Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Catch Simona in New York City follows a classic point‐and‐click detective formula that will feel instantly familiar to fans of the Carmen Sandiego series. Players travel across iconic landmarks—Times Square, Central Park, the Brooklyn Bridge—questioning witnesses, piecing together alibis, and gathering clues. The interface is intuitive: click to move, interact, and collect evidence, and use the in‐game dossier to track suspect profiles and outstanding warrants. A built‐in hint system ensures you won’t get hopelessly stuck, making it an excellent choice for both beginners and seasoned sleuths.

(HEY YOU!! We hope you enjoy! We try not to run ads. So basically, this is a very expensive hobby running this site. Please consider joining us for updates, forums, and more. Network w/ us to make some cash or friends while retro gaming, and you can win some free retro games for posting. Okay, carry on 👍)

Each location offers a mini‐puzzle or interactive challenge to unlock the next lead. Sometimes you’ll unscramble codes in an electronics shop, other times you’ll analyze security camera footage in a police precinct. These diversions break up the investigation nicely, adding variety without overwhelming the core detective loop. The puzzles ramp up gradually, ensuring that new players have time to learn mechanics before being tested on more complex tasks.

Pursuing Simona is about more than just site‐to‐site travel; timing and resource management come into play. You’ll have a limited number of “investigation points” each day, and choosing the most promising leads becomes crucial. Should you check the art galleries first or stake out the subway tunnels? The decisions you make affect how quickly you can secure a warrant and nab the suspect before she slips away to another borough. It’s a light but effective strategic layer that keeps every case tense.

Multiplayer isn’t included, but a local “cooperative” mode lets two players share the screen and collaborate. One player handles questioning and clue collection, while the other focuses on puzzle‐solving and unlocking warrant data. This split‐duty approach turns solo detective work into a shared experience, perfect for families or friends looking to solve mysteries together.

Graphics

Visually, Catch Simona opts for vibrant, cartoon‐inspired art rather than hyper‐realism. The cityscapes pop with color: neon signs flicker in Times Square, foliage rustles in Central Park, and pedestrians bustle through every street scene. Each district of New York City is distinct, thanks to bold palettes and playful character designs. This stylistic choice also keeps hardware requirements modest, ensuring smooth performance on a wide range of PCs and consoles.

Character sprites are expressive and memorable, from Simona’s sly smirk to the varied reactions of witnesses you interview. Animations are simple but fluid—smoke from a hot dog stand drifts lazily, and subway trains rattle by in the background. Developers have peppered the environment with Easter eggs referencing classic spy movies and ’90s educational software, which adds a nostalgic charm for longtime genre fans.

Cutscenes are handled in comic‐book style panels, accompanied by voiceovers that elevate the drama. While voice acting quality varies—some lines deliver genuine chuckles, others sound a bit flat—it generally matches the game’s lighthearted tone. Text boxes and menus maintain consistent typography and iconography, making navigation clear and frustration‐free.

Lighting and special effects are used sparingly but effectively. A spotlight highlights key evidence in a crime scene, while subtle lens flares emphasize nighttime stakeouts. Overall, the graphics aren’t groundbreaking, but they are cohesive and suited to the game’s playful detective vibe, ensuring that sightseeing remains an entertaining part of every case.

Story

The narrative premise is simple: Simona has inherited her aunt Carmen Sandiego’s knack for sophisticated heists but insists on keeping her operations confined to New York City. Every case begins in the winding corridors of a local museum or the hidden vaults beneath a luxury hotel. As you chase her from one iconic site to another, small story beats flesh out Simona’s motives—she’s not evil incarnate, just an adrenaline junkie who can’t resist a high‐stakes challenge.

Dialogue is peppered with witty banter. Simona’s quips over police radio feel like a personal dare: “Bet you can’t catch me before I hit the next borough!” Witnesses share gossip and personal anecdotes, creating a sense of local flavor. Each chapter concludes with a suspenseful cliffhanger that sets up the next pursuit, ensuring you remain hooked from the theater district to Harlem.

As you progress, deeper layers of Simona’s past come to light. You’ll uncover hints about why she idolized her aunt and what drove her to reject globe‐trotting in favor of a single metropolis. Side characters—a retired detective, a taxi driver with a photographic memory, and a museum curator—add narrative subplots that enrich the main chase. These arcs never overshadow the primary goal of nabbing Simona but provide welcome context and emotional stakes.

The story’s pacing is brisk: each chapter feels like a self‐contained caper, yet the overarching chase ties them together neatly. Although it lacks the time‐travel twists of the Carmen Sandiego originals, the focus on one city allows for more detailed world‐building. You’ll leave no borough unexplored, and by the final showdown atop the Empire State Building, you’ll feel like you’ve experienced a cinematic detective adventure tailored to New York’s heartbeat.

Overall Experience

Catch Simona in New York City strikes a fine balance between accessibility and depth. The gameplay loop is straightforward enough for newcomers—no prior detective game expertise required—while the strategic allocation of investigation points and varied puzzles keep veteran sleuths engaged. The cooperative mode further broadens its appeal, offering a fun social twist on the solo experience.

Technically, the game runs smoothly, with minimal load times and reliable performance across different systems. The art direction and user interface are polished, though the absence of real‐time weather effects or dynamic crowds means the city never truly feels “alive.” Still, the stylized visuals contribute to the game’s charm and help maintain consistent frame rates.

The story may not reinvent the wheel, but it adds personality to the classic corkboard‐and‐clue‐cards format. Simona is a worthy successor to Carmen Sandiego—equally glib, perhaps even more nimble—and her New York escapades deliver plenty of excitement. Side characters and localized subplots enrich the narrative, making you care about more than just the heist logistics.

For anyone seeking a lighthearted detective romp with a strong educational bent—learning New York trivia, practicing logic puzzles, and honing memorization skills—Catch Simona in New York City is a worthy pick. It’s a self‐contained caper that manages to feel both nostalgic and fresh, offering hours of clue‐hungry fun without ever overstaying its welcome. If you’ve ever wanted to play Sherlock Holmes in the city that never sleeps, Simona’s on the loose, and you’re just the detective to bring her down.

Retro Replay Score

null/10