Detective Dotson is a narrative-driven detective adventure game set in the vibrant heart of modern-day India. Players step into the role of Detective Dotson, solving interconnected criminal cases that reveal a deeper conspiracy within the city. The game blends open-world exploration, evidence-based puzzle solving, and cinematic storytelling.

DETECTIVE DOTSON

About the game

Project Info

Team Size: 40+

Project Duration: 26 months (Shipped)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Detective
Engine: Unity (film in Unreal Engine)
Platforms: Steam (Windows, macOS, Linux)
Role: Game Designer & Game Programmer

My Contributions

Mission Design & Quest Design
Narrative Design
Gameplay Systems Design
Character Design & NPC Systems
World & Level Design
Puzzle Design
Development Testing & QA
Prologue Movie Script Writing
Language Localization (English to Hindi)

Core Contributions:

1. Mission Design & Quest Design

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Designed interconnected case missions linked through the evidence board system.
Developed exploration and clue discovery flows to build logical, satisfying case-solving experiences.

2. Narrative Design

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Created interlinked narrative arcs between cases to form a cohesive detective storyline.
Collaborated closely with the Game Director to maintain consistency with the Detective Dotson movie.

3. Gameplay Systems Design

Developed player interaction systems including object-based actions (throwing objects for distraction, disarming, and player expressions).
Designed unique gameplay moments like Dog Petting, Food Stalls, Mini-games, and NPC interactions.

4. Character Design & NPC Systems

Designed NPC traits, daily routines, relationships, rivalries, and natural world interactions.
Built NPCs that contribute to both narrative depth and open-world immersion.

5. World & Level Design

Placed Points of Interest (POIs) and structured the game world to support storytelling and gameplay discovery.
Created living city layers through environmental storytelling, dynamic NPC populations, and hidden narrative details.

6. Puzzle Design

Integrated narrative puzzles and hidden storytelling elements tied to exploration and case-solving.

7. Development Testing & QA

Tested narrative logic, evidence board progressions, disguise gameplay, object interactions, and system flow.
Supported multiple demo iteration cycles including gameplay balancing, logical bug fixing, and QA reports.