Detective Modo on the case in Early Access

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Complete version of cartoony shapeshifting mystery due to be finished next year on Steam for Windows PC

More and more animals are taking on the role of detective in their own adventure games these days. For a while there the reptilian branch was owned by Brok the InvestiGator, but as of now he's got company in the titular star of Detective Modo.

Actually, while you'll start off as the "cunning lizard" Modo, success in this game depends very much on not remaining that way for long. At least, not to all outward appearances. When Modo discovers a "passed-out child in the depths" of his sewer home, he is determined to "reunite them with their parents." This requires him to "venture into the bustling streets above, where every face hides a secret and every quest unveils a piece of the puzzle." Of course, no matter how well-intentioned, a lizard isn't going to get very far in a world of humans. Fortunately, Modo has the unique ability to shapeshift into any person or animal he meets.

In many respects, the delightfully cartoony Detective Modo is a traditional adventure, as you'll explore various locations for clues, interact with other characters, collect inventory items, "solve intricate puzzles, and complete diverse quests." But that's where the similarities end and the differences begin, as this game lets you control Modo directly and interact with the world through a menu-driven interface with context-sensitive options rather than point-and-click. The real hook of the game, however, is the protagonist's ability to mimic other characters. You'll need the right appearance to enter private human locations, and the right animal abilities to access new areas that a person could not. In order to "solve each townsfolk’s quest in any order you choose," you must strategically choose the right identity for the job while "wielding cleverly earned items and mind-bending secret abilities to crack puzzles and expose truths." The more you progress, the closer you'll get to "solving the enigma of the missing child – but beware, the town’s secrets run deeper than the sewers you call home."

Detective Modo is available now through Steam Early Access for Windows PC. The current version contains the "full story, all puzzles, and every core gameplay feature," but the backgrounds have been designed using Midjourney. Over the course of the next year, solo developer Dekomodo plans to replace all AI art with professional hand-drawn environments, as well as adding voice acting and other improvements.