The Detail

 PC
Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 23
  3. Negative: 2 out of 23
  1. Grab It Magazine
    Apr 12, 2015
    90
    Rival Games has kicked off The Detail with an unforgettable first episode, setting a very high bar for itself. With so many different story threads started, the challenge will be to weave those threads together into a rich and satisfying tapestry that involves the player. And this is all while seeking to recapture that explosive opening where the player is pushed to look within themselves without necessarily finding a “right” answer.
  2. CalmDownTom
    Nov 12, 2014
    90
    Episode 1 does exactly what it should, grabs you right from the get-go and leaves you desperate for more.
  3. Pelit (Finland)
    Dec 16, 2014
    85
    A well-made police procedural. It’s only true fault is the short length, but perhaps that will be fixed in the later episodes. [Dec 2014]
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  5. The Digital Fix
    Jul 13, 2016
    80
    The Detail is a valiant effort to bring gritty police drama to PC. Aside from some dialogue issues, the tone is flawless while the story offers up plenty of intrigue to keep any wannabe sleuth entertained for a few hours.
  6. Game Rant
    Apr 10, 2015
    80
    Its story and atmosphere are intriguing, if a little too reliant on dark tropes to get the gravity of the situation across, and the unique art style is eye-catching and memorable.
  7. Worth Playing
    Jan 15, 2015
    80
    Aside from the short play time, it's rather engaging, and while it is way too early to say whether The Detail ends up being a great adventure, the first episode will certainly whet the appetites of those who love a good police procedural.
  8. Impulsegamer
    Nov 11, 2014
    80
    Promising first episode.
  9. IGN Italia
    Feb 13, 2015
    75
    It tries to mix The Wire with the Telltale Games and maybe the ambitions are too high, but the mood is strong and there's some potential.
  10. Gamer.nl
    Jan 19, 2015
    75
    This dark point-and-click-adventure is too short, but it amazingly drags you into the story about crime in a Gotham-like city. Great animation style plus an interesting soundtrack.
  11. Ragequit.gr
    Nov 3, 2014
    73
    The apparent willingness from the development team to invest emotion and drama in the game's plot, combined with various, interesting, characters give us a nice start for an interactive storytelling game whose biggest drawback is the complete lack of voice overs. At this point, the choices we make do not lead to serious differentiation of events, but that's something many games of this relatively new category suffer from.
  12. COGconnected
    Jul 20, 2016
    72
    The game rushes to reach the end which sours the experience slightly, leaving the player with an undercooked taste.
  13. Brash Games
    May 23, 2016
    70
    Played as a complete season it feels much more like a complete game, especially as you don’t have to wait eight months between episodes as they were initially released, and overall I very much enjoyed it. However the rushed ending and lack of polish does unfortunately count against it – despite comparisons to The Wire it’s nowhere near that level.
  14. DarkStation
    Jul 30, 2015
    70
    Overall, Where the Dead Lie, is a good introduction to what could possibly be an amazing experience.
  15. IncGamers
    Jan 18, 2015
    70
    The unofficial NYPD Blue adventure game that Telltale never made. Aside from some pretty clear budgetary constraints, The Detail’s hard edged cop narrative has a compelling opening.
  16. Kill Screen
    Dec 1, 2014
    69
    In a game about big-picture, important ideas of societal problems, a lot of the choices feel not-so-important.
  17. Areajugones
    Jul 16, 2016
    65
    The Detail is a videogame in which the dialogue and its design are the parts that stand out the most. However, the mechanics are so simple that it can be considered as an interactive comic.
  18. Vandal
    May 9, 2016
    65
    The Detail is a good adventure, ideal for those who enjoy mature stories and noire style. It doesn't use all its potential, but it is definitely very enjoyable.
  19. GameCritics
    Feb 4, 2015
    65
    There's nothing truly ground-breaking going on in The Detail (Telltale and BioWare have done better in the "players-choose-their-responses" department), but it does have potential.
  20. Hooked Gamers
    Nov 13, 2014
    65
    The Detail isn’t bad, it’s just not as good as the games it’s trying to emulate.
  21. DarkZero
    Jul 4, 2016
    60
    What you have here is two thirds of a good show that has been axed by the television network, leaving the studio to sort itself out, bringing an end to the season early, except what was offered for a closure was a cop-out, robbing The Detail of a truly satisfying ending that it deserves.
  22. GameSpew
    May 5, 2016
    60
    So, The Detail Season 1 isn’t perfect, but what ever is? It fails in some places and shines in others. Despite the clunky gameplay elements, there’s a unique style and an expertly written cast of characters waiting to be uncovered for those who are willing to stick it out. For all its problems, The Detail still has plenty there to make me excited for the next season.
  23. Adventure Gamers
    Nov 25, 2016
    40
    The Detail sets out to provide a memorable police thriller with visual flair, but can’t quite seal the deal in either storytelling or gameplay across its three-part narrative arc.
  24. TheSixthAxis
    May 4, 2016
    40
    Rival Games started something very interesting with The Detail in the first two episodes. The story was immersive and the characters engaging. But because of budgetary constraints episode three undoes what the first two set up, with plot lines left abandoned and bugs that are very detrimental to a game based on choice.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.6

Mixed or average reviews- based on 20 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 20
  3. Negative: 6 out of 20
  1. tupungato
    Jun 2, 2015
    4
    "The Detail" is a visual comic book style interactive novel set in noir atmosphere of an American city. You solve a crime playing as an aging"The Detail" is a visual comic book style interactive novel set in noir atmosphere of an American city. You solve a crime playing as an aging old-school bald detective and an ex-gangster.

    Don't let other reviews convince you that it's a point-and-click game! It's an interactive story with some choices. But mostly it's just click, click, click. That's why I don't recommend the game.

    The graphics style is quite good (only the "perspective" style faces in dialogue box are sort of "wrong"), there is no audio, no voice acting, only some music (it's OK). The story is... well, nothing special. Not bad, but not good either.

    The whole game took about 90 minutes of my time, but I believe you can finish it in 45-60 minutes. Unless you get it in some sort of game bundle, it's not worth the money.    … Full Review »
  2. Voyou
    May 22, 2021
    3
    This game thinks it's an American TV crime program. Cliches, stereotypes, catchphrases, credits after the first scene, and so on. The comicsThis game thinks it's an American TV crime program. Cliches, stereotypes, catchphrases, credits after the first scene, and so on. The comics format doesn't bring any energy or interest into the narrative. The gameplay is essentially visual novel, and during the point n' click scenes the interface is second-rate with a mouse, impractical with a gamepad. A lot of watching/waiting, very little of playing, and of course no ability to save, the one that entertaining games, a.k.a. other games, provide.… Full Review »
  3. baz1779
    Aug 10, 2019
    3
    I just cannot recommend this game. From the bland and cliched detective story to the dull and uninteresting characters, I was left bored theI just cannot recommend this game. From the bland and cliched detective story to the dull and uninteresting characters, I was left bored the entire time and just wanted it to be over so I could say I finished the whole game.

    Can appreciate the effort by the developers and with a bit more time could of been a decent game but instead we got this.

    Bought this on sale and I still feel robbed. Anybody expecting this to be anything like a Telltale narrative will be sorely mistaken.    … Full Review »
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