Shadows of Doubt

Shadows of Doubt is an action adventure game with stealth and detective elements. It was developed by ColePowered Games studio, also known for Concrete Jungle.

Plot

The game is set in the alternate, highly industrialized 1980s. It takes place in a grim metropolis, the authorities having privatized the police force, assigning their duties to corporations and individual contractors.

The player character is one such investigator, hunting for a serial killer terrorizing the city to claim the bounty on their head. His investigation lets him uncover many other secrets.

Mechanics

Shadows of Doubt combines mechanics of a detective adventure game and a stealth game. It makes use of the first-person perspective. The player explores the city, breaks into locked rooms, sneaks into inaccessible places, talks to NPCs and gathers evidence.

The city is open, all of its buildings and rooms explorable. Its population is also controlled by advanced AI. Each resident has their own needs, friends, favorite places and daily schedules we must adapt our investigation to. For example, if we're planning on breaking into someone's house, it's best done when that person is away at work.

In addition to the main questline there are also many optional side quests rewarding us with extra money. The game is open-ended and offers many methods to solve each task. It also features a development system, as our character's skills can be improved, letting him become better at stealth, lockpicking or other things.

Game modes

Shadows of Doubt is only playable in singleplayer.

Technical aspects

Visually, the game is unusual. The graphics are fully 3D, but the 3D objects were made in an old-school, pixelated style. The simple models and pixelated textures exist alongside modern lighting effects.

Many things in Shadows of Doubt, such as character traits and even some quests, are procedurally generated. Other elements, however, were created by hand. This lets the game have extensive, elaborate plotlines while keeping the gameplay unpredictable.