OVERVIEW: 4.5/5.0 Developer: EQ Studios Genre: Mystery/Walking Simulator Release Date: September 27, 2017 Platform: PC Price: $19.99 The Painscreek Killings is a walking-simulator mystery game where you play as a journalist investigating a murder in a small, now abandoned town. You’ve been instructed to come back with information about the killer, the motive, and the murder weapon, as well as a photo to accompany your article. Review This game has been recommended to me several times as a game that closely simulates the experience of a real murder investigation. The game intro its ..read more

Games #1: Strange Horticulture Strange Horticulture is my favorite game of 2022, and one of the best games I’ve ever played. It’s the perfect mix of cozy and mysterious, with a healthy dose of organizing thrown in. Read our review. #2: Life is Strange: True Colors While the game came out in 2021, it took me a year to post the review, so… here we are. Unsurprisingly, the latest installment in the Life is Strange franchise was phenomenal. And perhaps surprisingly, it may even be better than the original! Read our review. #3: Stray Stray gives us all the opportunity to wander an underground steam ..read more

Bad Sisters is a 10-episode mini-series from Apple TV+. It’s a bit of a whodunit, and not really a howdunit, but mostly a… dunwhat? The series begins with a funeral and from the start, you’re pretty sure you know who killed him, but until the very last episode, you don’t know the cause of death. Here’s the official show description from Apple TV+: The tight-knit Garvey sisters have always looked out for each other. When their brother-in-law winds up dead, his life insurers launch an investigation to prove malicious intent— and set their sights on the sisters, all of whom had ample reason to k ..read more

Overview: 5.0/5.0 Developer: Bad Viking Genre: Puzzles Release Date: January 21, 2022 Platform: Nintendo Switch, PC Price: $14.99 Strange Horticulture is a puzzle game where you play as the owner of a plant shop. Each day, new customers enter the store to purchase various flowers and fungi. Sometimes they’ll know exactly what they need, other times they may only have a description of the plant’s appearance or characteristics. None of the plants are labeled, however, so you’ll have to use the customers’ descriptions, a microscope, and Wilfrid Voynich’s Strange Book of Plant’s to id ..read more

Overview: 5.0/5.0 Stray is a puzzle platformer game where you play as a cat lost in a city populated by robots. The game masterfully utilizes the natural behaviors and limitations of being a cat in its mechanics. The unique puzzles are then combined with whimsical characters and light-hearted dialogue to create a truly joyful experience despite the dark atmosphere and tragic circumstances of the city. Gameplay is further enhanced by gorgeous art design and a wonderful soundtrack. Developer: BlueTwelve Studio Genre: Puzzle Platformer Release Date: July 19, 2022 Platform: PS4/5, PC Pri ..read more

Overview: 3.0/5.0 Backbone is a noir adventure game where you play as Howard, a raccoon PI in a world with the gritty atmosphere of Disco Elysium and the anthropomorphic cast of Night in the Woods. Developer: EggNut Genre: Mystery/Adventure Release Date: June 8, 2021 Platform: Nintendo Switch, PS4/5, Xbox One/Series S/X, PC Price: $24.99 Narrative The game description states that Backbone “is a linear, cinematic narrative experience […]. The end of all things is inevitable, but defining which version of Howard Lotor reaches the conclusion is up to you.” If you’re looking for branch ..read more

Overview Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One is the latest Sherlock Holmes game to be developed by Frogwares. This game is a prequel to the other dozen or so games in the series, which spans the last 20 years. Though this game diverges in gameplay from many of its predecessors, the development team continues to reflect the source material well even within the context of a medium that didn’t exist at the time of the canon’s publication. Developer: Frogwares Genre: Mystery/Adventure Release Date: November 16, 2021 Platform: PS4/5, Xbox One/Series S/X, PC Price: $44.99 GAMEPLAY Sherlock Holm ..read more

Overview Life is Strange: True Colors is the latest installment in the series that was started by DONTNOD, though this game (like the Before the Storm prequel) was developed by Deck Nine. True Colors, like Life is Strange 2, follows a brand new protagonist, Alex, and a brand new superpower— empathy. Like the first game, this one features a mystery to solve, and everything in this game is fantastic - it just needs more. Developer: Deck Nine Genre: Mystery/Adventure Release Date: September 10, 2021 Platform: PS4/5, Xbox One/Series S/X, PC, Nintendo Switch Price: $59.99 Mechanics Let ..read more

OVERVIEW: 4.0/5.0 Finders Seekers is a monthly subscription service that delivers a mystery-in-a-box for players to solve. Themes vary, but each box costs $25-30 and includes papers and props necessary to solve the mystery. Our box contained a Chicago cold case and included a variety of papers, postcards, and even a giant foam finger. You can learn more about Finders Seekers on their website here. I received a free copy of a Finders Seekers mystery box from Cratejoy in exchange for my honest review. Finders Seekers is a self-contained mystery box, even more so than other subscription boxes we ..read more

Overview: 2.0/5.0 Hunt a Killer has partnered with Agatha Christie Limited to produce an all-in-one whodunit, which can be purchased independently of their subscription campaigns. Due to a case of the flu, Poirot is unavailable and players must assist Captain Hastings in solving a murder at a hunting lodge. Publisher: Hunt a Killer Release Date: October 25, 2021 Price: $99-189 (Standard or Collector’s Edition) Difficulty: 3/5 (According to Hunt a Killer) The mystery itself is very straightforward. There aren’t any twists or red herrings to chase. There’s one 3-digit combination to s ..read more