[PetitPrince]

It's also an atypical videogame in that there's no significant combat mechanics (combat is as rare and exceptional as in real life), and the setting is far from your usual videogame setting (it feels like like alternate history mid-to-late 20th century Eastern block, but it's entirely fictional) and themes (ostensibly a detective game, but leans heavily into political commentary, morality, nostalgia). Despite the bleak setting, it's also super funny at times in both subtle and unsubtle ways.

[k__]

Honestly, I tried it, but I didn't understand the game.

[Etheryte]

In my opinion that's part of the game, intentionally so. You're a drunk detective who wakes up from a wicked bender and then has to go figure out how to solve a messed up case. Figuring out how do you even do that, trying and failing, is a great simulation of how being a detective actually is. In other words, figuring out how to play the game is a part of the game.

[MacTea]

> figuring out how to play the game is a part of the game. Well said! I'm 5 hours in the game. This is my third time "trying" the game. I'm glad I stumbled on some random walkthrough on YouTube and really got to know what's in store for me.

[yoyohello13]

The game is about talking to people, that's pretty much it. If you treat the game like an interactive novel it makes sense. The skills and stuff really don't matter, just pick something and enjoy the ride.

[SketchySeaBeast]

It took me about a half dozen tries for it to click with me, but I unfortunately have no idea what it was that caused things to click. I felt like I was banging my head over and over against a wall until I wasn't. It seems like it's one of those high effort, high reward things, but I can't figure out what the effort is.

[mywittyname]

You're getting downvoted, but I think this is fair.

DE is not a game for everyone. It's a point-and-click adventure game that feels like it is intentionally designed to be obscure and difficult to follow. The game is forcing you to role play as a alcoholic detective who woke up after a bender and has no clue what is going on. You the player are just as clueless about the world as the character you're controlling is.

FWIW, I completed the game four times, and it was only on the fourth play through that I really felt like I understood how to play the game. Not just from a mechanical perspective, but also a how to role play as an alcoholic-detective-who has-no-clue-what's-going-on. IME, the game only truly makes sense when you play the game as Harry would.

There's a point where Kim tells Harry that he's probably a phenomenal detective, as he was able to close an absurd number of cases. And to get the best experience from the game, you have to match Harry's true level of authenticity, intelligence, openness, and assertiveness. You can finish the game as Hobocop, Superstar Cop, or Detective Costeau, and you can blame all the world's problems on communism and you'll solve the mystery, but you won't have the full experience.