SPOOKWARE
Absolutely adored this game.
There were a few minigames that I either had difficultly figuring out what I was doing wrong (and still to some degree don’t know what I was doing incorrectly) or the controls right when you start a new one. They aren’t always clear cut, at least to me, on what you were supposed to do. However, that’s something that’s easy to overlook as you can retry them over and over; through that point in the story by restarting that minigame marathon or talking to the person again and given another chance.
– Real player with 8.5 hrs in game
Read More: Best Mystery Minigames Games.
Average ice cream fan
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡰⠉⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠑⢄⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡸⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠙⠄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠃⠀⢠⠂⠀⠀⠘⡄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⢤⡀⢂⠀⢨⠀⢀⡠⠈⢣⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⢀⡖⠒⠶⠤⠭⢽⣟⣗⠲⠖⠺⣖⣴⣆⡤⠤⠤⠼⡄⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠘⡈⠃⠀⠀⠀⠘⣺⡟⢻⠻⡆⠀⡏⠀⡸⣿⢿⢞⠄⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢣⡀⠤⡀⡀⡔⠉⣏⡿⠛⠓⠊⠁⠀⢎⠛⡗⡗⢳⡏⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢱⠀⠨⡇⠃⠀⢻⠁⡔⢡⠒⢀⠀⠀⡅⢹⣿⢨⠇⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⠀⠠⢼⠀⠀⡎⡜⠒⢀⠭⡖⡤⢭⣱⢸⢙⠆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡸⠀⠀⠸⢁⡀⠿⠈⠂⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡏⡍⡏⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⠇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠸⢢⣫⢀⠘⣿⣿⡿⠏⣼⡏⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⣀⣠⠊⠀⣀⠎⠁⠀⠀⠀⠙⠳⢴⡦⡴⢶⣞⣁⣀⣀⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠐⠒⠉⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠠⠀⢀⠤⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠉⠀⠀⠀⠀
Typical milk enjoyer
⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠿⠛⠛⠛⠋⠉⠈⠉⠉⠉⠉⠛⠻⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠋⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠉⠛⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⡏⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣀⣤⣤⣤⣄⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠙⢿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⢏⣴⣿⣷⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣟⣾⣿⡟⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⢢⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣟⠀⡴⠄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠙⠻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⣄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⠟⠻⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠶⢴⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣧⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿ ⣿⣁⡀⠀⠀⢰⢠⣦⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣼⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡄⠀⣴⣶⣿⡄⣿ ⣿⡋⠀⠀⠀⠎⢸⣿⡆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣴⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠗⢘⣿⣟⠛⠿⣼ ⣿⣿⠋⢀⡌⢰⣿⡿⢿⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠙⠿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⢸⣿⣿⣧⢀⣼ ⣿⣿⣷⢻⠄⠘⠛⠋⠛⠃⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢿⣧⠈⠉⠙⠛⠋⠀⠀⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣧⠀⠈⢸⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠟⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⢃⠀⠀⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⡿⠀⠴⢗⣠⣤⣴⡶⠶⠖⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣀⡸⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⡀⢠⣾⣿⠏⠀⠠⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠛⠉⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣧⠈⢹⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣰⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⡄⠈⠃⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣠⣴⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣧⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣠⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣴⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣦⣄⣀⣀⣀⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠘⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⡄⠀⠀⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣧⠀⠀⠀⠙⣿⣿⡟⢻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠇⠀⠁⠀⠀⠹⣿⠃⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠛⣿⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢐⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⠿⠛⠉⠉⠁⠀⢻⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⠈⣿⣿⡿⠉⠛⠛⠛⠉⠉ ⣿⡿⠋⠁⠀⠀⢀⣀⣠⡴⣸⣿⣇⡄⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⡿⠄⠙⠛⠀⣀⣠⣤⣤⠄⠀
– Real player with 8.2 hrs in game
The Slaughter: Act One
The Slaughter is a noir point-in-click adventure game from Brainchild, which is a one man team I might add. It’s reminiscent of old adventure games like Monkey Island or Full Throttle, and more recently, it reminds me of The Blackwell Legacy (which also took inspiration from those classics).
In The Slaughter you play as Sydney Emerson, a down on this luck, behind on his rent detective-really is there any other kind-living in London in the East End in 1880. The story opens with Sydney on his side in a dark alley getting beaten by a large man named Sallis and his diminutive employer Mr. Finch. You luck your way out of that situation and you soon get a case to work on. There is a serial killer roaming the streets and a client is paying you for you private detective services.
– Real player with 18.5 hrs in game
Read More: Best Mystery Noir Games.
BRAINCHILD, we need more!
This little point-and-click is dark and adorable, funny and unique, and super entertaining! I couldn’t resist playing the whole thing in one sitting, but that being said, it is reletively short. Being hooked, I started reserching the game, and realized that this seems to have been a solo project of BRAINCHILD, which makes it all the more impressive.
| PROs | CONs |
| Entertaining story with adult themes |
– Real player with 8.0 hrs in game
AR-K
I received this game as a part of some bundle I bought way back.
I want to like this game. I wish the development team the best. But unfortunately I cannot recommend it, not even for $8 USD.
There are good, or at least decent, things here. There is some humor, including physical humor, that works. The actual voice lines are mostly fine, and what faults there are there in this audio itself are much more likely on the VA director and/or scriptwriters. Barring one jarring segment of lines I noticed in the 2nd episode where something obviously went wrong in recording or compression or something, but the team decided to use it anyway, which… fits with some of my suspicions about how out-of-time/energy/money they were feeling at the time.
– Real player with 16.5 hrs in game
Read More: Best Mystery Singleplayer Games.
AR-K may be a study in how to have an okay story, okay graphics and good voice-acting and still come out with a bad game - soo manyy problems.
This title consists of the first two episodes of the game, “Gone with the Sphere” and “The Girl Who Wasn’t There”, and the second feels way better than the first. Still, we see a lot of beginner’s mistakes in the handiwork. Basically every aspect of the game is flawed in some way or another.
Note: Review was rewritten to fit Steam’s transparent character limit.
– Real player with 15.9 hrs in game
A Murmur in the Trees
Good little indie game. I hope there will be more to explore in future.
There are things you could easily miss, if you don’t pay attention, can you find all secrets? :)
I was 1 of many testers, so that is reason why I got it free.
– Real player with 5.2 hrs in game
A short and sweet story, only takes about an hour to get through. If you like walking simulators you should check it out.
– Real player with 1.9 hrs in game
Case 00: The Cannibal Boy
ok for starters I love love LOVE the characters designs plot and graphics, I think that everything ties together really well I also really like how they added the theme of murder and urban legends and an queer relationship I think it gives it a little more individuality all in all I really love this game and would recommend this to others people but I’m also really sad that there isn’t another game out and there probably wont be but its amazing non the less :)
– Real player with 7.0 hrs in game
Just watch a let’s play it’s a better use of your time and free! The game is bad the storytelling is atrocious. However, the sound design, and art are good. Don’t waste your few dollars on this unless you’re really into startlingly sweet main menu jump scares because that’s the only thing here that will thrill you.
– Real player with 1.4 hrs in game
Knee Deep
Knee Deep is a point and click adventure game revolving around a murder mystery. Set in a small backwater town called Cypress Knee in Florida, you control the three main characters as they investigate an actor’s murder, digging deep into a world of political corruption, blackmail, intrigue and even a bit of sci fi weirdness. The story is accompanied by nice graphics, atmospheric music and a unique take on gameplay where the story takes place as if it was a theater play complete with moving sets and all. The game is available on PS4, XBox One, and PC via Steam, which is the version I played for this review.
– Real player with 19.0 hrs in game
DISCLAIMER: This is a review of the first episode. No score will be given. A full review of the entire season will follow once all three episodes have been released.
It’s a good thing that I’m playing this game on a hot summer evening. It’s also interesting that I live just a few miles away from one of the largest swampland areas in Europe and the humidity, as always, is unbearable. It’s just curious that there are no mosquitoes tonight. All in all, a perfect situation to immerse myself into Knee Deep, a self-proclaimed swamp noir in three acts. And I am immersed in a matter of seconds. The first thing that strikes me is the music, a brilliantly moody mixture of American folk and blues. I start the game up and I am immediately seated in a theater. I silence my mobile phone out of respect for the actors. As the curtain rises on the stage, I find myself in a backwater Florida town of Cypress Knee. It’s a grim start as a washed-up actor has hanged himself from a tower next to a local inn.
– Real player with 8.1 hrs in game
Misadventures of Laura Silver
PLEASE SUPPORT THESE DEVELOPERS AND THIS GAME! I couldn’t recommend it more. I’m a massive fan of detective noir themes and everything involving 1890-1959, so this game was exactly what I was looking for. Like a visual novel sent from heaven.
PROS: Just about everything else.
-The art is unique and memorable. Every character design, pose, emotion, everything is absolutely fantastic. The artist has fantastic use of fashion from the time period, as well as strong shape and color language in their designs. I was attached to the cast the moment I saw the steam page, it had me totally hooked.
– Real player with 216.2 hrs in game
The Misadventures of Laura Silver :Chapter 1 is billed as a visual novel created by 3 college students in their free time. By that standard, it is an admirable product.
Summary: OK visual novel when things worked, but bugs ruined the game for me.
Basics: You follow the protagonist, Laura Silver, through her investigations in 1935 Czechoslovakia. Although it has supernatural themes, they are treated in a very matter-of-fact way and the game is not at all scary. You make choices along the way. Some matter, but most do not. The art style is consistent and the music is a bit minimal but adds to the ambiance. The writing is OK, but does feel awkward and clunky at times. The overall effect that of a fair to good visual novel.
– Real player with 8.7 hrs in game
Puzzle Chambers
math and I don’t get along, so as much as I love puzzle games, I try to avoid ones with too many numbers, though there are a few exceptions (nonograms, hexcells and its spinoffs, etc.). puzzle chambers actually plays a bit like crosscells, as in you get a bunch of numbers and operators and you have to make sure everything adds up on the board. or in the room in this case, because it’s not just a puzzle game, it’s also a story about some people who wake up and can’t remember anything, but they have to solve puzzles to escape. as they point out at the beginning, it’s kinda like saw or the cube.
– Real player with 21.8 hrs in game
Nice Puzzle game with a quirky background that’s revealed bit by bit.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2301630418
As you can see, good window and sound options, as well as plenty options to remove stuff that lets you wait.
I don’t really know what penalty you get when you fail while not using unlimited solutions, I tried and could just continue to guess. Maybe you might want to have free solutions later on for tough stuff, but I want to solve them myself anyway. :)
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2301670357
– Real player with 21.3 hrs in game
Jiangshi x Daoshi
I absolutely love this game! It uses a refreshing mix of static avatars & backgrounds, with frequent animation and motion comic action panels reminiscent of Dead Leaves. This gives the game an extremely dynamic feel, which makes up for the lack of choices. Like many Visual Novels, heavy emphasis is on the word Novel, as such, interaction in this game is mostly limited to hunting for words that the in-game hover-dictionary may explain for you.
Jiangshi X Daoshi boasts a rich story packed with fantastic Chinese mythology/historical information, with a wholesome dynamic between the main characters.
– Real player with 9.9 hrs in game
Please be mindful that this is the censored version uploaded to steam.
I wish to bring awareness to this. Apparently this VN was banned upon submission because of certain scenes and they’ve fought tooth and nail the bring it back for us to enjoy. Bans usually mean end of the line for most games from what I have heard. I’ve went back in to check most of these scenes and they aren’t even close to becoming questionable. For more on that story for those interested: Fruitbat Blog Post
– Real player with 7.7 hrs in game
Crime Reaper
It’s a neat game, but 2 things it could really use are a harder difficulty than the current expert and a way to note which locations you have eliminated for a particular symbol. The current expert difficulty is still only 2 minute puzzle once you get a bit of practice and the greatest challenge is honestly when you need to keep more than 2 clues in your head in order to figure out where to put the next symbol.
– Real player with 106.5 hrs in game
It’s murder sudoku! The difficulty is fun (although I’d like there to be a harder difficulty setting, but I’m also a sudoku veteran, so there’s that), the rules are clever, the writing is… I’m sure I’ll get to it, once I stop clicking fast through it to get to more puzzles :D Very addictive, very nice UI, all in all, I highly recommend this for logic game aficionados.
– Real player with 43.8 hrs in game