The Darkside Detective vs Parallel Experiment
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The Darkside Detective
Investigate bizarre and dangerous cases in Twin Lakes City as a paranormal detective. Solve mysteries involving tentacles, zombies, and occult phenomena. This comedic serial adventure features bite-sized cases and witty puzzles.
- 9 paranormal micro cases
- Comedic serial adventure
- Point-and-click investigation
- High definition pixels
- Original music score
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Grab your trench coat, tune your sixth sense and join the Darkside Division as they investigate the outright bizarre, the downright dangerous and the confusing cases of Twin Lakes. Flesh-hungry tentacles, mafian zombies, and the occasional missing sock are no match for The Darkside Detective. "Where cultists crawl, where demons dwell, where the occult… occults? *ahem* That's where you’ll find Detective Francis McQueen, the lead investigator of the criminally underfunded Darkside Division. When evil darkens the doorsteps of Twin Lakes City – hell, even when it just loiters around shop fronts or hangs out in shady alleyways – he’s there, ready to investigate the cases that nobody else will. He is The Darkside Detective. ----- The COMPLETE SEASON ONE collection of this multi award-winning comedic serial adventure sees Detective McQueen and his sidekick, Officer Patrick Dooley, investigating cases plaguing Twin Lakes and its colorful citizens. Point at everything in sight, click around mysterious and eerie locations, and use your wits (or borrow a friend’s) to lay these cases to rest! Feature List • 9 paranormal bite-sized micro cases to investigate around Twin Lakes City, including a Christmas Spectacular Special • At least three jokes • Cutting edge, high definition pixels • One free curse-removal, up to and including mid-level witch hexes • Music from Ben Prunty, the audiomancer behind gems such as Into the Breach, Subnautica, and FTL
Parallel Experiment
A cooperative puzzle game where two players, separated with different clues, must communicate to solve escape room-style challenges. Features a noir-inspired comic book art style and over 80 collaborative puzzles.
- Two Player Co-Op
- Challenging Collaborative Puzzles
- Retro-Inspired Mini-Games
- Cooperative Dialogues
- Comic Book Storytelling
- In-Game Notebook for Notes
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IMPORTANT: "Parallel Experiment" is a 2-player cooperative puzzle game with escape room-like elements. Each player must have their own copy on either mobile, tablet, PC or Mac (cross-platform play is supported). In the game players take on the roles of two detectives who are often separated, each with different clues, and must work together to solve puzzles. Internet connection and voice communication are essential. Need a Player Two? Join our community on Discord! ABOUT THE GAME Parallel Experiment is a noir-inspired adventure with a comic book art style, featuring detectives Ally and Old Dog. While following the trail of the dangerous Cryptic Killer, they suddenly become his targets and are now unwilling participants in his twisted experiment. This is the second standalone chapter in the “Cryptic Killer” cooperative point-and-click puzzle game series. You can play Unboxing the Cryptic Killer first, if you want to learn more about our detectives and their nemesis, but Parallel Experiment can be enjoyed without prior knowledge. KEY FEATURES - Two Player Co-Op In Parallel Experiment, players must rely on their communication skills as they’re separated and must each discover unique clues that are vital for solving puzzles on the other end. Teamwork is essential to crack the Cryptic Killer’s codes. - Challenging Collaborative Puzzles There are over 80 puzzles striking the perfect balance between challenging yet fair. But you're not facing them on your own! Communicate with your partner on how to best proceed, solve a puzzle on your end that unlocks the next step for them and discover a wide variety of puzzles from redirecting water flows, finding computer passwords and unlocking intricate locks, to deciphering cryptic ciphers, soldering electronic components, and even waking up a drunk! - Two Can Play That Game Looking for a break from the main investigation? Dive into a variety of retro-inspired mini-games designed with a fresh cooperative twist. Challenge each other to darts, Three in a Row, Match Three, Claw Machine, Push and Pull, and more. Think you know these classics? We’ve reinvented them for a whole new co-op experience - Cooperative Dialogues Uncover vital clues through collaborative conversations. NPCs respond dynamically to each player, offering new layers of interaction that only teamwork can unravel. Some conversations are puzzles in themselves that you need to solve together! - A story told in panels Our love for comic books shines in Parallel Experiment. Every cutscene is presented as a beautifully crafted comic book page, immersing you in a gripping, noir-inspired narrative. How many pages did we create to tell the story? Almost 100 pages! Even we were surprised by how much it took, but every panel was worth it to deliver a story that keeps you on edge until the very last frame. - Draw on… Everything! Every detective needs a notebook. In Parallel Experiment, players can jot down notes, sketch solutions, and interact with the environment in creative ways. But we all know what you're going to draw first… - Annoy Each Other This is a key feature? Yes. Yes, it is. Each level will have some way for players to annoy their co-op partner: knock on a window to distract them, poke them, make their screens shake. You already know you'll be doing this just by reading it, right? Parallel Experiment has a variety of mind-twisting challenges that push the boundaries of cooperative puzzle design, offering situations never seen before in other games.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: The Darkside Detective at 4.9 against Parallel Experiment's 3.3. The Darkside Detective also leads on review sentiment (77% vs 57%) and ratings volume (47 vs 7). Parallel Experiment's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 weeks) and chart position (#99 vs unranked). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
The Darkside Detective costs $6.99 and Parallel Experiment $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
The Darkside Detective holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Darkside Detective has 47 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 77% of The Darkside Detective's written reviews are positive against 57% of Parallel Experiment's.
The Darkside Detective ships an update every 6 weeks, Parallel Experiment every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | The Darkside Detective | Parallel Experiment |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $6.99 | $6.99 |
| Rating | 4.9 (47 ratings) — better | 3.3 (7 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 76.9% of reviews — better | 57.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 47 — better | 7 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #99 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 992 MB | 1.2 GB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Akupara Games, LLC | Eleven Products Sp. z o.o. |
Customer experience
The Darkside Detective
Parallel Experiment
In-app purchases
The Darkside Detective
No in-app purchases
Parallel Experiment
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is The Darkside Detective free?
Is Parallel Experiment free?
Which has better reviews, The Darkside Detective or Parallel Experiment?
Do The Darkside Detective or Parallel Experiment have ads?
Which is updated more often, The Darkside Detective or Parallel Experiment?
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