MATO ANOMALIES

A detective game Shanghaied into an RPG

Given how often cyberpunk borrows Asian aesthetics, it's refreshing to see an interpretation of the genre G from an Asian developer. But while Mato is a futuristic city, it also has something of 1930s Shanghai about it, with all the glamour of that period plus a noir vibe to match (developer Arrowiz just happens to be based in Shanghai).

It's just as well that your protagonist is Doe, a private detective whose coat would make Sherlock Holmes proud, though the mysteries he's investigating are more on the supernatural side, leading him to other dimensions filled with demons. This brings us to the game's Watson, a mysterious swordsman and exorcist called Gram, who's very elementary when it comes to taking care of demons through turn-based battles, so the duo have a clear distinction between brains and brawn, as Doe explores Mato and interacts with NPCs while Gram lets his blade do the talking.