The Darkside Detective

The Darkside Detective is a humorous point-and-click adventure about supernatural crimes in the fictional town of Twin Lakes. Detective Francis McQueen works with Officer Patrick Dooley in the chronically underfunded Darkside Division. Together they investigate strange phenomena, ghosts and other incidents that nobody feels responsible for.

The story consists of nine standalone cases, including a Christmas special. Each case focuses on a small selection of locations and puzzles rather than on combat or an open game world.

The Darkside Detective was released for PC on Jul 27, 2017. The Nintendo Switch version followed on Feb 7, 2018. On Xbox One, the adventure launched on Apr 8, 2021, and the PlayStation versions were released in the German store on Apr 23, 2021. Native mobile versions for iOS and Android followed on Aug 7, 2024.

The adventure has been released for PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, iOS and Android. The PC version supports Windows, macOS and Linux. The Xbox One version can be played on Xbox Series X|S, but there it is not a separate native release. The standard Switch version also remains a Switch game on compatible Switch 2 consoles.

Players examine crime scenes, talk to suspects and link clues to matching items or places. Instead of reflex-based challenges, the focus is on observation, unusual combinations and short dialogues. The cases can be worked through one after another without having to explore a large open investigation district.

The nine cases, including the Christmas special, are part of the game. The separately sold original soundtrack is a music collection, not an additional investigation. The Deluxe offers at some stores may bundle the base game with this music.

On Windows, Steam lists a minimum of an Intel Core i3 3rd generation or an AMD FX-4100, 4 GB RAM, integrated Intel HD graphics or a comparable GPU, and 1 GB free storage. The recommended configuration is an Intel Core i3 4th generation or a 1st generation Ryzen, and 2 GB free storage.

The nine cases take McQueen and Dooley to different places around town. Behind everyday problems there are often occult triggers, which the duo comments on with dry humor. The Christmas special is also part of the released game content.

McQueen takes the paranormal incidents seriously, while Dooley's ideas and comments repeatedly lead to absurd twists. Their conversations are a key part of the adventure. There are no classic fights or freely distributable character stats.

The controls follow classic graphic adventures: you examine and collect objects and use them to solve puzzles. Clues come mainly from conversations and from examining your surroundings. The short case stories prevent long walks between locations that are far apart.

The locations and characters are deliberately shown in coarse pixel art. The music and soundscape come in part from Ben Prunty, who also worked on the soundtracks for FTL: Faster Than Light and Into the Breach.

The adventure offers German, English, French and Spanish on-screen text, among others. Supported languages vary by platform and region. On PlayStation, the PS4 version also includes Simplified Chinese, while the PS5 version listed there offers four on-screen languages.