Jandusoft’s Detective – The Test, developed by k148 Game Studio, presents itself as a cerebral investigation experience with little to no hand-holding and a heavy reliance on observation and logic. It’s an intriguing premise for fans of detective fiction, offering three standalone cases to solve. Unfortunately, while the concept aims high and should appeal to would-be detectives, the execution reveals a project that falls short of its potential in a few key areas.
Each of the game’s three cases drops players into a different environment – ranging from a suburban home to a caravan park and coffee shop – and challenges them to piece together what happened, relying entirely on their own intuition. There’s a real effort here to evoke the feeling of solving mysteries without outside assistance, and the lack of hints or guidance does heighten the sense of being left alone with a puzzle. That approach can feel satisfying for seasoned armchair detectives who enjoy digging into small clues and cross-referencing information, but it may also frustrate players expecting any kind of structured progression or tutorial – and will leave many without much of a sense of what to do.
The minimalistic approach also extends to the gameplay mechanics, where players are asked to explore static environments and answer key questions by interpreting their surroundings. However, the core problem is that Detective – The Test is often difficult to interact with on a basic level. The UI feels unintuitive, and many objects are positioned low to the ground with no crouch function available – turning what should be thoughtful inspection into an awkward exercise in fiddly camera angles and awkward movements and interactions.
In terms of narrative, each mystery presents a relatively grounded scenario, and while there’s potential in the game’s three settings, the storytelling lacks the nuance and emotional engagement found in more polished detective titles. Rather than revealing complex character motivations or unexpected twists, the game leans on surface-level deduction – making it a bit less exciting than a suspense-filled detective story. And with an extremely short runtime – the full game can be completed in just over an hour – it struggles to justify its asking price.
On a technical level, Detective – The Test feels underbaked. Players may encounter visual glitches, giving off a sense that the game was released without adequate polish. Though the core idea is commendable, the lack of polish hinders the experience on modern platforms. Still, for those looking for a low-stakes, no-frills mystery-solving distraction and who can look past shortcomings, there’s something here in the game’s grounded design and no-hand-holding philosophy. There’s merit to the idea of stripping away action and excess in favor of pure deduction, and it’s easy to imagine a more refined version of this game being compelling.
As it stands, however, Detective – The Test feels like a rough draft of a better game. While it might briefly entertain die-hard mystery fans willing to work around its many faults, it ultimately struggles to justify its price and presence on console. Hopefully, future updates or a follow-up can build on this concept with more polish, depth, and accessibility.
Score: 5.6/10
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