Lichtspeer: Double Speer Edition
Lichtspeer: Double Speer Edition
Game
Game2022
Chinatown Detective Agency
Developer General Interactive Co.
Chinatown Detective Agency is a 2022 point-and-click adventure game developed by General Interactive Co. that was released on April 7, 2022 for Microsoft Windows, macOS, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One. The game launched a Kickstarter campaign in March 2020, with a demo being released in September. The game is set in a cyberpunk version of Singapore in 2037. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
138 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Sep 21, 2026 · last updated Oct 8, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
73
Fresh
79 positive · 29 negative
95% range 64–81%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 79 | 29 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 6 | 2 | 20 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 2 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Mostly Positive
83 of 112 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
73% recommend · 80 yes, 29 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 109 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mostly Positive (119 of 163 positive).
Players praise the game's unique real-world research mechanic and immersive pixel art. [1][2][3] Some reviewers criticize the game for bugs, missing voice lines, and a limited save system. [4][5][6] The game's story and Singaporean setting are widely appreciated, though technical issues frustrate many. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [18]
I'm so disappointed in this game, this is my first review after seventeen years on steam. Barely into playing Chinatown detective agency and they’ve made probably the stupidest choice in a puzzle/detective/point and click detective game I’ve ever seen: “In this game we don’t hold your hand, if you get a clue you’ll have to look it up online to find the answer.” Immediately I was like “oh no they didn’t.” The first …
- [4]
Chinatown Detective Agency tells a fairly great detective story which presents unique ideaas, but finds itself marred by underbaked design decisions and abysmal polish. Amira Darma’s adventures and relatability carry through to the end, but that path is unnecessarily impeded by omitted or bugged voice lines, convoluted puzzle solutions, and a money system that feels tacked on. While those only mildly interested in …
- [2]
I’m really enjoying this game. It’s a puzzle detective game where you figure out clues to see where you go next and to advance the story. It reminded me a bit of the Black Watchmen games, where you need to Google around to figure out the clues, how to decrypt a cipher, etc. Some were pretty straightforward and some puzzles I found quite challenging. I like having to go out and do the research to solve puzzles. I …
- [3]
Can’t recommend this game enough. Many people seem to be mad about the Carmen Sandiego inspired mechanic of conducting outside research for puzzles, but I think that is a huge part of the game’s charm. I learned about several interesting topics while solving puzzles and it gave my solves a real feeling of accomplishment. On top of that, the storylines are great, the characters have both deep and hilarious dialogue, …
- [1]
TIP: Use -Chinatown When Searching Chinatown Detective Agency isn't perfect, but still has some sparkling highlights might make it worth your time. Chinatown Detective Agency is a pixel art cyberpunk sci-fi detective noir in the vein of other recent games such as Lacuna or The Sundew. In the game, we play as Ameira, an ex-law enforcement officer-turned-private eye, who aims to get her fledgling Singapore-based …
Summarised from 34 of the 139 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 13, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Players who liked Chinatown Detective Agency talk about real-world research puzzles are engaging and educational; those who didn't talk about bugs, missing voice lines, and typos mar the experience. Which matters more to you?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Chinatown Detective Agency received "mixed or average" reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic. Alice Bell, in a mostly positive review for Rock Paper Shotgun, praised the game for its "different take on tired cyberpunk settings" as well as its cast and use of puzzles. Bell also criticized the game for frustrating moments, noting that puzzles could sometimes "feel like doing homework". In a mixed review for PC Gamer, Alexis Ong praised the game's depiction of a future Singapore while faulting it for inconsistencies, such as divergences in the quality of the writing at different points. Ong, a Singaporean, wrote that it was "really fucking cool to explore [her] home city in pixels"…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 138 · most liked firstPLEASE READ EDITED UPDATE AT THE BOTTOM I have waited over a year for this game and I am slightly disappointed. When I initially found this game I joined the discord server after playing the demo since I loved the initial cases, and I have since been caught up on any updates the developers have given on the state of the game, and I've played through the demo three different times. Each time I played the demo it was after an update, whether it be a new case or changes made to the game. I…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm so disappointed in this game, this is my first review after seventeen years on steam. Barely into playing Chinatown detective agency and they’ve made probably the stupidest choice in a puzzle/detective/point and click detective game I’ve ever seen: “In this game we don’t hold your hand, if you get a clue you’ll have to look it up online to find the answer.” Immediately I was like “oh no they didn’t.” The first clue I had to look up immediately took me to a walkthrough for the game, not…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Some Singapore backgrounds I made for the game Chinatown Detective Agency #pixelart #gamedev
neutral · AI labelView post →TIP: Use -Chinatown When Searching Chinatown Detective Agency isn't perfect, but still has some sparkling highlights might make it worth your time. Chinatown Detective Agency is a pixel art cyberpunk sci-fi detective noir in the vein of other recent games such as Lacuna or The Sundew. In the game, we play as Ameira, an ex-law enforcement officer-turned-private eye, who aims to get her fledgling Singapore-based independent business off the ground. It is a point+click-style game, but not…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The future is bleak.. not only in Singapore A point and click detective adventure in cyberpunk asia? Count me in. Alas - the devs forgot in their quest for "innovative mechanics" (like no manual saves and only one autosave per case, or forcing the player to use the real internet to find out how to solve ingame clues) that many adventure players are old school "creatures of habit". As in that they want to be self reliant when and how long to play the game. Also including internet searches is…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Beta trailer of our new game "The Diner At The End Of The Galaxy" is out! We are the studio behind Chinatown Detective Agency and Terroir. Give us some love by sharing it with friends and enemies, and wishlisting it on our Steam Page. store.steampowered.com/app/2577420 Love!
neutral · AI labelView post →I am from Singapore and wanted to like the game. The art is outstanding, the music is good and the game generally works (by this I mean it didn't crash and wasn't buggy). However, the game disappointed in many other aspects. As some others have noted, the game is shoddy, There were typo errors (eg aneurism) and subtitles not matching voiced dialogue. In the same conversation, some characters are voiced but others weren't, and time sometimes matters but sometimes doesn't (eg characters often…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →About TEXT PLACEHOLDERS in games, you can use absolutely ANYTHING. This is what I used for Chinatown Detective Agency. Fuck AI. #gamedev #indiedev #placeholders
neutral · AI labelView post →I honestly can't recommend this. I played for 40 minutes, had to take a break and quit out. Came back, only option: New game. For some reason, not only can you not manually save, it also doesn't autosave or save on exit either. Absolutely baffling decision. I decided to refund after this - nothing more fun than having to repeat a bunch of puzzles you already know the answer to.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Budapest environments I made for the game Chinatown Detective Agency #pixelart #gamedev
neutral · AI labelView post →Chinatown Detective Agency tells a fairly great detective story which presents unique ideaas, but finds itself marred by underbaked design decisions and abysmal polish. Amira Darma’s adventures and relatability carry through to the end, but that path is unnecessarily impeded by omitted or bugged voice lines, convoluted puzzle solutions, and a money system that feels tacked on. While those only mildly interested in point-and-click narrative experiences should likely steer clear, Chinatown…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Mexico City I made it for the game Chinatown Detective Agency #pixelart #gamedev
neutral · AI labelView post →Well this is a nice surprise. Guess who's game is on the list? Yeah, Chinatown Detective Agency is among Disco Elysium, Return of the Obra Dinn and other treasures. youtu.be/stHuJChurMM?...
positive · AI labelView post →Few people know, but Chinatown Detective Agency is the only point-and-click adventure game with a #pixelart sex dungeon full of kinky robotic sex toys.
neutral · AI labelView post →The atmosphere is great. Graphics are very good, music and sound ambiance are excellent. Voice acting is above par, I especially like the variety there. No stock characters. The cases and the story are intruiging, and I honestly kind of like the aspect of having to look up information online. But: the bugs. This game is *shoddy*. The wrong voice clips playing. Voice clips not playing. Voice clips markedly differing from the written script. Voice clips of one character having a *way* lower…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →:::THEY DO NOT ALLOW US TO POST IN THE DISCUSSION FORUM UNLESS YOU'RE A MEMBER::: This should be a red flag right off the starting line. Also, they claim to "review the posts for harmful content" -- pretty much censoring the truth. This game sucks. Plain and simple. This game is a sham. I bought this expecting to solve intricate cases with critical thinking and keen observation in true detective fashion. The game robs you of this by having you search for clues on YOUR OWN WEB BROWSER.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Came here for the visuals, left feeling unfulfilled. PROS: - Quite like the overall art direction of the game! It's certainly right up my alley and one of the reasons why I was following the game for awhile. - I'm 50/50 on the research portion but at least you takeaway some knowledge through research. - The music. I quite like it. - Okay maybe it's a bit /patriotic/ of me but like seeing Singapore in a game just makes me feel proud (pls when I saw X station I went: YOOOO THAT'S WHERE I…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hey, our studio have a Bluesky account now! We developed Chinatown Detective Agency and Terroir. Please give us a follow and check the brand new trailer of our new game "The Diner At The End Of The Galaxy". If possible, wishlist it on Steam, it helps a lot. The game is coming first quarter 2025.
neutral · AI labelView post →It's difficult to call this a game. It's a visual novel, with very basic puzzles, and most of the game involves booking flights and waiting for them. Unlike some of the best point and click puzzles that involve talking to multiple characters, collecting items and working things out, the game forces players to sit through dull dialogue, then solve a little memory game, or book a flight, and repeat. I kickstarted this game and am very disappointed.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This room in Chinatown Detective Agency is HEAVILY inspired by David Lynch. A lot of the art that I made for the game was, to be sincere. #pixelart #art #gamedev #indiedev #davidlynch
neutral · AI labelView post →I so badly want to like this game. After failed attempts at a memory based puzzle i have to restart the whole mission/chapter as there is no save. I have a problem with patterns and constantly get this wrong. No save mechanic even after the prologue is making this game unenjoyable for me. At this point in time I do not recommend this game, it is moire frustrating than enjoyable.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pretty big disappointment. I think I could make a pretty long rant about how I felt this game was lacking. I played through the whole game once, to give it a fair chance, enduring the frustration that had already started having with the game from case 3ish. I really really wanted to like this. This looks like everything I would love with a game, old-school 8-bitty art style, neo-noir, detective game with puzzles. Sadly it felt like it wanted to do more than what it ended up delivering. A lot of…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Played for an entire hour, quit the game, start playing again the next day and my save game is nowhere to be found. If I ever want to play this game I'll have to replay the whole first hour again apparently!
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I agree, that's why my previous indie game, Chinatown Detective Agency, nailed the Indy aesthetics.
positive · AI labelView post →It's an interesting game, but the fact that the save function only exists for around 5% of the playable game means that you repeatedly have to replay parts of the game you've already completed. Couple that with the annoying UI and it's just a frustrating game to play. Some of the puzzles were fun but I just couldn't keep going back over stuff I'd already done due to the game/developers not respecting the fact that people have to occasionally turn off their computers.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It pains me to give this a negative review, but the game is just so unpolished. The concept is great, the story lines are good, but it just falls so flat on its face. - Solutions to puzzles are either easy from an obvious Google or so obtuse to what you think it should be, you'll never get it. Most are very easy. There is also no depth to the puzzles... I was expecting to have to get sucked into a Wikipedia hole, but every answer is just 1 level deep. - Had a game crash, SFX that never…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →After completing the whole game, I think I still wouldn't recommend. Maybe if it was on sale for a tenner or less it would be worth it but not at its current price. Overall, the game is buggy which ruins the immersion and experience. Personally, I liked the research aspect of the game. One moment I'm scouring a Wikipedia page in search for old stamps and reading the history of looters who stole Manchukuoan stamps, and then the next, I'm learning about an ancient script used to write languages…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hey, our game Chinatown Detective Agency will be featured in the docuseries Video Game Nation, about the indie underdogs of game development based on Singapore. It is pretty crazy that, as a Brazilian, I am part of the Singaporean game history.
neutral · AI labelView post →Detective point & click + voiced + atmospheric = Story rich investigation. Explore around the world and solve interesting cases. Perform real online research, solve puzzles and look for clues. Make sure you have at least 1+ hour to finish the first mission or you need to restart from the beginning again. Currently, the game saves only after every mission. The devs are working to update that. [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/35180752-3-point-play/] Follow our curator for similar…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Love this game, i have played a few indie but this game feels different. I like how interactive it is. Story lines is really good and clues requires me to search it online (Which is a plus point where I have not played any games like that). Its quite educational too imo. The dialogs accents are real to life, coming from Singapore. References in the game are kinda similar to real life. etc places in Singapore Overall I pretty much enjoy it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Loved the visuals and bought the game day of release. Had a bit of fun with it but it really feels more like I'm just googling stuff instead of doing any detective work. Oh, I've solved a riddle? Case solved! I know know the culprit's name, social security number, and his favourite wine. Feels like a detective-themed game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Well this is something of an honour: Chinatown Detective Agency is the first game on @eurogamer.bsky.social's Best Detective Games Since LA Noire list.
neutral · AI labelView post →I decided to wait with the review until I got all the achievements in the game and discover all possible endings on all paths to see how it would impact my initial reaction to the game. It sadly didn't. At first, I thought of the game to be very enjoyable - I enjoyed the cases, the depth to them initially, the different characters, the settings, as well as some of the initial functions demonstrated only in the demo, so I purchased the game. I quickly went through the already familiar content…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The art, music and animations are phenomenal. The dialogue is... hit or miss, as is the voice acting. But it's still nice to hear voices in what would otherwise be a point-and-click adventure. However, the gimmick of this game is that there are two types of puzzles: tile flip matching puzzles, and trivia. I don't find enjoyment in either, and if the game ends up being too long, these "puzzles" could end up overstaying their welcome. I imagine this game is best played in short sessions to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Many of the bad reviews of this game mention the fact that you have to look things up for real. These people obviously never searched for Carmen Sandiego before. Younglings. Great aesthetic, fun stories and mysteries, and a great cast of characters. If point-and-click mysteries aren't your jam, stay back. If you don't like doing real research, stay back. If you're an old folk like me what with the tinnitus and the joint pains and the constant peeing and you remember searching for…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I’m really enjoying this game. It’s a puzzle detective game where you figure out clues to see where you go next and to advance the story. It reminded me a bit of the Black Watchmen games, where you need to Google around to figure out the clues, how to decrypt a cipher, etc. Some were pretty straightforward and some puzzles I found quite challenging. I like having to go out and do the research to solve puzzles. I thought it was fun. The cases were intertwined complex conspiracy type cases…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →"As for Man, his days are numbered. Whatever he might do it is but wind." CDA proved to be quite an enjoyable experience despite the current limited save sytem and the weird partial voice overs. The pixel art is amazing, the plot quite thrilling and there is a good variety of brain-teasing puzzles to solve. The devs are currently working on improving the save system, so I would recommend to wait for that update before playing if you want to avoid some frustration. Gameplay The game is…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I wanted to like it, I really did. It had elements of mystery, cyberpunk, and asian representation (singaporean too which you normally don't see). But it has A LOT OF ISSUES. So I'll start off with mechanics. The Puzzles I love puzzle games and OSINT is one of my favorite cybersecurity things, but this falls flat on both. There's only one real type of puzzle and its a matching game, all the other "puzzles" are just doing OSINT or some basic cryptography and not in an interesting way. Good…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Yes yes yes, this game is fantastic! Storyline is breathtaking, pixel art graphics deluxe and really well thought riddles and mini games! The only thing you will regret if you miss out on this one. Strongly recommend!!!!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Has a stylish cybernoir look and an interesting concept, but I did not really connect with it. The retro presentation is eye catching, and the idea of using real world research to solve cases sounds clever on paper, but in practice it felt more tedious than immersive. Some investigations slowed the pace down, and I found myself losing interest instead of feeling challenged. It just was not for me.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Specifically my work with The Plucky Squire, Game of Thrones: A Tale of Crows, Bean Si, Frayed Freedom & Chinatown Detective Agency, that are games made with remote teams that are based all over the world. This has become my favorite kind of team and a bit of a specialization.
neutral · AI labelView post →CDA is a very immersive and fun point & click adventure. The game is a hybrid of the classic Carmen Sandiego games from the 90s, involving solving clues/puzzles and travelling around the world, along with detective/adventure games like Police Quest/Kings Quest from Sierra in the 80/90s. The pixel art is beautiful, the character portraits and personalities are memorable, the developers have created an immersive future world, especially the soundtrack, which is superb - i hope it is released…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nice little cyberpunk adventure. Fantastic art style, and doing puzzles/codebreaking is fun. But there's a pretty big caveat: other than the artstyle and atmosphere, it feels unfinished. It's buggy, voicelines don't play or don't match up with the text, audio levels and quality differ greatly between characters, and typos galore. Worthy of your time and money if you get it on sale!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Carmen Sandiego but for grown ups? Exactly what I didn't know I needed, sign me up!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really like the atmosphere and the pixel art. People complained about bugs but that might only be early release issues. I have not encountered a single one. It picks up the Singapore vibes really great and visiting the places I used to see for half a year in a cyberpunky-noire near future really brought back some memories. Apart from that I really love the idea to google and use your brain rather than coming up with arbitrary item options as point and click adventures sometimes use to. I…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Can’t recommend this game enough. Many people seem to be mad about the Carmen Sandiego inspired mechanic of conducting outside research for puzzles, but I think that is a huge part of the game’s charm. I learned about several interesting topics while solving puzzles and it gave my solves a real feeling of accomplishment. On top of that, the storylines are great, the characters have both deep and hilarious dialogue, the art is beautiful, and the sound style is atmospheric and lovely. One of my…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →so far , the game has complement to my liking because of its art concept and it revolves around singapore local architecture and art . its the breath of fresh air to have audio singlish . i would suggest more design on the layout more options . overall its great more exposure to the singaporean culture
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If people like the demo, they will buy the game. It worked for us with Chinatown Detective Agency, it will work for our next game. Different devs, different needs.
neutral · AI labelView post →Despite this game's thumbs up rating, I did not really enjoy it. It is a puzzle-focused point and click adventure game, probably more in the vein of Deja Vu than Lucasarts games. The setting is near future Singapore along with a bunch of global locations for cases. The game predicts the prevalence of things like artificial operators taking over menial and manual labour, drones, surveillance and corporate and governmental greed leading humanity into a dystopia. I like that kind of setting,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Good: -serviceable voice acting, particularly the protagonist, thankfully -was somewhat immersed in its story and setting. BGM was appropriate Bad: -I'm used to pixelart point & click adventure games and even this was pretty barebones in terms of world building and interactivity -game mechanics that test your patience - google search to solve puzzles, boarding flights -played open beta version in 2024 to have the save anytime feature (essential to overcome annoyances caused by point…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I love the detective / investigation genre so much that I'm usually easily impressed with any game that tells a good detective story and maintains decent intrigue and suspense. And honestly for the first 5-6 hours I played this game, I was enjoying the story and the characters. The actual puzzles felt novel at first because they required you to step outside the game and do actual research online. However, afterwards, these puzzles started to feel more like a hindrance to an interesting story…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was really hyped about the game and wanted to like it so much. The nice artwork and the authentic Singaporean accent got me at first but... the flow is very boring, puzzles are not interesting and the story is progressing too slowly. It is literally unplayable.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS GAME!!!!! Me and the Fiance loved it as we played it together. enjoy doing investigation as if we are researching all of the clues IN REAL LIFE. It was a great time. and personally, i want to keep replaying it just to see all the ending, all the story possibilities. and meet all the characters. I just love the voice acting too. It feels "Singapore".
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Absolutely love a detective game that demands the player actually put in the legwork to make sense of the clues rather than rub two items together until they fit. Couple that with some great moody pixel art and you've got yourself a success.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really loved it. The mechanic that forces you to become a real detective and do the research yourself was right up my alley. It felt like I wasn't just brainlessly consuming lore and pixel hunting objects as with most point-and-click adventures but I actually had to learn stuff and understand information to progress. That's why this game feels special to me. I also liked all the storylines and every ending was touching. The art was beautiful as well, I love pixel art both as a player and as…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Thanks ❤️ It is from my first game released commercially, Chinatown Detective Agency. store.steampowered.com/app/1172190/...
neutral · AI labelView post →This game is so cool. I played it with my friends and it really felt like a virtual treasure hunt. Being able to use your phone to look up real information allows for a fun active game play that all my friends enjoyed.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Disappointing. The most attractive aspect of this game and what got me to purchase it, the Carmen San Diego-esque aspect of getting clues and educating yourself on various countries outside your usual knowledge is actually the most annoying feature for me. The game doesn't have a windowed full screen mode and in windowed mode the bottom insists on sitting off the edge, and in full screen every time i focus on another screen to research, the game minimises. THEN more importantly, when i do try…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →First of all, the game itself is not without it's flaws. The saving and loading has some work to do. And some of the voice lines are kinda lackluster and can be improved upon. But, the pros for the game is the amount of lessons and information I have obtained is phenomenal. The art and the details put into every background, character, and scenes is something I have not seen in a long time. After playing it for a few hours, I'm already hooked and will be excited to see how the game ends. Many…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An essence of exquisite design and beautiful wording. “Of all men's miseries the bitterest is this: to know so much and to have control over nothing.”
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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