Off the Shelf Media

First off, this article is by no means a walkthrough or platinum-run advice. It is simply a collection of things I had to search for or find out myself while playing Shadows of Doubt that I wish I had known earlier. With that being said, let’s dive in.

This game is hard, certainly in part because of the random generation aspect. Both the unpredictable amount of instruction each mission will offer but also the impossible (for now) task of using online searches to help make this game a challenge. Each mission is randomly generated, so searching the culprit’s name online is a wasted effort. I have only ever played on the normal difficulty and if you read my review of this title, you will know why. That being said, it is my recommendation to play however you like so long as you know it is difficult whatever setting you use. The game is a detective RPG so you can approach each mission however you like, the tips I offer will prevent some achievements if it’s the only way you play but will hopefully make it easier to get started and give you a good understanding of the game. You can strive for that pacifist run in your next playthrough. 

Get the Sword

I cannot stress this enough, you need the sword to make life easier. By accident, I discovered it is probably the best melee weapon in the game by picking it up during my first case in an apartment and letting it rip across the owner in the dead of night. It will knock out NPC’s in 1-2 hits if they are unaware. As of right now, the enforcers cannot be knocked out (at least when I tried). Once, I had to hit an NPC 5-7 times before they went out. However, in this case, they had already discovered me inside their apartment and were aware of my presence. It was hard to tell if this scenario made a difference as I could not recreate it. 

This is important to get because the guns and ammo you find all over the game cannot be used as anything more than evidence (unless you’re willing to throw it away.) Usually, I would dislike a feature like this, but honestly, it makes the game a lot of fun, especially because the NPCs will shoot at you. 

The sword and katana can be found throughout the world, typically in apartments. It can also be purchased for around $200 in most pawn shops. 

Catburgling Detective…

Shadows of Doubt is chock full of collectibles and we will get into the important ones later. For now, know that the best way to find them is a classic B&E (that’s breaking and entering for you civys). You may be telling yourself that seems a little paradoxical (and you would be right) but trust me. Early on in the game, it is the best way to get funding for food and supplies. It can also be useful for intel, something you always want to be gathering. You do not necessarily have to knock the homeowner unconscious but if you already have the sword, it makes it a little too easy.

You will eventually break into every type of room: office, restaurant, store, etc. at some point to solve your cases so taking the valuable knick knacks while you’re there only seems natural.

Keep an eye out for diamonds especially as they always have a high value (roughly $1,000-$3,000 per) as well as ‘SyncDiscs’ which may not have a high value comparatively but are the only way to get perks.

Those are important to drop and swap other inventory items for early in the game when space is an issue. 

You can find most passcodes for safes either in the same room on a desk or in the bedside tables of the homeowner.

If all else fails, you can use a code breaker, which is a good item to keep on you but hard to do early with only four inventory slots. If you do end up knocking the occupant unconscious, I advise taking their fingerprints and learning as much about them as you can while looting. You never know when and if someone will turn into a murderer. 

Or Side Jobs

Alright, crime may not be the only thing that pays but for me, it is crucial to get those first few thousand dollars to not have to worry about supplies. The other option is side jobs. Usually, they are pretty simple, you find a target and do or take something from them. The hardest part about these jobs is the random bits of information you are given. Sometimes its boot size and the perp’s job, other times it’s their name and address. There is a lot of variation, so don’t feel too bad if it might seem impossible to solve at times. This is where your collection of random character traits can come in handy. As you amass more, they really do get easier. 

Opening the briefcase for these missions will reveal character traits, and as I said earlier, can be great or next to useless. You will have to decide if it is worth your time but I would suggest giving it an honest try before calling it quits. Ask around about anyone who may know them and you might be lucky. Also, initials go a long way, just remember to use the phone book. Oh – and the homeless will always say they are cohabiting with every other homeless person in the city. 

My advice is not to waste time doing the low-paying jobs. Instead, look for one that pays more than $1,000 and comes with a SynDisc you do not have.

Finding them in the wild is a rare occurrence so knowing a guaranteed perk in advance is a big help even if you don’t know what it will do. Early game these upgrade disks are the most valuable item for your character. Some have minor abilities that hardly make a difference, others will change the entire dynamic of how you play, and yes a few can increase your inventory. 

Hydrate or Die

You need to stay well-fed and hydrated in Shadows of Doubt. This can kill you and force a respawn in the hospital but to me, the time it takes for those to deplete is incredibly long. The meters, which are three drops and a fork and knife crossed, will first appear white and then slowly become a deeper red.

You do not need to worry until they are dark crimson and you will find food scattered in homes and restaurants. Food vendors are never that far away but will cost a buck ($3-8 roughly per item).

As of right now, most food and drink items do an excellent job of filling the meters, usually only needing one to satiate your hunger or thirst. The ‘synth meat’ and ‘synth milk’ are not good items to use as they will make you sick if you eat or drink too much of them. Seems to be more than half but it’s hard to know exactly how much is too much, I usually avoid them altogether so you don’t vomit and start to smell. Try as you might, you cannot cook the meat…yet?

City Living

If you do not have an apartment – get one. They make a massive difference early on. Not only is the “Well-Rested” status effect helpful but apartments also offer food, drink, showering, drying off, and can even serve as a vendor.

I would suggest buying a bed, shower, water cooler, vending machine, phone, and phone book for your apartment in that order.

Sorry, it may not look nice but that will give you pretty much every possible status effect from the comfort of home. Not only can you cure the basic ailments but also use the customize feature to sell items.

It might feel a bit like cheating but in a pinch, it can help you get rid of some extra items. I prefer to stash my ‘acquired’ goods in my apartment until the pawn shops open up but you can also sell them. If you place the item from your inventory in your apartment and then activate the customize apartment feature, you can sell them like furniture. For me, the price always seemed random but on the lower side compared to the stores. Again, I try to avoid this mechanic because it seems more like a glitch than an intentional design but to each their own. 

Tools of the Trade

You might be asking yourself if you ever actually solve crime in this game and you do! But hold your horses, first you need to know about the necessary equipment. I am not going to cover everything you can use while you hunt down a perp but hopefully, if you have these items you’ll be able to catch just about anyone. While the sword and codebreaker certainly have their advantages they aren’t absolutely necessary, just highly recommended.

The most important item is the handcuffs.

You need them to make an arrest and they can be found at the city hall vending machines and also scattered around apartments for… reasons I’m sure your keen mind can deduce. 

To use them, you simply need to have them equipped and activate an NPC from behind or unconscious without being suspicious. Sometimes, you can rush a dirty criminal quick enough and book ‘em before they even notice. Other times, sneak and blunt force trauma to the head work best. I would always recommend having at least one in your inventory at all times. You can cuff anyone at any time without any reason. If you do handcuff someone without making an arrest, they will be released in 15 minutes. Handcuffing a person will also make them more likely to divulge valuable information. If you are highly suspicious of a person but don’t have the exact evidence to convict, you can cuff them and then accuse them to see if they admit. If not, you are free to reload a save. I do not like to admit I have done that exact tactic but my instincts have always been right when I did, so I never needed to reload the save. 

The other necessary item is lockpicks. They do not take up an inventory slot and as far as I can tell, you are able to hold an unlimited amount of them.

You will find them literally everywhere in the form of hairpins and paper clips. The best spots to look are restaurants and bars, usually covering the order counters above and below and also the serving or prep stations behind.

You will find them scattered in every possible location and it is never a crime to pick them up, so start stuffing your pockets, you are gonna need them. While the ductwork does offer an alternative option to getting around doors I have found it is better as an emergency escape route than a go-to form of entry. Even with the map, they can be confusing and are never quick. They make an excellent escape route if you’re lucky but always a good spot to hide for before frostbite sets in. 

The last item I recommend while sleuthing is the newspaper. You may have noticed that some of these tips might land you in questionable legal scenarios. In such cases, it is important to run away from any do-gooders or possible enforcement agents. While it usually is not too difficult to evade your pursuers, you can quickly become cornered or accidentally set off a chain reaction of rivals by attempting to knock them out on the open streets. To easily evade any chaser simply equip the newspaper and activate it once you turn the corner out of sight. Instantly, your character will disappear and the pursuers will quickly dissipate. You can also find this item scattered around the city but can buy it at city hall.  

So You Want to be a Detective Private Investigator

This last section is advice when actually investigating a kidnapper or murder. Now, people have tried to categorize the ‘types’ of murders on other guides but it eliminates some of the fun for me if I try to define the algorithm of the game. It is more like a logic puzzle filling in variables than trying to solve a case, in my book at least. 

My first bit of advice is something I have already mentioned: gather evidence everywhere you see it.

The more names, job titles, addresses, work schedules, fingerprints, etc. that you put together the easier it is to solve a case. Places of business are a great stop because they usually have employee photos posted somewhere. Reading them will make identifying future witnesses or perps much easier in the long run. If you dig deeper, they also have more detailed files in the manager’s office.

Be careful not to get lost in the weeds though as you will find random fingerprints everywhere. Try to restrict gathering to active cases and asking during conversations with other NPCs. There is a fair bit of randomness, especially if you start scanning mailboxes and doorways but both have helped my investigations in the past. 

Fingerprints are some of the best evidence and will usually be what breaks a case. Sometimes, however, there may be a mismatch of sorts. I mean that the game may not register the correct fingerprint with the person and you are unable to take the fingerprint of the arrested culprit. It has happened to me once before but rest assured.

Even if you do not have the criminal’s print found at the scene of the crime, as long as you have the correct print, properly registered or not, logged into the case file it will still count as the necessary evidence to arrest them. 

Finger and shoe prints can also be misleading. One of the most important lessons I have learned is to be the first on the scene. The enforcers will always find their way to the crime scene, sometimes it feels scripted if they are breaking down the door of the victim as you turn on the hallway and sometimes they are already indoors.

Drop everything and get to the crime scene before they tamper with anything.

My longest case was caused by me chasing nothing more than a shoe print at the scene. It must have been two real-world hours before I realized it came from the enforcer who knocked down the door as I arrived. A hard lesson learned but it also taught me the importance of revisiting a scene when you’re stumped. I found a single fingerprint from the culprit under the far side of the toilet seat. If you do find yourself in a contaminated crime scene, I would advise getting a near-full profile of the enforcers in the room and hallway. It could save you a lot of trouble.

Always disarm the alarm system and shut off the cameras.

If you are short on lockpicks then try focusing on the cameras because the lock needed to bypass will also give you access to the switch for all the lights as well as the security gate.

You can sneak around lights in the darkness, sometimes the angle is just right for you to use your flashlight in the same room but be warned it can set it off.

They will also turn back on after a certain amount of time but once you breach the control box you will not need to lock pick it again.

The last piece of advice I have to give is a bit more of a hand-holding nature. If you feel satisfied with what I’ve offered so far then stop here and get playing. If you are completely lost on a case,  this might be just the advice you need. 

Often times, the perpetrator is just under your nose, or well the phone. Each home has an address book of their personal colleagues.

Typically, one of those is the killer or someone they know at work.

This is certainly not an absolute but if all my leads are dead ends then their coworkers and friends are the people I start looking through first. Then, there is the murder weapon. If enough evidence presents itself on the victim’s body and your character is able to deduce the murder weapon then you have a strong lead that may not seem obvious in your first playthrough. Most stores, outside of the restaurants, have an account log of sales.

If an item matching the description of the murder weapon was bought on the same day or near the murder then you have the criminal’s initials.

This is typically true for hardware stores but almost foolproof in my experience with weapon merchants. Combine that with evidence that suggests they knew the victim and I would say nine times out of ten that is the culprit.

Now this last piece of advice is 100% a spoiler for sure. It is how I have solved most of my kidnapping cases. It is somewhat shameful but has worked every single time so if you are having trouble with those cases in particular, this is for you. My first case I managed to solve because I found the identity of the person who had written the kidnapee a letter telling them not to trust their spouse and meet them at a diner; luckily they were both on camera. Every other one I have had to pay the ransom, well not really. If I cannot find strong evidence of the culprit within the first hour I call in to say I will pay the ransom, I fill the briefcase with the money they require, I plant it in a well-lit area and then I hide in the shadows under a lamp with which I have loosened the lightbulb. Sure enough, they always come to collect, and I immediately arrest them before they pick up the case. This makes these cases really easy but also not that fun. The only reason I do not feel terrible doing this strategy is because the drop-off is the hardest part of any kidnapping for the criminal to succeed.  

In Conclusion

I love this game and the developers seem dedicated to making and maintaining a great experience. There is certainly more that could be said but really I tried to answer the questions and points of confusion I had during my first playthrough. Hopefully, I did not spoil the major points of discovery for this game that make it interesting. By that I mean the moments when your skill and understanding come together to complete an objective. I feel like it is next to impossible to do with this game because of how random it is; it manages to invoke a unique feeling every time a new case pops up that no other game ever has for me. Here’s to starting one more case at 1 am.