Touch Detective 3 + The Complete Case Files Review – Touching Whimsy

Reviving Touch Detective: A Classic Series Returns

It’s always refreshing to see games ported to new consoles, breathing new life into classic titles. Recently, we saw Another Code: Recollection—a combined remake of a DS and Wii game—receive high praise. Similarly, the Touch Detective series from the DS era has been revitalized for the Switch. Published by Nicalis, this collection includes all the games in the series, notably featuring Touch Detective 3, a 3DS game previously unreleased in the West.

Step Into Mackenzie’s Shoes: The World of Touch Detective

In the Touch Detective series, players step into the shoes of the young Mackenzie, who aspires to become a detective. Her family butler informs her that the requirements for becoming a detective have been lowered, and she needs only to solve a few cases as a trainee in order to achieve her dream. It’s a simple enough premise, Mackenzie is from a rather bizarre world so the challenges she faces are anything but ordinary.

Touch Detective 3 + The Complete Case Files revitalizes the quirky charm of the original DS series, bringing whimsical detective adventures to a new audience.

The cases she tackles range from stolen dreams and alien encounters fueled by gemstones to studying induced personality shifts in a friend (she’s been studying) and even a mecha version of her pet dog-mushroom-hybrid-creature-thing, Funghi, terrorizing a gnome town. This is a series that does not take itself seriously, embracing its whimsical and fantastical elements wholeheartedly.

Gameplay Mechanics: Navigating Through Whimsical Mysteries

Touch Detective functions as a point-and-click adventure game, optimally played using the Switch’s touchscreen in handheld mode. Players can also navigate Mackenzie using the analog stick, exploring environments to interact with, collect, and combine items—classic elements of the genre. While the narrative may rely on nonsensical logic, the world’s fantastical nature truly defines the experience. The puzzles are straightforward, and the cases are simple yet engaging due to the game’s clever writing and charming character interactions.

Mackenzie is portrayed as quick-witted, with her intellect focusing on specific areas, and she often becomes completely absorbed in her thoughts. The dynamic between her and her friends, Penelope and Chloe, and her butler Cromwell adds a delightful layer to the narrative. Visually, it’s evident that this is an upscaled DS game; it won’t be winning any awards for its graphics, but it holds its own with clear, exaggerated dialogue and charming character portraits. The port of the third game, however, surprisingly presents a lower resolution than its predecessors, which is a bit disappointing given the collection’s title, Touch Detective 3 + The Complete Case Files.

Case Files and Content: What Players Can Expect

Despite its graphical simplicity, Touch Detective 3 captures the essence of the series with its engaging storytelling and endearing characters.

With the initial release, the game utilized the DS console’s dual screens, with point-and-click elements on the bottom and a portrait of Mackenzie on the top. This setup enhanced the storytelling, especially during conversations where Mackenzie’s internal monologue provided humorous asides or commentary. Transitioning to a single screen, the developers have tried to maintain this unique storytelling method by having Mackenzie’s thoughts pop up alongside ongoing conversations. However, it doesn’t flow as seamlessly as on the DS.

The collection’s integration of bizarre and humorous narratives with classic point-and-click mechanics makes each case a delightful puzzle to unravel.

The first game, Touch Detective, has four cases, while Touch Detective 2 ½ and Touch Detective 3 refine the system further, offering five cases around an overarching story. Each game provides approximately eight hours of main story content, totaling about 25 hours for the series, not including bonus content featuring Funghi. These games are excellent choices for introducing younger players to puzzle games thanks to their solid writing, clean humor, and relatable jokes—such as those about avoiding homework. And with no murderers in sight, they’re a worry-free option for parents concerned about content appropriateness.

Final Thoughts: The Lasting Appeal of Touch Detective 3 + The Complete Case Files

Touch Detective 3 + The Complete Case Files provides a low-barrier of entry pass to the point-and-click genre with a nice dose of quirky characters and peculiar cases. The option to play through these adventures again was welcomed, but the simplistic puzzles and a lighthearted narrative pace the experience without leaving a significant impact. Still, Mackenzie’s unique charm and whimsical humor provide a delightful escape into a world where the strange and the endearing blend seamlessly, and for that, I’m glad to have all of these adventures in one place.