Video games can serve as a fascinating way to explore mystery. The concept of gathering evidence, conducting interviews, and delivering a compelling argument to impress skeptics with your insight is thrilling. However, many games struggle to integrate the open-ended, complex storyline of a detective into a more traditional narrative. The Inquisitor demonstrates this challenge – it initially presents an intriguing premise of a middle-aged detective on the trail of a vampire but falls short of fulfilling its potential due to certain limitations. Nonetheless, it’s an intriguing concept. Playing as detective Mordimer Madderdin, you are tasked with investigating the inhabitants of a European town named Koenigstein. Additionally, the story draws from the dark fantasy novels of Polish writer Jacek Piekara, presenting an alternate Christian religious history in which Jesus Christ did not suffer crucifixion but instead led a retaliatory army to overthrow the Roman Empire.The Inquisitor Gameplay ScreenshotsWhen starting The Inquisitor, it feels as though you have ventured into the Mirror Universe of Star Trek, with characters extolling the merits of their religion through ruthlessness and vengeance. For a narrative-driven game that promises weighty decisions in conversational and interrogative scenarios, this serves as a promising setup. Most games present “moral” dilemmas, but few have delved into constructing a world that fundamentally alters the norms of morality. What is deemed virtuous in our reality may not hold the same significance in this context, and you may find yourself grappling with the unexpected interpretations of your actions by others. However, The Inquisitor falls short of delivering this experience. The ramifications of your choices often seem ambiguous, and its static, linear nature makes it challenging to discern if you have the ability to steer the narrative in different directions. While searching for clues is beneficial, it diminishes the demand for critical thinking. Nevertheless, the tale that unfolds in The Inquisitor is captivating for the most part. The writing is exceptionally strong, featuring engaging characters who are largely well-voiced, although a few come across as stiff with animatronic eyes seemingly eager to escape their sockets. Koenigstein is meticulously depicted as a gritty, vibrant environment, often being larger than necessary, imparting the sense of a living town rather than a mere backdrop to fulfill your objectives. However, the drawback is that the town’s expanse means you spend a significant portion of your time traversing its length in pursuit of the next plot development. As an investigator, you engage in conversations, inspect victims, and survey crime scenes periodically, with these instants often providing essential cues before progressing. The majority of your investigative prowess stems from the Inquisitor’s Detective Vision feature; when Mordimer invokes this ability, the area turns gray, highlighting vital elements such as your destination, notes, lights, or scent trails to follow. At first, utilizing the Inquisitor’s Detective Vision seemed impractical as it made discerning minor details in a bustling world challenging. However, I found myself often resorting to it without feeling reliant on it to progress. Its constant orange glow eliminates the necessity for critical thought, leaving room for more representation through choices, particularly during interviews and quizzes. Individuals frequently deceive you, making it possible to gauge the consequences of your moral stance. Nonetheless, it’s challenging to discern where the breaking point lies or if you’ve erred. In a specific instance where Mordimer confronts a young man bound to a torture chair, you can choose to accept his testimony or heighten his suffering. I revisited this scenario, altering my approach and discovered a fabricated account. Subsequently, I obtained supplementary information based on my subsequent knowledge, only for Mordimer to cease the interrogation prematurely, despite my newfound awareness of falsehoods. Consequently, the extra insight failed to yield any novel revelations, leaving me misled. The reason why Mordimer frequently faces misinformation is manifested in segments where The Inquisitor shifts the focus to action sequences in a realm known as Earth. Here, Mordimer can materialize in an astral plane populated by monsters, enabling him to amalgamate visions of past events and uncover truths bereft of falsehoods and obfuscations from those he interrogates. This renders conventional information gathering and questioning redundant. Why bother seeking answers from individuals and contending with potential lies when you possess magic? As you navigate Koenigstein, you must evade the gaze of a hovering eye entity named Murk whilst searching for five vision fragments to trigger consequential sequences. Negotiating Murk’s surveillance necessitates precise navigation through the Unworld, with additional complexities emerging over time, such as sword-bearing adversaries and a dark mist that hampers your progress by alerting Murk to your presence. Furthermore, you can acquire useful capabilities like a burst of light to briefly disorient foes. Yet, despite certain sections being perilous, it swiftly becomes apparent that the adversaries’ predictability allows you to straightforwardly reach your objectives. Once I realized that there were no impediments to swiftly traversing the Unworld, these segments ceased to pose a challenge. The absence of difficulty stemming from inelegance epitomizes The Inquisitor’s main shortcoming. Several instances involve engaging in swordfights, featuring a combat system encompassing typical elements such as light and heavy attacks, swift dodges, blocks, and parries that create openings for counterattacks. Regrettably, I emerged victorious in the majority of encounters by executing a couple of well-timed moves and subsequently overwhelming my opponent. The Inquisitor does feature a few demanding boss battles against intriguing adversaries, but most skirmishes are easily bested due to the opponents’ inability to match your prowess. Action sequences are not the principal focal point of The Inquisitor. While simplistic battles and prolonged sequences could be overlooked, akin to the occasional subpar visuals and diminutive character models, the overarching experience fails to offer ample opportunities for fulfillment. Mordimer consistently dictates where to go and what to do, undermining the potential for choice and agency. Following my initial (poor) conclusion after eight hours, I was chastised for permitting events to transpire, culminating in adverse outcomes. However, subsequent run-throughs left me uncertain about the specific missteps I had made, save for a few conversations during which I ought to have exercised moderation, but lacked insight into which options held greater relevance. (Autosaves discourage attempting to manipulate outcomes in The Inquisitor, and after two attempts at altering the course of events, I was precluded from embarking on a third playthrough.) Even when I made genuine decisions yielding repercussions – such as opting to avert a confrontation that would result in one individual’s demise, subsequently prompting another individual to seek retribution by attempting to kill Mordimer – the aftermath suggested that the former individual had perished. Various alternative choices lead to distinct scenarios, though they appear to exert little influence, with no evident avenues to explore diverse repercussions or pursue alternative paths. !Moreover, technical glitches hinder the experience at times. An exemplary instance is the Inquisitor series leading you through an intricate labyrinthine dungeon wherein you encounter a minstrel who regales you with song and the tune of a flute. This figure is menacing, and upon discovering him mutilating an injured individual, he vanishes into confinement, compelling you to heed his taunts emanating from the shadows. While you can illuminate torches during your quest, the minstrel assaults you if you linger in the shadows for too long. The portrayal of this scenario is evocative, evoking a sense of trepidation amidst the prison’s dimly lit confines and the escalating tension as another entity assumes the incarcerated figure’s position, culminating in a captivating and daunting experience – until it wasn’t. Unexplainably, the prayer skill failed to function during this sequence, leaving me aimlessly navigating the dungeon in search of the Inquisitor’s guidance. Inscriptions suggested employing prayer to discern the optimal course of action, but to no avail. Subsequently, I inadvertently stumbled upon the solution upon encountering an item prompting a notification, by which time all prior apprehensions and adversities had dissipated.
