PREVIEW – Artificial Detective is not trying to stand out by shoving another routine robot shooter in front of us. Instead, it wraps an investigation into humanity’s disappearance inside a decopunk city, with a military robodog, a human girl raised among machines and a detective with damaged memories. On paper, VIVIX Inc.’s third-person action-adventure, planned for 2027, offers exactly the kind of mixture that could either turn into a sharply defined sci-fi adventure or a machine dream stuffed with too many ideas. Either way, the setup has more than enough imagination behind it.
The protagonist of Artificial Detective is AD 2846, a robot detective who wakes up with fractured memories in Conglomerate North. The place is not just another standard post-apocalyptic ruin, but a multilayered, Art Deco-inspired decopunk metropolis that machines were originally supposed to maintain for humanity’s return. Except something went very wrong: humans have vanished, rogue robots rule the city, and the whole system keeps grinding away as if the old rules still meant anything.
AD 2846 is not entirely alone in this mad metal jungle. At his side are DAWG, the loyal military robodog, and Mowgli, a human girl raised by machines. At first glance, that trio could easily sound like a cheap sci-fi gag, but one of the game’s stronger ideas is precisely that the companions are not simple side characters or moving commentary tracks. Based on Steam and Xbox Wire, they are active parts of progression, exploration and survival: they can unlock new abilities, help in combat, scan clues, manage equipment and open new routes through the city.
The central question of the story is simple, but strong enough: what happened to humanity? The game is not built merely around a robot shooting his way through a city, but around AD 2846 piecing the past together from fragments. The districts of Conglomerate North reveal new layers of this world, with crime-ridden areas controlled by Rise Corp, malfunctioning machines, hidden routes, bosses and flashbacks into the past. If all of that comes together properly, the investigation will not just be decorative scenery behind the action.
The Trigger Is Not The Only Thing That Talks
Artificial Detective does not want to force one single solution on the player. AD 2846 can use electromagnetic weapons, hack systems, sneak around, outsmart rogue robots or turn the environment against them. Fire, electricity, magnetism and the interactive elements of the levels can all influence how each situation is resolved.
That matters because the promised sandbox structure only means anything if we are not simply given a list of options. A well-prepared hack, a quiet detour, a chain reaction triggered through the environment or a direct fight can give the same district an entirely different rhythm. If VIVIX Inc. treats this as more than a marketing line, Conglomerate North could become far more than a stylish backdrop.
Survival and investigation also play an important role. The player searches for clues, gathers resources, repairs and upgrades equipment, while constantly weighing when it is worth going into combat, when it is better to stay hidden, and when companion abilities need to be brought into play. This setup will probably not be only about raw reflexes, but also about how well we can understand the city and the logic of the machine madness running through it.
The City That Outlived Its Inhabitants
Conglomerate North consists of more than ten separate districts, and players can travel between them on a flying streetcar. This vehicle is not only an atmospheric decopunk prop, but may also function as the team’s mobile hub: according to Xbox Wire, this is where players will be able to upgrade companions, assemble collected clues, receive mission briefings and set the next directions of the investigation.
The city’s visual identity is shaped by 1930s Art Deco, retro-futuristic sci-fi, neo-noir and anime influences. On paper, that is a strong mixture: elevated districts, skybridges, levitating vehicles, towers, abandoned human spaces and strange robot inhabitants form a world where the absence of humanity may feel louder than any explosion. The developers clearly do not want to show a bleak, empty end of the world, but a system that has been running far too long without its owners.
The tone does not seem completely grim either. Artificial Detective touches on serious questions about AI, the future of humanity and what remains after us if our own systems outlive the species, but based on the developers’ comments, it does not want to freeze into heavy philosophical concrete. It seems more like a character-driven adventure built on dark humor and strange situations, where even after the end of the world there is still pace, curiosity and chemistry between the characters.
DAWG, Mowgli And The Detective Who Wants To Be Human
The dynamic between the three main characters may be the most important test for Artificial Detective. AD 2846 is a naïve robot detective who wants to become human, Mowgli is a human girl raised among machines, and DAWG is at once a military tool, a companion and one of the team’s most important survival assets. This setup could easily become too direct or too cute, but with good writing it could turn into a genuinely strong character triangle.
DAWG is a particularly interesting element because he is not just a cute robodog for the poster. According to the developers, he will have a role in combat, environmental interactions, item identification and practical support functions. Mowgli’s presence matters because she is living proof that the story of humanity’s disappearance may not be as simple as it first appears. A robot who wants to become human, and a human who learned the world among machines – that can genuinely produce strong sci-fi tension.
The game is expected in 2027 for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. Artificial Detective currently belongs to that promising, still cautiously watched group of projects where the idea alone is already strong enough to demand attention. The question is whether VIVIX Inc. can put enough rhythm, writing and gameplay weight behind the striking concept to make AD 2846’s investigation not only look good, but actually remain memorable.
-Gergely Herpai “BadSector”-
