Detention

 PC
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 104 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 68 out of 104
  2. Mixed: 27 out of 104
  3. Negative: 9 out of 104

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  1. Give_em_hell
    Dec 4, 2018
    10
    Certainly one of the best horror games ever. It's about the deepest guilt, sorrow, despair and helplessness. It's a very mature game. Puzzles are not very hard but very meaningful, gameplay is simple but artistically impressive. It's a must-buy if you love the horror genre.
  2. arnoldpalmer
    Mar 26, 2018
    10
    Hey! Thinking about playing this game? Read on. I doubted whether this game would be engaging. Taiwanese history? Zzzzz... Yet I was wrong. Yes, this game is not for everyone. Don't play this game if you are a "hardcore gamer" who only likes hard games. Don't play if you want to shoot things. Do play it if you want something truly new and you appreciate a well-told story. You won't beHey! Thinking about playing this game? Read on. I doubted whether this game would be engaging. Taiwanese history? Zzzzz... Yet I was wrong. Yes, this game is not for everyone. Don't play this game if you are a "hardcore gamer" who only likes hard games. Don't play if you want to shoot things. Do play it if you want something truly new and you appreciate a well-told story. You won't be disappointed.… Expand
  3. skohl
    Jul 9, 2017
    9
    The only reason this game doesn't get a 10 from me is because it's short - easily doable in one sitting. I thought I was almost halfway through, but then it wrapped up. That being said, this is the best horror game I've played since Silent Hill 1 and 2. It is actually quite similar in theme to those games. The sound design specifically seems inspired by SH.

    It's a point-and-click    The only reason this game doesn't get a 10 from me is because it's short - easily doable in one sitting. I thought I was almost halfway through, but then it wrapped up. That being said, this is the best horror game I've played since Silent Hill 1 and 2. It is actually quite similar in theme to those games. The sound design specifically seems inspired by SH.

    It's a point-and-click game. Navigation is a bit different from other games in the genre because your character moves right and left, entering and exiting doors in the environment. I was able to remember all the locations in my head without having to make a map or take notes. The puzzles were very satisfying. They challenged me without stumping me, and most of the time I felt like I arrived at the solution through my own thought process, without being given an obvious hint.    … Expand
  4. crnppscls
    Jan 30, 2017
    8
    It's possible to keep the review of this quite short because there isn't that much to say.
    It's basically a point and click adventure with a horror/supernatural theme that you inexplicably find yourself rushing to finish.
    The story is engaging and the soundtrack is pretty spot on for a game of this type. There are some nice cultural references which add to the atmosphere greatly.    It's possible to keep the review of this quite short because there isn't that much to say.
    It's basically a point and click adventure with a horror/supernatural theme that you inexplicably find yourself rushing to finish.
    The story is engaging and the soundtrack is pretty spot on for a game of this type.
    There are some nice cultural references which add to the atmosphere greatly.

    It's good but it feels like it should be a prelude to something greater, pt springs to mind.
    Once it's done it's done and you could easily have spent your money on something that lasts more than three hours    … Expand
  5. stop9091
    Jul 19, 2017
    7
    A very good and atmospheric point and click adventure (very easy - almost a walking game).

    Be warned though, this is a dark fantasy drama, not a horror. It does start as the second, halfway through the game, it turns toward the first; therefore, if you're expecting a horror (in a strict sense), you're going to fall asleep for a large part of the game. I didn't end up liking this game    A very good and atmospheric point and click adventure (very easy - almost a walking game).

    Be warned though, this is a dark fantasy drama, not a horror. It does start as the second, halfway through the game, it turns toward the first; therefore, if you're expecting a horror (in a strict sense), you're going to fall asleep for a large part of the game.

    I didn't end up liking this game in fact, but I must admit I had the wrong expectations, and since the game itself is beautiful as drama, I'm still giving a good score.    … Expand
  6. PaleMimic
    Aug 22, 2017
    8
    There are a fair number of horror games out there. Many of them, to be candid, are fairly bad if not downright awful. The issue being that a lot of the time games in this genre seem to want to follow a set list. There is somewhat a rigid rulebook on how horror games are meant to be, but these rules aren’t supposed to be one hundred percent abided by. Developers can and should, for the mostThere are a fair number of horror games out there. Many of them, to be candid, are fairly bad if not downright awful. The issue being that a lot of the time games in this genre seem to want to follow a set list. There is somewhat a rigid rulebook on how horror games are meant to be, but these rules aren’t supposed to be one hundred percent abided by. Developers can and should, for the most part, make up the rules and experiment as much as they want. At the end of the day I find that it’s the somewhat unique games that capture people’s attention.
    Now I’m not saying Detention is unique, I mean let’s face it what is unique nowadays? However it does like to throw in its own little rulebook.
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    The summary of the plot is; you are start off the game as a male student named Wei who falls asleep in class. Hours later he wakes up alone in a dark and obviously quite spooky school. After sometime exploring he comes across a girl sitting asleep on the school stage. He wakes her up and things start really kicking off. A lot of weird stuff starts happening around the school and creatures called Lingered start appearing. These seem to be undead students and teachers and are the first enemies you come across. They’re slow creature which, like the rest of the enemies in the game, seem to have a hunger for anything that breathes. Luckily there’s a useful mechanic that can help with that. By clicking the right mouse button, or whichever button it’s been mapped to, Wei or Ray will hold their breath. This allows for you to scamper on past the Lingered without them attacking, however you will have to catch your breath if you hold for too long.
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    Detention plays out as a point and click horror game where you will need to solve puzzles in order to progress. Some of the puzzles can be fairly straight forward, for example using an umbrella to fetch a key from a ventilation shaft. But others require a bit of thought to them. One example was where I had to look at three clock faces. Two had hands and the one in the middle didn’t. There was then three pictures, each with a bloody symbol on them. These symbols represented the clock hands and once I’d adjusted the clocks to the correct times the door that was previously locked opened. Some puzzles do require certain items to complete them. These items aren’t too difficult to come across, you just need to be a little bit observant. The puzzles themselves don’t feel too tedious or pointless. There’s always a valid reason to complete them and most of the time it’s to move the story forward.
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    Graphics wise I’d say detention has an unusual but very well done art style. It’s clear the artist took a lot of time to add in as much detail as possible to give the game a sense of reality. Each area is well drawn, with clear distinctions from the odd dark world, with it’s grainy overly, to the creepy school at night. The characters and enemies are defined too. With Wei and Ray wearing very white school uniforms and the enemies seemingly very dark and shadowy.
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    In conclusion I think Detention is horror game that tries to break the mould of the genres standards. But does it? Yes and no. There are a few things that really shine for me in Detention. The story is pretty complex but welcome, as I know of many horror games that have little to no story at all. Also I like the various stealth mechanics that are introduced for the number of enemies you have to face. It does throw in the odd jumpscare here and there, but I mean what horror games doesn’t.
    It’s got puzzles of varying difficulties and an eerie soundtrack that fits the game’s quite chilling atmosphere. All in all if you love horror games and want something a little different than the norm then I’d suggest giving Detention a go. And even if you don’t want it for the horror aspect, it’s full of puzzles to test your wits too. Good Day!    … Expand
  7. StarsWitch
    Feb 3, 2020
    10
    I loved everything about this game from beginning to end, played it twice and the second play though was even better than the first after knowing the context, an amazing psychological horror game definitely a must for all horror fans
  8. Meep_
    Apr 4, 2020
    8
    I thought this game was really well-done. The atmosphere was creepy, and the player isn't told exactly what's going on straight up, it gives the player hints, and leads up to a moment that makes the player realize what happened. The story is sad and interesting. The game does get a bit repetitive, as the main gameplay is just solving puzzles, but a pretty much all of the puzzles areI thought this game was really well-done. The atmosphere was creepy, and the player isn't told exactly what's going on straight up, it gives the player hints, and leads up to a moment that makes the player realize what happened. The story is sad and interesting. The game does get a bit repetitive, as the main gameplay is just solving puzzles, but a pretty much all of the puzzles are enjoyable. Would recommend.… Expand
  9. freenik
    Feb 5, 2021
    7
    Impressive artwork, music and nice narrative.
    It is more like an interactive movie instead of game though.
  10. silent_hell696
    Feb 15, 2021
    10
    From the get go it fiills you when an inexplicable sense of dread and unease, as you play you realize the darkness that lurks near you in this school goes beyond the paranormal. Striking stellar story. MUST PLAY purchased on mobile for 4.99 dollars
  11. unchangingtask
    Jan 28, 2017
    10
    I love the unique story and setting in 70's Taiwan. It is not commonly used theme in games and I love to see something unique and refreshing. The game might be a tad bit short but I love it overall.
  12. iseeall
    Jan 28, 2017
    9
    It's a creepy, Asian-themed adventure/horror game with an interesting story. I'd definitely recommend it to just about anoyone, especially to Western players.

    The good: - excellent graphics, great music and outstanding presentation in general. This could as well be a cartoon or a movie. The artists have created a masterpiece here - the story is intriguing, I couldn't stop playing    It's a creepy, Asian-themed adventure/horror game with an interesting story. I'd definitely recommend it to just about anoyone, especially to Western players.

    The good:
    - excellent graphics, great music and outstanding presentation in general. This could as well be a cartoon or a movie. The artists have created a masterpiece here
    - the story is intriguing, I couldn't stop playing until I completed the game just because I was interested in what this all was about
    - there are some really innovative mechanics here, e.g. late in the game you talk to your own shadow and switch control between your character and its shadow
    - there are some moments in the game which I think many guys from the West would find disturbing, but I liked them a lot. E.g. the scene with the guy hanging upside down - I thought I will actually cut the rope to free him or something, but it turned out completely different (I won't spoil this for you)
    - Asian stuff (Bhudda shrines as checkpoints, strange ghost-like enemies, esoteric philosophical babble about guilt etc) feels fresh in a computer game on Steam. And it's great to find just for once a deeply psychological Asian game.
    - this game has a "soul". It was created by people who are artists in their heart. It stands far above mass culture

    The so-so:
    - the game starts feeling very linear pretty early. Usually there is just 1 door or block which doesn't let you progress, and you find the needed item to unlock the door or solve the puzzle not far away. Well, this makes the game easier for people who are more interested in the story, but I preferred the multitude of puzzles in the Silent Hill and Resident Evil (probably the closest games to this one) where sometimes all the quest items you'd picked up didn't even fit into your backpack
    - most puzzles are very simple. I only got stuck at the clock puzzle, and only because it's not easy to see without the numbers where the hands of the clock are pointing. I had to look that one up in a youtube replay. But the rest of the puzzles where too straightforward, involving almost no mental strain to solve
    - the game is pretty short. You will complete it in a single evening. Yet the variety and richness of experience makes up for the shortness.

    The bad:
    - this game feels too much like a movie, I mean it's not "gamey" enough. Actually, this is the problem common in games where you hunt for collectible objects and then use them on other objects. E.g. lack of combat of any kind, plus scripted, non-generic interactions with objects make you feel that you just can't do much in the game apart from just following the linear story.
    - the whole political angle feels somewhat too one-sided. Here you have an oppressive government which is completely bad and the rebels who are completely good. It's never that simple in real life. At least it's refreshing that for once in games we have communists on the good side, or at least their sympathizers on the good side or whatever.

    An excellent game which may feel too movie-like and linear for hardcore gamers but is still very valuable for its distictively Asian atmosphere and masterpiece-level presentation    … Expand
  13. Mandulum
    Oct 9, 2017
    5
    Five Word Review: Decent horror story, wonky art.
    Favorite Thing: The story is simple but interesting enough.
    Least Favorite Thing: The gameplay was rather shallow and boring.

    Date Completed: 2017-10-03
    Playtime: ~ 3h
    Enjoyment: 5/10
    Recommendation: No. I didn't like much about it.
  14. Tgc
    Feb 16, 2017
    4
    + Interesting setup (60' Taiwan)
    + Climatic graphics
    - Too short, max 3h of gameplay.
    - Only 3 real puzzles (and rather easy btw)
    - Whole 4 chapter is just -> click, and go forward
    - First part is horror, second is just psychological mumbo-jumbo without any feel of danger
  15. aditya1101
    Jan 26, 2018
    7
    Really creepy atmosphere in this japanese horror game. Very solid, with puzzles that aren't super straight forward but that also don't distract from the game by being frustratingly difficult.
  16. RazorSamurai
    Jul 28, 2019
    5
    Каждый раз я задаюсь вопросом зачем я вообще оставляю эти обзоры? Кто-то вообще читает обзоры перед покупкой игры да и сколько лет уже прошло с релиза этого инди проекта? Как будто кто-то собирается покупать за свои деньги игру, они лучше запиратят.

    Быстренько пробегусь в пару словах. В начале было интенсивно, страшно и интересно продолжать и узнавать что будет дальше. В середине игра    Каждый раз я задаюсь вопросом зачем я вообще оставляю эти обзоры? Кто-то вообще читает обзоры перед покупкой игры да и сколько лет уже прошло с релиза этого инди проекта? Как будто кто-то собирается покупать за свои деньги игру, они лучше запиратят.

    Быстренько пробегусь в пару словах.
    В начале было интенсивно, страшно и интересно продолжать и узнавать что будет дальше. В середине игра сдулась, это не игра а флеш игра которая должна стоять возле флеш игр по типу маша и медведь онлайн играть и прочее. Я даже не понимаю почему на этой игре 7.8 юзер скор. Мне от игры не холодно и не горячо, время немного жалко и всё. Игре не хватило изюминки чтобы называть себя более менее добротной игрой в своем жанре. 5.5    … Expand
  17. Tangurl
    Jul 7, 2020
    7
    Some part of the game can be boring. The art style and sound effect are good, overall I like it
  18. HSuke
    Apr 3, 2021
    9
    Wow. I'm stunned. This was an dark and sad walking simulator with a beautiful style of storytelling.

    Detention is divided into 4 parts. The 1st half is horror, similar to Lone Survivor. The 2nd half focuses more on the story and is light on horror. The gameplay is mostly point-and-click puzzles and nothing particuarly exciting. However, the method of story-telling is really good,    Wow. I'm stunned. This was an dark and sad walking simulator with a beautiful style of storytelling.

    Detention is divided into 4 parts. The 1st half is horror, similar to Lone Survivor. The 2nd half focuses more on the story and is light on horror.

    The gameplay is mostly point-and-click puzzles and nothing particuarly exciting. However, the method of story-telling is really good, just one step below that of "What Remains of Edith Finch". Unlike games such as "The Vanishing of Ethan Carter", "Gone Home", and "Layers of Fear", Detension's story is more tangible instead of vague. I found it to be beautiful and artistic.

    You can complete it in under 5 hours.    … Expand
  19. PublicNuisance
    Sep 21, 2018
    7
    Detention is one of the few point and click games I have come to admire. I usually dislike inventory puzzles and searching the screen for what to click on. Every once in a while I put aside my dislike of the genre to try one out because it looks like it will grab me and Detention certainly did that. It has a fantastic story that made me push through the puzzles to learn more.

    Many of    Detention is one of the few point and click games I have come to admire. I usually dislike inventory puzzles and searching the screen for what to click on. Every once in a while I put aside my dislike of the genre to try one out because it looks like it will grab me and Detention certainly did that. It has a fantastic story that made me push through the puzzles to learn more.

    Many of the puzzles aren’t too bad but a few were tedious (that damn piano puzzle). Gradually as you soldier on you see more of the characters backstory and finally more about their present situation. All is told with a great soundtrack to set the mood and the art direction was awesome and really made everything feel grim.

    A few bones to pick would be that there are no graphics options at all, just the resolution. The game does support high refresh rate monitors and the performance was great as the game ran at a constant 144 FPS for me. I know that static games like Detention don’t really put a higher refresh rate to use but I do applaud it when developers go the extra mile. There was a bug I encountered which was that every time I launched the game it is windowed and 1600*900. I can manually choose to have it full screen at my native resolution of 1920*1080 but every time I exit the game and relaunch it the changes aren't saved. It’s minor and game breaking but all the same still a bug. The game never crashed on me once. I played the game on Linux and beat it in 4 hours. I paid $6.49 CAD for it and would easily say it was worth $10 CAD.

    Overall if you are a fan of point and click games, if you are a fan of horror games, if you are a fan of games with a dark mood I recommend checking Detention out. It doesn’t bypass all the pitfalls of the genre but it does make it a worth while experience in spite of them.

    My score: 7.5/10

    My system:

    AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | 16GB DDR4-3000 CL15 | MSI RX 580 8GB Gaming X | Mesa 18.1.6 | Samsung 850 Evo 250GB | Solus 3 | Kernel 4.18.5-90.current    … Expand
  20. RagingPoet
    Oct 13, 2018
    8
    Detention is a creepy adventure game that looks and plays a lot like The Cat Lady. Puzzles are simple and logical, visuals are very stylish. The story is great: its short, but very engaging and impactful.
  21. Concordia
    Nov 4, 2017
    10
    He decidido hacer esta critica en castellano (mi lengua madre) principalmente debido al tema del juego, la dictadura, este juego trata el tema de la manera mas madura que he visto siendo superada solo quizás por una que otra obra literaria, mi critica para esta obra como videojuego puede bajar un poco por la poca duración o la simpleza de los puzles, mas aun siento que los fantasmasHe decidido hacer esta critica en castellano (mi lengua madre) principalmente debido al tema del juego, la dictadura, este juego trata el tema de la manera mas madura que he visto siendo superada solo quizás por una que otra obra literaria, mi critica para esta obra como videojuego puede bajar un poco por la poca duración o la simpleza de los puzles, mas aun siento que los fantasmas estaban forzados y que este videojuego bien pudo existir sin la presencia de estas cosas.
    aun así, mi nota final es un 10, ya que, como dije, es un videojuego que trata el tema de la dictadura como nunca había visto y para países de latinoamerica que vivieron dictaduras, como el mio, es una obra que debe ser jugada si o si, es lamentable la falta de una traducción al castellano pero de entender ingles (o en su defecto, chino, que considerando la presencia de un poema podría ser incluso mejor), jugadlo    … Expand
  22. Gelaos
    Feb 7, 2019
    7
    I enjoyed the story and the setup, the 20th century Taiwan setting and examination of topics such as: nationalism, freedom, psychology, existentialism. I'm usually skeptical about non-linear storytelling (especially when it's done in 'surrealistic' way) but Detention did it great. The visual style and atmosphere of the game is also great.

    However, the story is pretty simplistic and I    I enjoyed the story and the setup, the 20th century Taiwan setting and examination of topics such as: nationalism, freedom, psychology, existentialism. I'm usually skeptical about non-linear storytelling (especially when it's done in 'surrealistic' way) but Detention did it great. The visual style and atmosphere of the game is also great.

    However, the story is pretty simplistic and I was able to deduce lot of things before the game's narrative showed them to me. Also, most of the puzzles seemed too easy and the horror elements quickly disappeared after the first chapter (1/4 of the game).    … Expand
  23. Crimert
    Mar 30, 2020
    6
    I would rather say this game is a simple "Atmospheric" + "Adventure" game. Puzzles were okay. The ambience was nice. 4hrs on record.
  24. yimuxi
    Mar 21, 2020
    8
    really a well good horror game,it not too difficult but also interest you.
  25. MunhozMCM
    Oct 20, 2021
    8
    TL;DR Review
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Final Score - (8.5) Very Good In-Depth Review (Spoiler Free) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Visuals - 8/10 - (Very Good) The game is quite atmospheric, beautiful, and consistent in its dark and creepy thematic. It manages to keep you immersed in the    TL;DR Review
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Final Score - (8.5) Very Good

    In-Depth Review (Spoiler Free)
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Visuals - 8/10 - (Very Good)
    The game is quite atmospheric, beautiful, and consistent in its dark and creepy thematic. It manages to keep you immersed in the game at all times.
    The animations fit the art style quite well and in my experience don't leave a lot to be desired.

    Gameplay - 8/10 - (Very Good)
    Gameplay-wise, it is a fairly simple point-click game, the only thing you need to play is your mouse since the only use for the keyboard is to access the menu during gameplay by pressing Esc. Although simple, it works very well.

    Story - 9/10 - (Great)
    Detention, although short, is a beautiful work of art, which managed to go from supernatural horror to a beautiful well-crafted story which made me feel sad and sympathy for the characters and almost tear up a bit in the ending. Speaking of which (The good ending) hit me like a kick in the guts. To see a story I was not expecting unfold beautifully right before my eyes gave me a feeling I haven`t felt for a long time in video games, that being of a happy surprise.    … Expand
  26. joglow
    May 16, 2022
    7
    Cannot give it higher only because it was still a small game. I liked it a lot.

Awards & Rankings

35
#35 Best PC Game of 2017
87
#87 Most Discussed PC Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 18 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
  1. IGN Japan
    Dec 14, 2017
    88
    This Taiwanese indie title is so much more than just another horror game. It takes on ambitious themes in a rich point and click adventure.The creepy artwork and soundtrack will feel divine and beautiful once you reach the end of the game.
    Read full review
  2. GameSpew
    Apr 22, 2017
    90
    Detention is an astonishingly well-put together game that understands how brooding horror is more effective than mere jump-scares.
    Read full review
  3. Eurogamer Italy
    Apr 13, 2017
    80
    A game unlike any horror film you've seen before.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »