Publisher: NEXT Studios, 505 Games
Developer: NEXT Studios
Year: 2019
Platform: Windows
Rating: 6
If you’ve been following along you may have noticed my recent obsession with what Andrew Plotkin calls the “static deduction” genre. These are games where you don’t have to dig up clues in a specific order and there are no random elements to interfere with progress; everything you need is given to you from the start and all you need to do is review the information and deduce the answers.
I had played most of the big ones and was searching Reddit for other examples when I came across Unheard, a mystery from Chinese developer Next Studios that has you solving criminal cases just by listening to audio recordings. I’m glad I found it. Despite some inconsistent voice acting, the puzzles are unique and rewarding.
Continue reading Unheard →
Publisher: EQ Studios
Developer: EQ Studios
Year: 2017
Platform: Windows
Rating: 7
The abandoned mansion/abandoned asylum/abandoned town plot device is beyond overdone. I get why, as having no other characters in your game is a lot easier and cheaper to program. But it still feels amateurish and thus I was hesitant to dive into the first game by indie developer EQ Studios. I needn’t have worried. Rather than going for spooks, The Painscreek Killings goes pure detective mode and does not disappoint.
Continue reading The Painscreek Killings →
Publisher: Evil Trout
Developer: Jeremy Johnston, Robin Ward
Year: 2025
Platform: Windows, Mac Linux
Rating: 8
If you liked the deduction aspects of Return of the Obra Dinn but felt it was either too gruesome or too hard on the eyes, then The Roottrees are Dead should be your perfect game.
Continue reading The Roottrees are Dead →
Publisher: Happy Broccoli
Developer: Happy Broccoli
Year: 2024
Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux, Switch, XBox One, XBox Series
Rating: 6
The deducktion genre has really come into its own over the past several years, though many of the games, including Return of the Obra Dinn and The Case of the Golden Idol, are incredibly dark in nature. Duck Detective is the antidote, with an adorable cast of characters and whimsical narrative to support the mystery.
Continue reading Duck Detective: The Secret Salami →
Publisher: Playstack
Developer: Color Gray
Year: 2022
Platform: Windows, Switch
Rating: 7
2018 saw Return of the Obra Dinn become a cult classic thanks to a grisly murder mystery logic puzzle. The Case of the Golden Idol continues in that spirit though in a more whimsical–but also more complex–manner.
Continue reading The Case of the Golden Idol →
Publisher: 3909
Developer: 3909
Year: 2018
Platform: Windows, Mac, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
Rating: 9
60 people on a ship are dead or missing. You must figure out each one’s name, who or what killed them, and the way in which they died. And holy crap is it a lot of fun.
Continue reading Return of the Obra Dinn →
Author: Adam Cadre
Year: 2002
Development System: Inform 6
Cruelty Rating: N/A
Length Of Play: About 5-10 minutes for each run through; took me a few hours to solve the puzzle.
My Rating: 7
Awards: Best Individual Puzzle; Best NPCs; Best Individual NPC — 2002 XYZZY Awards
I was a senior in college when this game was released and played it the moment it dropped. I took copious notes while playing and brought those notes to my classes, occasionally ignoring my professors to hammer out this puzzle. No regrets.
Continue reading Lock & Key →
Author: Bart Bronte
Year: 2017
Genre: Puzzle
Platform: iOS, Android, Browser
My Rating: 5
A short, free version akin to Bart Bronte’s Factory Balls, a logic game that has the added benefit of a cute ghost and cute pumpkins. If you’re good at water logic games but want something a little more fun, give this a shot.
Continue reading Boo! →
Munching Numbers, Letters, Ensigns, etc.
Death By Troggles 