Game Information
Game Title: Shadows of Doubt
Platforms:
- PC (Apr 24, 2023)
Trailers:
Developer: ColePowered Games
Publisher: Fireshine Games
Review Aggregator:
OpenCritic - 71 average - 67% recommended - 10 reviews
Critic Reviews
CGMagazine - Justin Wood - 4 / 10
Shadows of Doubt as an idea is incredible; even the PC version of the game is fantastic; the console version, however, is riddled with issues that make it almost unplayable in its current state.
Cerealkillerz - Julian Bieder - German - 8.4 / 10
Playing detective has never felt so organic! The procedurally generated map, which can be explored completely freely, offers a wide variety of ways to track down a perpetrator - or to end up in a dead end. Gameplay systems centred around stealth, profiling and physical confrontations and status effects, a social credit system or upgrading implants create a depth of gameplay that is unheard of in this genre. However, one drawback is the repetitive process of filling in the form at the end of the case. Shadows of Doubt is unfortunately still full of bugs and glitches in its current state, but this should be tolerated in case of the first fully-fledged sandbox detective game.
GamesRadar+ - Joel Franey - 3.5 / 5
What emerges is a genuinely impressive engine for generating narratives somewhere between Raymond Chandler and Philip K. Dick, but riddled with errors and overlooked features.
God is a Geek - Chris White - 8 / 10
Shadows of Doubt is an incredibly smart and intricate detective thriller, giving you tons of freedom that can be both a blessing and a curse.
God is a Geek - Chris White - 8 / 10
Shadows of Doubt may have a few problems that hold it back, but it’s easily one of the most ambitious and exciting games of the year so far.
PC Gamer - Joshua Wolens - 83 / 100
One part detective sim and one part chaos generator, Shadows of Doubt lives up to its influences as an immersive sim that actually makes good on its ambitions.
Pro Game Guides - Connell Watson - 4.5 / 5
An extremely addictive and satisfying core gameplay loop combined with exceptional gameplay, immersion mechanics, an outstanding setting, and a strong, fitting visual style make this an indie title for the history books. There is nothing like this out there, and I’d be shocked if there’s anything like this again.
Rock, Paper, Shotgun - Brendan Caldwell - Unscored
Being a hapless detective in this superior cyber-noir will see you battle with your own brain as well as the game’s bugs. Just try not to break into the wrong apartment.
Shadows of Doubt is simply brilliant, with its sleuthing gameplay loop proving clever, creative, and unpredictable in design to ensure that each case you solve will keep you fully immersed in its fascinating world. I was constantly amazed at how deep each case would go, and with cities on offer that are packed with citizens to interrogate and locales to explore, it’s hard not to feel blown away by the scale of it all. I haven’t played anything quite like it before, and whilst it does have some imperfections and some cases can leave you flummoxed for a little longer than I’d have liked, Shadows of Doubt offers the best representation of ‘solving a murder’ that I’ve EVER seen in gaming.
XboxEra - Jesse Norris - 6 / 10
Shadows of Doubt should be great. A lack of variety leads to repetition so quickly that I can’t recommend this 1.0 and console release. If the devs continue supporting the game with new content, especially something more directed like the tutorial mission, then it could potentially become an indie classic. For now, though the game is a mere shadow of its potential.
These scores are lower than expected, possibly due to issues with the console port.
I can vouch for the PC version being incredible though, I highly recommend it.