Touch Detective 2 1/2 Preview

Last year’s Touch Detective was a pretty interesting DS title, offering some humorous moments, unique visuals, and some quirky gameplay. However, the game’s need to investigate everything (you essentially had to touch every object in the environment to proceed) and constant dialogue brought the pacing down to a crawl, making for an experience mostly enjoyed by the niche audience who are into the quirky Japanese-inspired scene.

Despite the original’s problems and shortcomings, Atlus is back for round two with Touch Detective 2 ½. Scheduled to release not even a full year after its predecessor, Touch Detective 2 ½ will put players back in the shoes of Mackenzie as she goes from merely attempting to take on her deceased father’s PI business to gaining a serious reputation as a full-on detective.

As in the original, Touch Detective 2 ½ has you solving a series of mysteries (divided into five episodes with bonus unlockable ones) for people around the neighborhood, with mysteries like missing spaghetti lining out your casebook. The game is done with the same kind of quirky sense of humor as the original, and once again the top screen is devoted to displaying Mackenzie’s emotional state and what thoughts pop into her head.

The controls and interface will feel immediately familiar to those who played the first game. You use the stylus to tap on the touch screen, selecting points of interest for Mackenzie to check out or holding it down on the screen to have Mackenzie walk in a certain direction. You have an inventory that is accessible on the bottom of the screen, allowing you to collect items and investigate them or use them with other pieces in your inventory.

Its predecessor’s sense of investigation has returned as well. You’ll still have a Touch List that you can access like a journal, basically telling you the special items that you’ve touched and give you some details on them.

Aesthetically, the game is not far removed from the original. The Tim Burton-esque look of the first game is untouched (no pun intended), and the game look essentially the same. The music and sound effects are also the same story.

Touch Detective 2 ½ is looking to once again be a niche title with a focused audience in mind. Fortunately, those who loved the original and left it wanting more won’t be disappointed in the sequel. Look for a full review soon.