Detective: CoA includes separate, detailed casebooks for both the detectives and The Chisel. Each crime is a carefully constructed puzzle that can unfold in a variety of ways depending on how the detectives choose to pursue their investigations. As the detectives turn the city upside down, uncovering fresh evidence and “hot” leads, hidden suspects may be revealed and new lines of questioning will open up, creating a rich, story-driven experience.

After playing the easy cases, players can mix up the gameplay with several optional variants. Favours provide each detective with a unique one-time power to turn the tide on a failing investigation, while Grift cards help the Chisel to foil even the most intrepid flatfoots. And Hildy Johnson, reporter for the L.A. Times is always on the lookout for the next big scoop. Couple these with the unique mechanics of later missions and no two games of Detective: CoA are ever the same. Sleuth Mode a.k.a. Solo Play All of that is powered by an enormous volume of text that covers every possible question and every possible response. As detectives ask more questions and uncover more about the case, they scribble down everything on a big notepad (pictured), and as time draws to a close (each case has a limited number of turns), they’re supposed to think the case through, work out who’s guilty and then make an accusation. A game begins with each detective being handed a case file containing the details of the mystery they are about to solve. As well as some thematic script, these briefings will include important information which can give the detectives a head start in their investigation. Each round, the players will use up to four actions. You can move across the map, search locations, and question witnesses, building up a picture of what happened and trying to be the first to solve the case. The Chisel

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All of which sounds pretty easy, but that’s most definitely not the (sorry) case. Even the easiest scenarios gave us trouble during this review, because you don’t solve cases mechanically in Detective, in that there’s a process you can complete after which the case is perfectly and automatically solved. You just have a bunch of people’s stories to go on and need to trust your gut. Detective: CoA includes separate, detailed casebooks for both the detectives and the Chisel. Each crime is a carefully constructed puzzle that can unfold in a variety of ways depending on how the detectives choose to pursue their investigations. As the detectives turn their city upside down, uncovering fresh evidence and "hot" leads, hidden suspects may be revealed and new lines of questioning will open up, creating a rich, story-driven experience.

Detective: CoA includes separate, detailed casebooks for both the detectives and The Chisel. Each crime is a carefully constructed puzzle that can unfold in a variety of ways depending on how the detectives choose to pursue their investigations. As the detectives turn the city upside down, uncovering fresh evidence and "hot" leads, hidden suspects may be revealed and new lines of questioning will open up, creating a rich, story-driven experience. This isn’t a game where you’re exerting effort trying to remember all the rules or digging through the rulebook. The play is easy, leaving you to focus on what’s important: using your personal deductive skills to solve the case. It is more complex than the classic board game, Clue, but there are certainly similarities… traveling, investigation, making wild accusations. Detective will require you to have hard evidence so there’s no cutting corners.Detective: City of Angels comes with nine cases, varying in difficulty from Gumshoe (easy) to Hardboiled (hard). Each case is unique and can be solved only once. Each provides a new experience for the detectives who will use any means necessary to catch the killer (or culprit. They aren’t all murder cases!) Will one detective rise above the rest and close the case on L.A.'s latest high profile murder? Or will the Chisel sow enough doubt and confusion to prevent the detectives from solving the crime? The game does have limited replay-ability… there is currently two expansions, but I’m hoping for plenty more

While the multiplayer experience feels like the true way to play Detective: City of Angels, the game also comes with a solo/co-op mode where search cards and suspect responses are scripted in a specially designed ‘Sleuth Book’. In this variant, the detective still challenges the suspects, but an incorrect guess will result in stress. Get too stressed and you’ll lose precious time. Sleuth Mode also leaves out all rules involving scratch, since you’ll have no need to bribe fellow officers. The heart of Detective: City of Angels is in its strong storytelling. The cases are all really well written. The setting and characters come to life making the game really engaging and thematic. It’s not just the in-game writing… this game has a TON of literature! The game comes with a comprehensive Rulebook, Tutorial Book, Detective Case Books for each detective, The Chisel Casebook & Solutions and a Sleuth Casebook. Each one is uniquely presented and dripping with theme. The game never seems to break character even if you’re just reading the standard game rules. You’ll be immersed in this one from start until finish. Detective: CoA uses the innovative ARC (Adaptive Response Card) System to create the feel of interrogating a suspect. Suspects do not simply give paragraph-book responses; instead The Chisel carefully chooses how they will answer. When Billy O’Shea insists that the victim was a regular at Topsy’s Nightclub, is he telling the truth or is The Chisel subtly leading the detectives toward a dead end that will cost them precious time? Detectives can challenge responses that they think are lies but at great risk: If they’re wrong, The Chisel will acquire leverage over them, making the case that much harder to solve.Detective: City of Angels is a game of mystery, deception, and investigation. Most players will step into the shoes of LAPD homicide detectives, hungry for glory and willing to do whatever it takes to successfully close a case, even if that means intimidating suspects, concealing evidence, and a hiring snitches to rat on their fellow detectives. One player, however, will take on the role of the Chisel, whose only goal is to stall and misdirect the detectives at every turn using bluffing, manipulation, and (often) outright lies.