The Shapeshifting Detective
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In respect to the murder mystery theme and The Shapeshifting Detective is a shining light in immersive story-telling. It may lack in gameplay variety but the shapeshifting mechanic and how it is integrated into the story really sets it apart
The Shapeshifting Detective is proof that FMV titles can be done extremely well.
The Shapeshifting Detective is yet another really fun and innovative whodunit from D'Avekki Studios. At a glance, you may think it looks like a simplified FMV adventure based on their previous game due to the fewer number of questions you can ask and the removal of the manual questioning mechanic. However, the removal of that has allowed the developers to create many more branches and outcomes as they know the choices you can make and plan accordingly. My advice, play the game through to the end about three or four times, make different choices, refuse to talk about certain things, and be a complete nob to everyone instead of being nice, you'll end up with a few new and often hilarious dialogues.
I really can't talk more about The Shapeshifting Detective without spoiling the experience for you, but I will say that this is a brilliant FMV experience that you have to play on PlayStation 4. The story is good, the performance from each actor is solid, and the shapeshifting mechanic is very addictive. As long as you take things slowly and make sure you're not caught, you're going to have a lot of fun with this one on PS4!
The Shapeshifting Detective will bring you same intrigue and mystery while you try to guess who is the murderer of Dorotha Shaw. A unique FMV adventure.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
No matter if you're looking for a goofy FMV good time or an engaging mystery to solve, The Shapeshifting Detective delivers.
The Shapeshifting Detective truly does make the player feel as though they’re controlling the main character in a murder mystery TV show.
A great FMV title to enjoy multiple times over and over. By changing the murderer each time I would restart the game I felt like I was playing a game of Clue with my PS4.
The Shapeshifting Detective is a unique game with noir vibrations and the flavor of Twin Peaks, which offers 4 hours of real screen enjoyment with mysterious events, people who reliably guard their secrets, and a killer-maniac capable of delivering the next blow in any moment of the story.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Despite some instances of odd acting, The Shapeshifting Detective is a fun supernatural crime drama that will leave you wanting more. This works well, since the story can be finished in a short amount of time. Coupled with a variety of decisions and character interactions via the shapeshifting mechanic, this gritty detective story is a great entry for the Switch library.
As it is, even without any deeper investigation being possible, it’s hard not to be charmed by The Shapeshifting Detective. From its presentation – with an eerie local radio station playing spooky stories in the background – to its alluring characters and enthralling narrative that dances with supernatural themes, there’s a lot to love.
The Shapeshifting Detective may lack the colossal budget of AAA games, but it nevertheless creates an intimate, skewed world that will draw you in. If you’ve ever fancied yourself an amateur sleuth, albeit one with an distinct biological advantage, then The Shapeshifting Detective will be right up your street.
Being a Sega fan boy in the past, I’ve played quite a few full motion video games, some good, some not so good. The Shapeshifting Detective is held in my good book, as there is plenty in this role playing FMV to keep you captivated in your role and coming back for more as you look to hook and reel your killer in, solving the murder and not getting caught!
The Shapeshifting Detective is a game for those who like a good story: you're in the character and interact with the narrative. It's worth looking for the culprit. But if you are one of those who gets bored easily, you'd better look for another option.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
I can only recommend this if you feel like something different, or you’ve got some company around to enjoy trying to figure it out with. It’s not groundbreaking, it’s not a fast paced roller-coaster of suspense. But it is a delightful, self-aware romp that plays more like Clue! and less like Identity, so have a laugh with it.
The Shapeshifting Detective is an adventure based on Full Motion Video that tries to escape the confinement of this format through a clever identity change mechanic and a random choice of the culprit to find. An intriguing story with noir influences and supernatural elements that help give development variety. The acting of the actors is correct, although amateur, with some over-acting, but generally with a minimum of quality. Despite not being a popular format, the game is solvent and its story has enough hook to catch us to the end, despite some fluency problems that we will encounter. Game recommended for all adventure lovers, and let's hope to see more developments using Full Motion Video from the guys at D'Avekki Studios.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
At its core, The Shapeshifting Detective has a good hook and a compelling enough story structure, but is marred by not feeling like your choices matter, uneven pacing, and the impression that not all the story beats were well thought out or executed. Without sticking the landing on either the story or interactivity, what had potential to be great feels more middle of the pack.
Wales Interactive deliver a game that excels in taking the player into a mysterious and unsettling place rife with oddball characters, creepy radio stations and untimely death. However, it is not without issue and at times feels a little disjointed in delivery.
If you’re down for a somewhat unusual narrative where you’re a very active participant, able to hit characters from a variety of angles to tease out the truth, The Shapeshifting Detective may appeal to you. As long as you walk in with the expectation that there’s only so much room for player choice it may not be too disappointing. Compared to previous titles as a whole this entry feels a bit more jerky with the camera work and isn’t quite as cohesive, but it is certainly a novel experience with some decent acting propping it up. To get a taste for it’s style it is definitely recommended that you check out some video of the gameplay first to see if it suits you.
The Shapeshifting Detective is certainly an unusual game, which means it won't appeal to everyone. It focuses much more on conversation and characters than puzzle solving. The clever use of multiple identities to reveal new bits of information brings satisfaction in itself. Between the excellent acting performances, additional set pieces, and tonal background music, you'll enjoy the game from start to finish.
Review in Czech | Read full review
All in all, The Shapeshifting Detective is a functional but disappointing experience. The investigation lacks the twists and turns of a truly suspenseful narrative and the overriding feeling of weirdness is never really allowed to take centre stage. My initial playthrough seemed to end before it really got started and even though I correctly targeted the murderer, I didn't feel that this was anything more than a lucky guess. If you haven't yet played Doctor Dekker then I would recommend that over this any day. If the idea of a digital murder mystery night floats your boat, then there is still plenty to enjoy in The Shapeshifting Detective, but it does nothing to really advance the genre or push the envelope. It's sadly mediocre rather than transformative.
The Shapeshifting Detective is an interesting idea that seems to have love and care put into it. Unfortunately, it's a little too basic, and despite the gimmick of changing into other characters, becomes dull after about an hour of play. The actual narrative is an interesting case however, with additional hinted backstory for your main character, which is somewhat compelling. The visuals and tone are good too, but the hit and miss acting and slow pace make for a slightly underwhelming shapeshifting whodunnit.
The Shapeshifting Detective is another example in the return of games based on the use of Full Motion Video and one which boasts a very good quality in that medium. The environment of mystery and suspense and the ability of the protagonist to assume the shape of any character stand out as the game's best qualities at the same time that a certain lack of interactivity and a plot with pacing issues keep this work from becoming a must buy.
Review in Portuguese |
The Shapeshifting Detective is a bit of a disappointment overall, but the central concept is very interesting and well-implemented. It might be somewhat underwhelming, but genre fans will find it worth a look.
Acceptable murder mystery FMV game with poor actors, fair story and good replayability.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
The Shapeshifting Detective tries so hard to create a game that looks like movies, but it has failed to fulfil its potentials and the final product is a somehow shallow experience without much replayability values.
Review in Persian | Read full review
The Shapshifting Detective is a game from the past, a Full Motion Video project that is out of our time. You can only choose between a pair of multiple dialogue options to discover who is the murder or shift from a character to another one. The story is way too simple and is not among the best written thriller.
Review in Italian | Read full review
