievements are personal and not publicly competitive."

      Capsule for Nelly Cootalot: The Fowl Fleet Nelly Cootalot: The Fowl Fleet

      "No social status or ranking systems; achievements are personal and not publicly competitive."

    • Story

      Game with the same Story vibe

      4

      "Strong narrative focus with character development, humor, and episodic cases."

      Capsule for The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark

      "Strong narrative focus with episodic cases, character development, and humorous dialogue."

    • Strategy

      Game with the same Strategy vibe

      2

      "Requires logical thinking and puzzle solving but no complex strategic planning."

      Capsule for Tales of Monkey Island: Complete Season Tales of Monkey Island: Complete Season

      "Requires logical thinking and puzzle solving but no complex strategic planning."

    • Thrill

      Game with the same Thrill vibe

      1

      "Some suspense from supernatural elements but overall low tension and risk."

      Capsule for Eternal Hour: Golden Hour Eternal Hour: Golden Hour

      "Some suspenseful supernatural themes but overall lighthearted and low tension."

    • Value

      Game with the same Value vibe

      3

      "Players find good value in humor, story, and art for the price, especially during sales."

      Capsule for The Next BIG Thing The Next BIG Thing

      "Players find good value in humor, story, and gameplay length relative to price, especially on sale."

    • Violence

      Game with the same Violence vibe

      -4

      "Minimal violence; focus is on investigation and puzzle solving rather than combat or destruction."

      Capsule for The Painscreek Killings The Painscreek Killings

      "Minimal violence; focus is on investigation and puzzle solving rather than combat or destruction."

    • Survival

      Game with the same Survival vibe

      -5

      "No survival or threat mechanics; stable and safe gameplay environment."

      Capsule for Moncage Moncage

      "No survival or threat mechanics; stable, safe gameplay environment."

    Analysis

    A very typical example of its motivational profile. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Survival, Violence, Fellowship, Expression. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Thrill, Continuation. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Survival.

    How to use the graph
    Similar games map

    Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Motivations” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

    • Larger dot with a light outline: the game you are viewing.
    • Colour: groups of games with comparable motivation patterns (statistical clusters).
    • Hover a dot to see the game name; click to open its page.
    • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

    Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers.

    Where to buy

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    Last update: 30/04/2026