Indie developer Masala Games has announced a release date for Detective Dotson, their new Bollywood-inspired adventure game.

Detective Dotson launches April 3rd, 2025 for Windows PC (via Steam). An Xbox Series X|S version is planned, but wasn’t dated today.

Here’s a rundown on the game, plus a new trailer:

A story-driven adventure game set in modern day India. Meet colorful characters and explore the richly detailed streets of India to collect clues. Complete evidence boards and solve cases as Dotson – the reluctant detective who wants to be a Bollywood star!

Gameplay

Every case centers around an evidence board. Think of it like a sentence but all the nouns (clues) are missing! Explore the world, find the clues and then fit them logically to complete the sentence. You can go anywhere and talk to anyone, especially if you pick the right disguise. Pick up a nearby object and throw it to get out of a jam. With objects everywhere, use them to chase away dogs or disable cameras or just pickup trash and throw it at the litterer for some cash and catharsis!

Meet the Detective

Dotson never wanted to be a detective. That was his dad’s thing. Dotson wants to be an actor, in Bollywood – he’s great with costumes! But after dad’s mysterious death, he must play. the. part.

A Love Letter to India

We are an Indian team with worldwide experience – Pixar, Electronic Arts, Prana. It bothers us that while 20% of the world lives here, India is missing in video game culture. We are on a mission to fix this and we would love your feedback and support!