Dinsun Review
Dinsun here. I enjoy a good noir story, but Crookhaven is a bit of a mixed bag. The writing is competent—it gets the 'gritty town' atmosphere right—but the actual 'detective' work is mostly just clicking through dialogue trees until you hit the right option. There isn't much room for actual deduction.
The art style is unique, but the pacing is sluggish. It feels like reading a paperback novel where you have to tap the page to continue every three sentences. It’s fine for a rainy afternoon, but it won't be winning any awards for innovation. It lacks the punch of a true classic like Snatcher or even the modern Telltale games. It’s a slow-burn that sometimes just feels like a slow-crawl. If you have the patience, the story pays off, but getting there is a slog.
Overall Stats
Pros & Cons
- Strong atmospheric writing
- Interesting setting
- Meaningful dialogue choices
- Very slow pacing
- Minimal actual gameplay
- Stiff character animations
Technical Report
Performance: Stable; heavy on text, low on GPU requirements.
- Text size options
- Auto-advance dialogue
Audience Fit
Buy if: You enjoy interactive fiction and slow-paced mysteries.
Skip if: You want action or complex mechanical puzzles.
- Oxenfree
- Kentucky Route Zero
- The Wolf Among Us
Reviewer Context
- Reviewer: Dinsun, 40, conservative critic
- Hardware: iPhone 14 Pro
- Playtime: 4 hours
- Status: Halfway through the story
