Ring of Fire
Ring of Fire is a detective noir puzzler set in the solarpunk utopia of New London.
You play as Detective Grosvenor, a jaded, middle-aged woman hunting through the still-dark corners of the city in pursuit of a radicalised serial killer.
Using your powers of deduction you must solve the brutally gruesome murders of the Ring of Fire killer. Examine clues, interrogate key suspects, and cross-reference your findings in the police database to uncover the mystery.
SEARCH
Solve the case using text entry, meaning you can’t brute force the puzzle.
INTERVIEW
Push your suspects to the brink through branching cinematic conversations with meaningful consequences.
INVESTIGATE
Explore the 3D crime scene to examine evidence both visually and textually.
Read More: Best Detective Investigation Games.
The Deed
You play as Arran Bruce, part of a noble dynasty which goes back hundreds of years, and you’ve returned to the family home, Dunshiel House. It’s a place which doesn’t hold many happy memories for you growing up. It’s a miserable night, the raining is siling down and you’ve got to face your family whom you’ve not seen for many years. It’s your father’s fiftieth birthday but it’s not the real reason you’ve decided to come back to the family home.
– Real player with 7.2 hrs in game
Read More: Best Detective RPGMaker Games.
Meet the Bruce family. Son, Arran, soon to be disinherited (usurped by his sister) with murder on his mind. Father, Malcolm, violent tempered, oppressive, abusive. Mother, Gloria, in deep and utter denial of the dysfunctional Bruce family. Sister, Jennifer, violent, cruel, insane and about to die. Dunshiel House staff: one butler and one maid/cook.
A classic “who-dun-it” from the murder’s point of view.
Storyline: Estranged Arran Bruce returns home for his father’s 50th birthday with the sole purpose to murder his sister, Jennifer. Motive: Money, of course. The father, Malcolm, is about to disinherit him in favor of his sister. The question is: How to commit murder and still walk away a free man. 10 murder weapons, and 5 other people who can take the blame, assuming one does not get caught. Of course, there is always the “mysterious” intruder too. (Lizzie Borden will have good company if one manages that.)
– Real player with 5.2 hrs in game
The Deed II
Overall, this is an excellent game with a lot of replay value. The only criticism I have of this game is that it is way too hard. No matter how many times I’ve played it, I only get the convicted, killed, or unsolved ending. I have yet to been able to frame anybody else and I have no idea why. Also if you want to commit the crime in the backyard while Frank is taking a whiz, you have to act fast. I mean ridiculously fast. I wish they would give you even just 5 more minutes before he steps outside.
– Real player with 34.2 hrs in game
Read More: Best Detective Indie Games.
Definitely enjoyed this installation of the series. It was fun and challenging trying to figure out the various ways to get away with murder (should you choose that path). I would have enjoyed a bit more depth in the main character’s story but understand why it’s a bit abrupt. There was a lot of characters in this game and all had very interesting backgrounds (some more than others). I am a big fan of games that allow for various endings, and this one offers it in a short, bittersweet way (as no ending is truly “good”). I loved the setting of the game and thought it was also well done (although, like the MC’s background, there really isn’t much to it).
– Real player with 24.2 hrs in game
This Is the Police 2
I can highly recommend This is the police 2 for everyone who played the first game as it heavily improves on the gameplay. In every call you get to choose how your officers react, what happens after that and how it actually goes, something the first game didn’t really offer. The officers are also much more human. While in the first game they were basically a portrait with a name and a professionalism stat, here they have various more stats, individual loyalty levels and a few special traits. For instance Kamatari Kurosawa is really lazy and only does one call per day, Galen Woolbag smells bad Leo Bradhi loves coming with his own uniforms. This along with some “Can I have a day off?” questions unique to a certain officer or them asking go to a funeral when a fellow officer dies or developing alcohol problems when they see them die in front of them makes them seem much more human and adds to the atmosphere and adds a new layer to gameplay.
– Real player with 252.0 hrs in game
I loved This is the Police 1, but unfortunately this fails to reach anywhere near the same quality.
There are some genuinely good additions made here:
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Having officers with particular skills (speed, etc) made calls much more interesting (and gave a great incentive to keep good cops alive)
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The XCOM style tactical combat system is a very neat idea, and at times was very fun to play. I would love to see this done in any future related games.
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The ability buy and give out equipment to cops with relevant skills was a nice touch, and made the dept. feel much more real
– Real player with 35.8 hrs in game
Beat Cop
In Beat Cop’s trailer we see Kojak, Columbo, Magnum & Miami Vice… We’re in the 80’s!
But none of that, nor Sledge Hammer himself, you are Jack Kelly, a NYPD detective who has been demoted to street police after a confusing robbery of a senator’s house…
You have 3 weeks to solve the case while you fulfill your role as a street cop.
From where I start? For God’s sake, what a 3 weeks! What a street!
This game is a rare mixture, gameplay is very original. We are talking about an adventure with retro graphics where decisions matter, with a main story and daily secondary missions every day of the 3 weeks that at most will last the game (21 days) full of jokes, very funny! But it’s also a time and resource management game. As if that weren’t enough, there is also a reputation system with different factions and many different endings. All at rhythm of small (only 4 tracks) but exquisite soundtrack set in the 80’s. An explosive cocktail!
– Real player with 35.4 hrs in game
Warning: You cannot be a “good cop” throughout the whole game
Beat Cop is somewhere in the middle for me, but below the margin. I think I actually enjoyed the gameplay and visual/audio style the most, while the main storyline, the dialogue, and your “freedom” with choices are not that great.
The game focuses way too much on over-the-top dark humor to a point where it gets annoying, especially at the beginning of each day where you listen to fellow cops repeat the same cliche, one-dimensional, arrogant personality rants.
– Real player with 15.5 hrs in game