Some trips are more memorable than others, especially if you’re soul searching while trying to solve several mysteries at the same time. This sentiment is certainly true in the visual novel adventure game Detective Instinct: Farewell, My Beloved, as two American college students at the tail end of a research trip to a fictional European country find themselves entangled in events with repercussions they can’t fathom. The result is an indie graphic adventure that tells a complete and satisfying story without overstaying its welcome.
Detective Instinct: Farewell, My Beloved is inspired in part by games such as Hotel Dusk: Room 215 as well as the Ace Attorney and Famicom Detective Club series, which comes through in its overall visual and gameplay presentation. There’s something fundamentally nostalgic about its graphics and UI, yet the title manages to hold its own even against the prestigious inspirations it heavily leans on. I was pretty impressed by the overall mystery narrative and how the game presents the solution process.
Players take on the role of a young man on a college research trip, an unnamed protagonist you can name early on in your playthrough. We’ll call him Scholar for this review and introduce his companions: upperclassman Emma and their literary professor, Martin. A tragic murder occurs at their hotel the night before the trio embarks on a train to London to begin their return voyage to America. The crime scene gives Scholar, alongside Emma, the opportunity to test his investigative skills, though the night ends without their receiving answers about what really happened.
That should’ve been the end of their amateur sleuthing. Still, as they board the train to London, thoughtful Emma quickly stumbles upon a strange occurrence. After trying to console a distraught woman she encounters onboard the train, the stranger mysteriously vanishes. Even more bizarre, no one but Emma seems to remember the unknown woman being on the train at all. Wanting to help his friend out and maybe delay a looming term paper, Scholar offers to help Emma find where the mystery woman disappeared to. But as they delve deeper into the mystery, several harsh truths come to light, hinting at a vast conspiracy.
I can’t delve any further into the plot, since untangling the mystery is central to the game. I was honestly surprised by how well-crafted the actual whodunit is, as well as the purposeful resolution. The core story’s small cast of characters is also memorable and written believably. I love Emma’s inquisitive yet sensitive nature, as well as how the bond between her and Scholar evolves. Likewise, I initially feared Scholar would be something of a blank slate character, but his search for purpose and overall character arc develop in surprising ways. Other characters have their moments too, such as the creepy bartender, the ritzy married couple, Veda and Monty, and the detective Daltrey with his complex morality. They’re a colorful cast without being over-the-top.
Progress in Detective Instinct: Farewell, My Beloved occurs with Scholar, and often with Emma, as they go to a location and subsequently examine the area through a point-and-click segment or by talking to a person of interest at the scene. You either continue your questioning until you exhaust all dialogue options or move through all the actions you can take before an action clicks and triggers the next plot reveal. You then go to another area, continuing the process and collecting helpful information in your notes or possibly even solving simple puzzles along the way that often require entering in text or numbers when prompted. At the end of a game chapter, a character will help you “review” your findings for the day in a question-and-answer format. The gameplay is simple but well-polished and engaging for the five or so hours of playtime.
The only real complaint I can think of is that the game may hold a player’s hand to encourage them to take the correct course of action to advance the plot, making it feel more casual than other titles of the same ilk. Because of that and the lack of divergent paths or alternate endings, replayability isn’t exactly high either. Once you play the game and uncover its mysteries, that’s about it. Given the game’s shorter length, you can pretty much finish it in a day. That isn’t to say the Detective Instinct: Farewell, My Beloved doesn’t reach a satisfying conclusion, just that the short length and relaxed pace may influence your experience.
I love the game’s aesthetic, which deftly blends detailed pixel spritework with 3D backgrounds in eye-catching visuals. The illustrated cinematics and character designs are detailed and memorable, alongside a UI that’s clear and concise, with easy-to-read fonts. This game is a narrative adventure with both visual and gameplay polish in spades. The score is also quite lovely to listen to, with a wide range of BGM tracks depending on the scenario and reveals at hand, such as “Bartender.” The English script is lengthy yet has only minimal errors, which is an impressive feat.
Detective Instinct: Farewell, My Beloved is a fantastic indie visual novel-mystery-adventure with a lot of depth and heart. Its polished presentation stands out, and its overall gameplay is solid and engaging. I honestly wished it had been a longer game, not because the title itself was too short or lacking in some way, but because I enjoyed my time with it so much that I would’ve been over the moon to have the opportunity to continue playing in the game’s universe. That’s a strong testament to how enjoyable Detective Instinct: Farewell, My Beloved is. Overall, this is one detective train trip worth taking.
