Dead-End Detective: The Sixpence Strangler
Dead-End Detective: The Sixpence Strangler is a visual novel full of thrills, comedy and romance; set in London during the 1950s. Become the famed ‘Dead-End Detective’ as you investigate a sudden and unexplained series of strangulations in London’s East End.
Choose how you want to conduct your investigation and interact with a colourful cast of characters along the way. Will you rely on your powers of perception and professionalism to solve this case? Or, will you just wing it and wisecrack your way through to the end?
Features…
- Personalised Protagonist
Not only can you name your character, but you can choose what they say and do, allowing you far more interactivity and roleplaying than a lot of other visual novels out there.
- Branching Dialog
This story has over 70 branching choices available which will not only affect how other characters see you but will also lead to different scenes and different outcomes.
- Romanceable Characters
There are three optional love interests for you to pursue, should you wish to. Each one also comes with their own scenes, CGs and endings.
Game Discussion
Steam User 4
Set in the 1950s, and with jokes and double entendres that have all the subtlety of many of the comedy shows of that time, this is a reasonable reproduction of a typical police yarn of that period. This is more a visual novel with choices than an actual game, though you do get to create the character of the protagonist. You play as a police Inspector out to catch a serial killer and during your enquiries you meet the staple characters from that period: the complaining neighbour, the vampish bar girl, the ribald sailors and a pair of constables, one of whom is an eager and ambitious young man, and the other a typical cynical policeman who has seen it all, as well as a jealous colleague who resents your success. Its set in a cold, wet and wintry London.
This is probably not to everyone's taste, as many of the jokes are ribald, offensive, cringe-worthy, and/or tasteless, but if you enjoy classic British comedy, this is a piece of nostalgia with all the refinement of a sea-side summer pantomime. Its hopelessly politically incorrect, and as good a way of spending a wet sunday in winter as the umpteenth replay of any elderly detective series on the TV. And its a lot cheaper than going to the movies.
I don't know if the choices you make in game affect the outcome. I got a good ending and will give it a break before insulting my grey cells with another dose of good-old-fashioned fifties humour, whether in cockney slang or not. This is definitely not to everyone's taste!
Steam User 2
A comical and bawdy mystery about a killer who leaves a telltale stamp on his victims. The narrative is surprisingly well written and the plot is engaging enough to keep you interested. The jokes are a bit juvenile but funny if you like that sort of thing. While somewhat titillating, there's no "mature" scenes here.
Steam User 1
This is a VN about being a detective and trying to find a serial killer.
I like the noir style art even though the game is too funny to be noir. The music is great and it has a nice big cast of characters. One of my VN pet peeves is talking to invisible or dark silhouette characters, so I was glad that there were none here. I wish the story was a little longer but at least the game has some replayability, especially if you try to date some of the characters.
Very recommended!
I salute you dev! Keep on shinin' you serial-stranglin' diamond!
Steam User 0
Whatever that needs to be said was already mentioned by the previous comment.
You play as a detective in the 1950's London, trying to solve a serial killing happening in the city.
Dialogue choices comes with crude and potentially offensive humour, I do enjoyed being given the non-PC options. I am also pleased with the writing that comes with it, I was expecting some lackluster reactions from the NPCs such as "oh how dare you" etc. but find it interesting how they play off with your responses.
But the thing is, there are no consequences, so the choices doesn't really matter. It's more akin to a kinetic visual novel with 3 different "endings" with one of three love interests which, apart from who I think is the main female, the other women are really random, too random. They need more time in the oven to develop the relationship with the MC.
The arts are basic but adequate to tell the story and provide visual context; nothing impressive, and when zoomed in during certain parts the drawing will become pixelated, so there are rooms to be improved. UI designs also requires refinement and better design.
Music by the ever so famous Kevin MacLeod, the saviour of creators in need of copyright free music.
With all these written, I do hope for a sequel or a new game from the creator.