The Shapeshifting Detective

Game Details: Mystery, 2018

Links: Moby Games, Steam, Adventure Gamers

Walkthrough Updated: 4/1/2019

Suggested Listening: Give Up Now (Ash 25)

The Shapeshifting Detective is a supernatural FMV murder mystery game. You play as a detective who can transform into multiple different people. You are investigating the brutal murder of Dorota Shaw, and the 3 main suspects are tarot readers who can predict upcoming murders. The actual culprit is random for each game. There are 21 Steam Achievements, all documented in the walkthrough below, and it will take at least 2 plays of the game to collect them all. A spin-off game based on several of this game's characters is Dark Nights with Poe and Munro.

The Case

Sam

At the first dialog choice with Agent X, select "Who are you?" Play It Again Sam and the game will start again. The second time, choose to delete the question Strong Silent Type.

After meeting Violet you will head down the corridor and see Bronwyn in the dining room. Talk to her, then you will start walking towards your room. Hail a cab to visit the Chief. Talk to him about everything, and he will suggest you do some investigating. Return to the guesthouse and talk to Violet about everything, then visit each of the other guests, Bronwyn, Rayne and Lexie. Go back and talk to Bronwyn about the Mercury tarot deck, then go to your room. Now you have the ability to switch into other characters.

Chief Dupont

Talk to Violet, Bronwyn, Rayne and Lexie.

Violet

Visit Chief Dupont (hailing a cab), then return to the guesthouse and talk to Bronwyn, Rayne and Lexie.

Rayne

Visit Chief Dupont, then return to the guesthouse and talk to Violet, Bronwyn and Lexie.

Lexie

Visit Chief Dupont, then return to the guesthouse and talk to Violet, Bronwyn and Rayne.

Bronwyn

Visit Chief Dupont, then return to the guesthouse and talk to Violet and Lexie. Now talk to Rayne, but be careful which options you select, as the following sequence will earn one achievement, but lock you out of another at the end:

Select "Thoughts on Dorota?", "A rite?", "Stop it?", "Traveller?", "No" and "Stay" Heavy Rayne. This will break Agent X's main rule of not revealing yourself, so you won't be able to get Hashtag Winning.

Sam

Talk to Violet again - you will get an achievement if everyone has been asking Violet difficult questions A Woman Scorned. Now go to hail a cab Play Me By The Hour.

18:00 - A Dame to Die For!

Sam

Visit Oscar and answer his first question with "I'm a shapeshifting detective" You Had One Job. Visit the Chief and talk to him about everything, then head back to the guesthouse. Talk to Violet, Bronwyn and Rayne.

Talk to Lexie - make sure to select the options "Let's hear it", "Go on" and "Hooked on your every word" when she's talking about her ouija board Patient Listener. Also make sure when you acuse her of lying about her alibi, you select "Yes. It's obstruction of justice".

Bronwyn

Talk to Violet, Rayne and Lexie. Travel to see Chief Dupont, then visit Oscar. Say that you don't think he is a bad influence, then select "Yes, that would be nice", "Sure", then "... return to guesthouse and wait for date". Continue with "It's ok. We can take it slowly", "Get up on the bed", "Shh baby. Just a l ittle pressure down there", and "I want you inside me" Oscar Winning Performance. Answer the final question either way.

Chief Dupont

Talk to Violet and Bronwyn, then visit Oscar.

Rayne

Talk to Violet, Bronwyn and Lexie.

Lexie

Talk to Bronwyn and Rayne.

Oscar

Talk to Violet, then visit Chief Dupont.

Sam

Go and visit Oscar once more.

19:00 - The Camera Never Lies

Sam

Visit Zak and select "Are you Zak Weston?", "The Shaws hired me", "You've never met Dorota?", "You photographed Dorota?", "Did she come to the studio?", "So you know where she lived?", "Was that the only time you met Dorota?", "Pictures of Dorota", "Like what?", "Did you take any other pictures of Dorota?", "Violet told me", "Boudoir photography?", "Who did Dorota get them for?", "Yes', "Sure" and finally "Show me" Voyeur. Finish out the conversation with him.

Next visit Oscar and say "Do you know Zak Weston?", "He took photos of Dorota", "Yes" and finish out the converstion. Next visit Chief Dupont. Go to the guesthouse and talk to Violet, then you will see a little girl in the hallway. Try to talk to Bronwyn and Lexie, but they both say they are working. Talk to Rayne, then start switching characters again.

Chief Dupont

Visit Oscar and Zak.

Violet

Visit Zak.

Rayne

Talk to Violet, then visit Zak.

Zak

Talk to Violet and Rayne.

Oscar

Visit Chief Dupont.

Sam

Talk to Rayne again, then hail a cab.

20:00 - Dead Cert

Sam

You will automatically see the next tarot reading, and then visit Chief Dupont, where he will tell you that he has arrested Bronwyn and possibly Lexie as well. Book ' em Danny. Go back and visit Chief Dupont again, then visit Zak and Ellis. Return to the guesthouse and talk to Violet, Rayne, and then Violet again.

Oscar

Visit Zak and say "Did you touch her?", then "... kick him" Bullseye. Visit Chief Dupont and then Ellis.

Violet

Visit Chief Dupont and Zak.

Sam

Visit Chief Dupont and he will release his prisoners.

Zak

Talk to Violet, then visit Ellis and select "Pose for me?", "Just, undo a few buttons".

Lexie

Talk to Rayne, then talk to Bronwyn and select the option "Because you're immortal?" when it becomes available Highlander. Next visit Zak. Be careful which options you select, as the following sequence will earn one achievement, but lock you out of another at the end:

Delete the option "Bluff - I know what you did to Dorota". Now continue with "Yes", "... Change places", "... Drink" and "... Remove top" Show Me Some Skin. This will break Agent X's main rule of not revealing yourself, so you won't be able to get Hashtag Winning.

Rayne

Talk to Violet and Lexie, then visit Ellis.

Chief Dupont

Visit Oscar and Ellis.

Bronwyn

Talk to Violet, Rayne and Lexie, then go and visit Ellis.

Sam

Talk to Bronwyn, Lexie and Rayne, then hail a cab.

21:00 - Redheads Have More Fun

Sam

Visit Poe. Go back to the guesthouse and talk to Violet, Bronwyn, Rayne and Lexie.

Ellis

Try to visit Oscar, but he will leave town. Visit Zak, then visit Poe. Select "Let's finish it" and "Yes" Put A Ring On It.

Zak

Talk to Violet, then visit Poe Poetent.

Poe

You will receive an achievement for shifting into all possible characters Chameleon. Talk to Violet and visit Ellis.

Sam

Visit Ellis, Zak and Chief Dupont. Pay attention to what he says when you ask "What do we know?".

22:00 - Judgement Day

Sam

Chief Dupont will give you several options with how to deal with Ellis - this decision will lead you to one of 2 possible achievements:

"Send an officer to her house". When you see Ellis, say "What's wrong with Danny?", then "Chief Dupont?" Chicken. Sometimes this will also result in Video Saved The Radio Star.

If you didn't get the second achievement, on the second play through select another option:

"I'll protect her at her house", then stay with her Video Saved The Radio Star.

23:00 - The Fool

Sam

Bronwyn will tell you that you are the next target. You will automatically go to see Chief Dupont and must select who you think is the killer.

01:00 - Kill or Cure

Sam

There is an achievement for selecting the correct killer from the list Look Mum I'm A Detective. If you selected the wrong killer, you will now have a confrontation with them. Switch into them - if Rayne was the killer, there will be another achievement now The Big Sleep.

If you survived the game and didn't reveal yourself by getting Show Me Some Skin or Heavy Rayne, Agent X will congratulate you Hashtag Winning. Now you can enter the secret debriefing and answer a series of questions:

Are you human?
Do you have feelings?
Do plants have feelings?
I've burned down a rainforest. Does that make you happy?
I've killed a serial killer. Does that make you happy?

Your answers to these questions will result in different comments from Agent X, but the optimal solution appears to be "No", "Yes", "No", "No", "Yes".