A detective game where even the good guys lie
Who is telling the truth, who is lying, and who belongs to the syndicate? In 'Dupery', I have to compare statements and uncover contradictions to expose criminals. The tricky puzzles thrill me, but they also regularly push me to my limits.
«Detective fired!» flashes on my screen. Great. Again. My good reputation is gone and my career as an investigator is over for now. And it was going so well for a while. I had successfully closed several cases and exposed members of the syndicate. But a few wrong decisions ultimately cost me my job.
I stare at the message. Where did I take a wrong turn? Which clue did I overlook? And why was I so sure I was right? This is certainly not how I imagined my career as a detective.
I could quit now. After about four hours and numerous failed attempts, that would be quite understandable. After all, I still haven't managed to complete the first series of cases.
But I don't like to let a defeat get the better of me. So I'll start the next attempt. Maybe it will go better this time.
A detective alone among liars
In «Dupery: A Game of Solo Deduction», I take on the role of a nameless detective on the trail of a criminal syndicate. My goal is to expose its henchmen and eventually track down the head of the organization.
The introduction already transports me into the atmosphere of an old detective film with its black-and-white images and striking play of shadows. My investigations take place at a desk where several suspect cards are laid out. Each one shows a character with their statement and a role, such as priest or mathematician.
These roles determine which clues the characters provide or what abilities they possess. However, criminals can pose as harmless characters. The displayed role does not necessarily have to match the actual one. The cards are arranged in fixed positions. This is important because some clues refer to specific positions or adjacent suspects.
I check the statements directly on the investigation board and decide with a mouse click which suspects I want to have arrested.
The game principle reminds me of social deduction games like «Werewolf» or «Mafia». In those, I try to figure out together with my fellow players who is secretly on the side of the bad guys. This involves discussion, accusation, and bluffing. «Dupery» transfers this idea to a single-player experience. Instead of assessing my fellow players, I have to recognize logical connections.
This works surprisingly well. The presentation is also convincing. The lovingly designed suspect cards and the desk fit the gloomy detective atmosphere. The controls are straightforward and the clues are clearly arranged. Nevertheless, I occasionally lose track of things given the wealth of information.
Everyone has something to say, but who do I believe?
The heart of «Dupery» is its deduction puzzles (logic puzzles). Each case presents me with a new group of suspects whose statements I have to compare with each other. Only when I have arrested all the criminals is the case considered solved.
In total, there are more than 175 different roles. They are divided into four categories: the good (innocents and troublemakers) and the bad (henchmen and traitors). Each role has its own abilities that determine what information it provides or how it influences other characters.
One of my favorite roles is the mathematician (innocent). He states the sum of the position numbers of all evil characters. Suppose the sum is 15 and I have already identified two of three criminals at positions 4 and 8. Then I know that the last villain must be sitting at position 3. Provided, of course, that the mathematician is telling the truth.
The avenger is also one of my favorites. He has an active ability that I can use specifically as a detective. To do this, I select a suspect on the investigation board for the avenger to attack. If the person is evil, they are killed. If they belong to the good, the attack misses its target. However, the avenger can also lie or have been manipulated. In that case, he basically misses. A miss is therefore not yet clear proof of a character's innocence.
It gets really tricky when the abilities of different roles influence each other. One example is the innkeeper, a henchman of the syndicate. He turns an innocent character into a drunkard. This character then belongs to the good troublemakers, but lies and poses as a different role. His false statements can lead me on a completely wrong track. If I arrest him for that, I lose reputation, even though I actually exposed a lie.
Another form of manipulation is brought into play by the idol. This traitor influences all innocent characters in the directly adjacent positions. As a result, several statements can become unreliable at once. I find it particularly treacherous that the affected characters still belong to the good. I therefore also have to pay attention to who is sitting next to whom and what effects the neighbors' abilities might have.
The different combinations ensure that the cases always feel different. I have so far refrained from using the note and marking functions of the investigation board. Instead, I play through possible solutions in my head and try to narrow down the suspects step by step. If I get stuck completely, I sometimes guess.
The sense of achievement is all the greater when I finally find the right solution after much pondering. It is particularly satisfying when I complete a complicated case without a single wrong decision. Sometimes it takes me several minutes, sometimes only a few seconds. Then I actually feel like a pretty good detective.
When I can no longer trust my own conclusions
As much fun as the investigations are, they also frequently drive me to despair. The tutorial introduces me to the basics properly. Even when the traitors are added later, the game explains their mechanics in an understandable way. Nevertheless, I sometimes feel overwhelmed by the numerous roles and their special rules. And even when I think I have understood an ability, I occasionally overlook a crucial detail.
At least I get an overview of which roles could be among the suspects. However, not all of them are necessarily represented. I therefore not only have to keep the various abilities in mind, but also take into account which roles are actually in play.
I find situations particularly difficult in which two statements obviously contradict each other, but the characters in question both belong to the good in the end. Then I sit in front of the board and ask myself which interaction I have overlooked. Did someone manipulate a character? Did I misunderstand a role ability? Or did I start from a false premise?
I don't always find an answer to that. Sometimes I only realize my error in reasoning afterwards, sometimes it remains a mystery to me even after the resolution. That annoys me especially because I want to learn from my mistakes. A more detailed explanation of how the individual abilities influenced the result would help me with that.
The high level of difficulty itself does not bother me at all. On the contrary: I want to bite into tricky cases and play through different possibilities. It only becomes annoying when I am left just as clueless after a defeat as I was before.
One mistake can cost everything
The reason for my repeated dismissals is the reputation system. Every wrong arrest costs me reputation, while I can improve it through successfully completed cases. If my reputation drops too low, my current run ends and I have to start over.
Behind this is the roguelite principle. With each new run, the cases are randomly assembled. Between investigations, I can also choose additional roles and modifiers that change the next cases. In total, «Dupery» offers three regions with their own mechanics and high-ranking members of the syndicate.
However, it will probably take a while before I get to see the head of the syndicate. After all, I have to survive the first series of cases first. Do I really have what it takes to be a detective? After my investigations so far, I'm not so sure about that anymore.
«Dupery: A Game of Solo Deduction» was provided to me by Yogscast Games. The game has been available for PC since October 15th.
In a nutshell
Tricky puzzle fun with moments of frustration
Pro
- challenging, varied deduction puzzles
- numerous roles with interesting interactions
- satisfying sense of achievement when solving puzzles
- atmospheric noir style and straightforward controls
- high replay value due to changing case scenarios and modifications
Contra
- partially overwhelming abundance of information
- Wrong decisions are not always comprehensible
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