[7] Upon release, Shadows of Doubt received generally favorable views, with critics praising the innovative design of the game's open-ended gameplay, whilst critiquing its repetitive elements and bugs.

The Empire is torn apart by rebellions during the Mustard War from 1891 to 1901, and then reorganized into the democratic United Atlantic States in 1902, which enshrines corporate personhood into law in order to rebuild its economy.

Due to hyper-industrialization, radioactive fallout from the Mustard War, and rising sea levels caused by global warming, most people live and work in cramped, smog-shrouded cities isolated by the toxic water.

Every UAS citizen dreams of attaining the lofty social credit score necessary to retire to The Fields, an exclusive district purportedly located in one of the last unsullied regions.

Since the Enforcers are spread thin, willing citizens are permitted to investigate murders, catalog evidence, and arrest criminals in exchange for cash and social credit score promotions.

[11] This design was later changed to a first-person 3D with players assuming the role of an individual detective, with models for the game adapted from Jeffries' 2015 city-themed title Concrete Jungle into pixel art and voxels.

[29] Justin Wood of CGMagazine praised the investigative mechanics as a "standout feature" of the game due to the "organic and challenging" gameplay and "numerous paths for progression".

[29] Kelly stated the game's "dense sandbox" delivered on creating a "living world" with "fully-realized inhabitants", but other aspects fell short, due to the "repetitive and bland" interactions and lack of consequences to investigation.

[26] Wolens expressed that many items and interactions were prone to repetition, and the generated qualities of city inhabitants lacked an organic and social element that made individuals unmemorable.

[25] Wood considered the game's narrative to be "engaging and vital", but noted the procedural design meant that cases lacked an "actual connective tissue" in creating a broader story.

[26] Wood critiqued the game's "issues and technical imperfections" on console, due to crashes, long load times, menu and cursor bugs, and errors with the behaviour of evidence that made completing cases impossible.