100 detectives vs 100 criminals? Methods: The Detective Competition is the ultimate mystery game

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SHOULD I PLAY METHODS: DETECTIVE COMPETITION?

Play it if you like mystery games with a sense of humor. In Methods: Detective Competition, one hundred detectives face off against one hundred master criminals. As you might expect, this plot requires a huge cast of characters, and I’ve enjoyed getting to know all of them. It’s more like a visual novel than an investigation game, but it’s still given me plenty of chances to test out my sleuthing skills.

TIME PLAYED

I played Methods: Detective Competition for two and a half hours, which got me through all of the twenty available chapters. According to the developers, Methods has been split into five parts, so there are still four more episodes on the way. While I had a good time with the game, it does end on a cliffhanger. If you’d prefer to experience the whole story at once, you might want to hold off for now.

WHAT’S AWESOME ABOUT METHODS: DETECTIVE COMPETITION?

• Fun, witty writing. Video game humor doesn’t always work for me, but Methods: Detective Competition is a genuinely funny game. The script has its share of jokes, but most of the humor is centered around its wacky cast of characters, which makes the comedic moments feel a lot more organic.

Although the tone of the game is fairly playful, the overarching narrative is intriguing and has plenty of twists and turns. Jokes and gags never get in the way of the plot or slow down the pace; the humor is just a complement to a solid mystery story.

• Awesome selection of mysteries. You won’t find any long, drawn-out mysteries here. The cases in Methods: Detective Competition are designed to be solved in a matter of minutes. This means there’s a terrific selection of mysteries to solve, from locked room cases to murders with multiple culprits. Every case feels unique, and some of the mysteries had extremely clever solutions.

• Character-centric side content. In addition to its main story, Methods is packed with side content that fleshes out its massive cast. This includes short character bios and sit-down interviews where you can ask characters an assortment of questions. With a cast this big, most characters wind up getting overlooked. I really appreciated that Methods let me get to know the characters that weren’t getting much screen time.

WHAT SUCKS ABOUT METHODS: DETECTIVE COMPETITION?

• No voice acting. Methods: Detective Competition has really fun characters, so it’s a little disappointing that none of them are voiced. No voice acting is better than bad acting, and the script is good enough to stand on its own. That said, a few well-voiced lines would have really brought these characters to life. It would be awesome to see the devs add in voice acting in the future.

• There’s too much hand-holding. After a quick investigation, Methods: Detective Competition tests your sleuthing skills by asking you a series of questions. This streamlined approach to crime solving works pretty well, but the game makes things too easy. Sometimes, characters literally gave me the answer to a question before it was asked. I really wish the game trusted me to figure things out on my own.

• The episodic format isn’t ideal. Splitting a game into multiple chapters is usually fine, but it doesn’t seem like the best option for something like Methods: Detective Competition. There are tons of characters to keep track of, and by the time the next chapter comes out, I’m worried that I’ll have forgotten a lot of important details. 

PLATFORM TESTED

Android via Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G phone.