As it stands, Shadows of Doubt is.. a neat creation, a neat starting point, but ultimately lacks depth or intrigue.

Every case is just going to be what you see on the surface. Someone felt they weren't getting paid enough, murdered their boss. The fliers in their house mention a radical group, but that radical group is just a tickbox on their character sheet, it's not real. No one is getting framed for anything or blackmailed. If someone tries to knife you on the street you can't report them for a crime, and if you try to arrest a criminal on the street: you just messed with one of the people of New York City so everyone wants a piece of you. At least until you're out of sight, then all your international war crimes are forgiven.

Information will often be coincidental. You can get asked for some cases simply to find 'brown haired, brown eyed' as a suspect - which occasionally will magically fill itself in with someone's name when you come across them. Casework becomes.. a repetitive slog. It's your dayjob.

I did enjoy some of my time with Shadows of Doubt, it has some good aesthetic and premise, but it feels like something that.. would be in the background of Deus Ex or GTA or something, rather than the solo feature. At least as it stands. Even just creating a good dozen cases and an overall narrative to go with would make a solid sell. Which kind of defeats the purpose of procedural generation, no?

Still, I do very much appreciate the effort put in, and that Shadows of Doubt exists in general. It is an avenue worth exploring even if it does not always bear fruit at the end.

As it stands, Shadows of Doubt is.. a neat creation, a neat starting point, but ultimately lacks depth or intrigue. Every case is just going to be what you see on the surface. Someone felt they weren't getting paid enough, murdered their boss. The fliers in their house mention a radical group, but that radical group is just a tickbox on their character sheet, it's not real. No one is getting framed for anything or blackmailed. If someone tries to knife you on the street you can't report them for a crime, and if you try to arrest a criminal on the street: you just messed with one of the people of New York City so everyone wants a piece of you. At least until you're out of sight, then all your international war crimes are forgiven. Information will often be coincidental. You can get asked for some cases simply to find 'brown haired, brown eyed' as a suspect - which occasionally will magically fill itself in with someone's name when you come across them. Casework becomes.. a repetitive slog. It's your dayjob. I did enjoy some of my time with Shadows of Doubt, it has some good aesthetic and premise, but it feels like something that.. would be in the background of Deus Ex or GTA or something, rather than the solo feature. At least as it stands. Even just creating a good dozen cases and an overall narrative to go with would make a solid sell. Which kind of defeats the purpose of procedural generation, no? Still, I do very much appreciate the effort put in, and that Shadows of Doubt exists in general. It is an avenue worth exploring even if it does not always bear fruit at the end.