The latest and long-awaited update for Detective Di: The Silk Rose Murders has revealed that the prologue chapter is almost finished. Of course, the same was said in the last update three months previously but it seems to be the case this time. Developers Nupixo Games have also confirmed that the prologue will amount to about two hours of playtime.
While the prologue chapter will eventually be an integral part of the full game, backers who pledged an extra $5 CAD as an add-on will be able to access it earlier. Initially Detective Di was due for release in April 2016. With the prologue planned to be available six months beforehand the pixel-art adventure game is already behind schedule. Still, as Nupixo Games have pointed out, “it’s a marathon not a sprint” and progress is definitely being made.
The update also provides justification for the delays as it transpires the main animator could not continue on the project. This has understandably slowed things down and Nupixo are currently for a replacement artist.
The update also included the news that physical rewards are now finally being sent out as well. I’ve been a bit disappointed by the month-long gaps between updates but I’m less concerned by these delays. The fact this latest update is titled ‘Flash Update #1’ is a good sign though. Hopefully it’s the first of many shorter and more frequent updates as I’m keen to see as much of Detective Di as possible.
Also worth noting that Di Renjie is a real historical figure and well known in China, although I’m not sure how historically accurate the game will be.