Detective Dotson Review – India’s Best Video Game Yet

Detective Dotson is the most ambitious, soulful, and colourful game made in India, and I want to call myself one of its biggest advocates. From following the game since the first word went out to finally playing the release version, we’ve come a long way.

Detective Dotson is ready to launch on Steam and Windows Store today, April 24th, 2025. Co-op mode and console launch have been officially marked for launch soon. The game also runs well on the Steam Deck, so you’re pretty much sorted and can’t excuse yourself from playing this game. Developed by Masala Games, let’s see what Detective Dotson has cooked for us.

Dotson the Smooth Operator

The game opens with the breathtaking view of the ghat, where Dotson is performing the final ritual of his deceased father. And right after, you’re allowed to immerse yourself in Dotcity, whose every pixel speaks a story that we can’t stop looking at. The game is a combination of a Movie and a game, where the initial story is well-detailed in the movie and is available in English and Hindi dubs. Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio finally has a worthy challenger in making an hour-long cutscene.

While we won’t spoil the movie much, it is a must-watch, made with surreal details of the environment in a well-performing engine and original assets, built with nothing but soul and love. Each scene feels like it was shot on an actual Indian street and setting, but is all a 3D environment at the end of the day, while keeping the character true to the 2.5D Pixel Art style. The story focuses on a deeper plot behind Dotson’s father’s demise and throws him into a constant turn of events, with a glimmering ray of hope coming in the shape of love. In the end, Dotson earns his detective license, and that’s where the game begins. How did he get that license, you ask? GO WATCH THE MOVIE.

The game’s first case is an excellent introduction to the mechanics of the game. As a detective, you’re looking at every nook and cranny. Picking up trash and often slamming it at NPCS, earning well-deserved abuse. While the story’s first case itself is very cute and about a pet dog, I was pretty annoyed with the dog’s name. He’s called Papadam. What? Yeah. Papadam. Won’t even go deeper on this and leave it at that.

But the two cases that eventually lead to a bigger plot hole are absolutely bang on. The pacing of how difficult these quests need to be is even more bang on. The core storyline of the game is very well-thought-out and will keep you hooked and wanting more.

Without spoiling anything else, all I can say is that as soon as I said to myself that the guys behind Detective Dotson cooked, the game ended. And trust me, I was left shattered. All that’s left to say is that the hope isn’t all gone; the free DLC continuing the story is set to join later this year. Isn’t this what Netflix doe,s too?

Dotson the Destroyer

Let’s be honest, Dotson can do everything. He can take a leap of faith, from the same building where his father met his death, but can glide with a made-up parachute from the Indian XXXL-sized handkerchief that every man carries. We just do, it’s always been like that, we don’t change what isn’t broken.

Dotson the destroyer is also an excellent catfisher. From dressing up as an 11/10 date-worthy woman to an unbelievable Rishi Muni who can read minds. A detective who can read minds? Isn’t that broken? Even Yagami from a competitor game of almost the same plotline and scale would be pissed about the abilities of Dotson.

But Dotson doesn’t stop there, does he? Dotson the Destroyer is a softie and will help every NPC. Or is he? Dotson the Destroyer will conveniently exploit a mad scientist and an old woman repetitively, all in the name of pointing at things. You can play a minigame with both these characters, which puts you in a point-and-click timed minigame, awarding you a huge sum of money.

Dotson the Destroyer can only be destroyed by a certain group. It’s the players of DPL – DotCity Premier League. Featuring only bhatta pace bowlers. So, Dotson is provided infinite batting with limited overs. But the change of pace, yorkers, and the targets of the increasingly challenging street cricket minigame. For me, this is the best part of the entire game, and truly deserves a separate game built on this mechanic.

As for the main story, Dotson’s true action happens on the crime board, where he puts together every clue with a subject and forms a perfect link. Dotson can often get hints, multiple clues, so that you’re not missing any critical element. At the core, Dotson is pretty much a fetch-and-grab game that requires you to be thorough with your investigation for any given case. The process itself is very satisfying and is given a personal touch with the mechanics of bargaining. 80% off on a Samosa Platter is an absolute steal deal any day.

The Colours of India

Detective Dotson nails the art style, palette, character design, and world design. From small movie posters inspired by South Indian titles, shooting locations, traffic, Indian marriage, breathtaking temples, and classic apartment designs, it makes it the most authentic Indian game I’ve ever played.

The backgrounds of the game are also back-to-back important monuments of India that are famous worldwide, and most of them are also part of the Wonders of the World. Having to see them together in one city is also very fascinating, which makes it all special because of the very focused attention to detail. The more time you spend in the game, you end up finding even more adorable things to look at.

At times, Detective Dotson feels like the culmination of everything nice about India, fueled with a thrilling narrative that all seems too good to be true.

The OSTs have been excellent from the time of the demo, and the SFX of interacting and accessing the UI feels very premium and polished. The cupboard itself is very well designed, with hints quickly helping you around without putting you off for a long time. The logbook design also helps quickly glance over essential hints, making it a very fun experience to pinpoint the culprit.

Real Talk

Detective Dostson is our favourite Made-In-India Game (yet), and it simply knocks it out of the park when it comes to the narrative, mechanics, and art design. The game feels very polished and fluid, and will have something for you to do with each character you walk past. The only thing that put me off is its playtime, which was barely 2.5 hours for me. But the hope carries on with the wait for the free DLC episode. At the price of ₹500 for the Indian audience, it’s already a bargain for the quality offered.