Aside from a handful of documents littering the desktop, the main focal point is the database. It appears that we’re in control of a police station database. The opening screen begins with a computer interface from the 90’s.

I’m not the biggest fan of FMV games so the title skipped my radar for quite some time. There are still well-made and thought out traditional mystery games, but if you’re anything like me and you love to take reign of the investigation yourself, then it’s always a relief to stumble on a title that fulfills that desire.

It’s not really to say that one type is better than another. I can think of two other favorites in this category–Obra Dinn and the Painscreek Killings. It’s similar to watching a movie in some ways.įortunately, we’ve seen many titles in recent years where the actual detective work is pushed into the hands of the player instead, and one of those games is Her Story. However, in many detective games you’re mainly watching the progression of a lead detective deduce their own conclusions (often in direct exposition). Ironically, what distinguishes video games from other storytelling forms is player agency, which gives consumers the opportunity to exercise free will (to a certain extent). In this way, you’re really a Watson and not a Sherlock. The gamer is often following the footsteps of the detective, rendering him or her a proxy for the plot.

In traditional adventure mystery games, there’s little emphasis on actual investigative work. I’ve recently come across an interesting article, “Making the Player the Detective” by Bjarke Alexander Larsen and Henrik Schoenau-Fog (2020), where the majority of mystery and detective games are criticized as being stories of investigation as opposed to crime.

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