All posts tagged in crime-solving
Oct 10, 2019
If you live in Japan, you might have already seen the new Detective Pikachu movie in theaters last weekend. For those of us living in the US, Canada, or UK, we have to wait until May 10th, 2019. Some countries may have to wait a couple days sooner or even several days later.
The upcoming live-action Detective Pikachu movie is based off the 3DS game of the same name. Play as Tim Goodman and team up with a talking Pikachu to solve mysteries around Ryme City. Furthermore, these strange occurrences happening around the town may or may not be related to the sudden disappearance of Tim’s father.
If you love this movie as much as I do, check out my list below of our top recommended games (in no particular order) that include plenty of detective work in order to solve crimes. Perhaps these games will scratch your itch for the mystery genre until you can see Pikachu in all his “Sherlockian” glory. All games are available to play now so happy sleuthing everyone!
Layton’s Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires’ Conspiracy
Layton’s Mystery Journey, developed by Level-5, follows Professor Hershel Layton’s daughter, Katrielle. Solve puzzles alongside her talking dog Sherl and her friends Emiliana Perfetti and Ernest Greeves. When her father vanishes, Katrielle goes off in search of him, coming across various puzzles and mysteries along the way. You can play this game on the Nintendo 3DS now. However, you may want to wait as the game was confirmed to be released to the West on the Nintendo Switch this year.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy
The trilogy combines all three original games including: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Justice for All, and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Trials and Tribulations. Although most of the action happens inside of a courtroom as you’re a defense attorney, you’re still tasked with investigating and finding evidence at the scene of the crime. You also have to discover who is innocent and who is guilty via cross-examinations. I’ve covered the game here and it’s available now on the Nintendo Switch eShop.
Trüberbrook
Trüberbrook is set in rural Germany in the late 1960s. Play as an American physicist, Hans Tannhauser, on a vacation and discover why your notes of your dissertation on quantum physics have been stolen. As you begin to investigate this health resort and town you notice something odd is happening. Speak to villagers, travelers, and spa guests to get to the bottom of this mystery! Trüberbrook is available now for PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One.
L.A. Noire
L.A. Noire (Rockstar Games) blends the breathtaking action with true detective work for an unprecedented interactive experience. Solve brutal crimes, plots, and conspiracies inspired by real crimes from 1947 Los Angeles. This post-war boom of Hollywood’s Golden Age was one of the most corrupt and violent times in L.A. history. Search for clues as Cole Phelps, an LAPD detective, chase down suspects, and interrogate witnesses as you struggle to find the truth in a city where everyone has something to hide. If you want to watch the Nintendo Switch trailer, I’ve got that here for you.
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments is developed by Frogwares and published by Focus Home Interactive. It’s available for PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One since 2014. This game makes this the oldest one on our list but it is definitely still a must-play crime-solving game. Step into the role of the most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, and use his amazing talent for deduction.
The setting is in London and its suburbs in 1894 and 1895. The gameplay is largely focused on finding the right culprit and making the moral choice of absolving or condemning them. Furthermore, Sherlock Holmes is split into six cases of murders, disappearances, and thefts, written in the tradition of Doyle novels. We’ve also listed this game under Most Calming Games to Cozy Up and Help You Relax.
Thimbleweed Park
An economy crisis has hit Thimbleweed Park as well as a murder. Two FBI agents, Ray and Reyes, have come to solve the case. Switch between five playable characters and discover the secrets hidden in this town with a creepy and dark atmosphere (but still with a sense of humor). Thimbleweed Park is a point-and-click adventure game developed by Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick for PC, mobile devices, Xbox One, PS4, and Nintendo Switch. Find out more about this game with us here.
Oxenfree
Oxenfree, developed by Night School Studio, is a story-driven, supernatural adventure where choices you make affect the outcome of the game and your relationship with other characters. You play as Alex, a young teenager, who brings her new stepbrother to an overnight party on an island. That island used to house a military base but it was decommissioned. When Alex tried to tune an old radio, she inadvertently opened a dimensional rift. While you’re all being haunted by ghosts, discover the secrets of the island and close the rift. This game might give you a bit of a “Blair Witch” vibe but is a lot less terrifying. See photos and more information about Oxenfree here.
What Remains of Edith Finch
The story follows Edith Finch as she makes her way through her family’s old house that her late mother Dawn would never let her explore. This is because her mother chose to seal up all the doors in an attempt to hide her family from a curse that has taken the lives of many other family members in strange and mysterious ways.
Make your way through the house and discover the stories of her family members and how each of them died. This game will seem like you are merely just watching a movie as there aren’t that many puzzles to solve but if you pay close attention, you may be able to piece together some clues yourself. We, myPotatoGames, have a review here for you in case you’re interested in taking a look before playing!
Firewatch
Firewatch is a first-person simulation and adventure game developed by Campo Santo. Set in 1989, you play as a man named Henry who is a fire lookout in the Wyoming wilderness. Something strange leads you to explore the nearby forest, forcing you to make decisions that can both build and destroy relationships. Talk on a walkie-talkie with your supervisor Delilah and stumble upon a conspiracy and mystery of years past. The visually beautiful game is available now for the PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
Interested in simpler, more relaxing Facebook games that have puzzles and investigations? We’ve got you covered with our article of Most Popular Crime Investigation Games on Facebook.
- Sep 17, 2019
Jenny LeClue, created by Mografi, is about being a detective, crime-solving, and helping Jenny make some tough choices along her adventure which will ultimately shape her destiny. Now the developers have announced that the game will be releasing on Steam, GOG, and now Apple Arcade on September 19th, 2019! That’s only a couple of days away for us to be able to investigate the strange town of Arthurton. There isn’t a release date yet for the PS4 and Nintendo Switch versions but there’s a possibility they will be coming later this year. For more information about Jenny LeClue, check out our previous article here.
Thanks to Apple Arcade, the indie developers of Mografi have expressed that they can launch with the localization in 14 different languages, and original music by SCNTFC. SCNTFC, AKA Andrew Rohrmann, has composed and produced the soundtrack for Oxenfree, along with other amazing indie games.
New Release Date Trailer
As you can see, I, Henry, love to play mystery games like these ones here! Moreover, I have to say, I’m pretty good at getting to the root of things!
- Aug 14, 2019
The publisher of Root Letter: Last Answer, Pqube, have announced on their Twitter page here that the game is releasing on PS4 and Switch in Europe on August 30th, 2019, while the North American PS4 and Switch versions are coming on September 3rd, 2019! The developers of the game, Kadokawa Games, have added new updates to this localization since their Japanese release of the game back in 2018. This includes: a new epilogue, improvements to gameplay, and a live-action mode. See below to learn about this upcoming visual-novel and to view the new gameplay trailer.
The Day-One Edition includes 100-page artbook About Root Letter: Last Answer
The return of the best-selling interactive mystery visual novel! Follow in the footsteps of Aya Fumino, a school penfriend allegedly involved in a tragic murder 15 years ago. Explore the prefecture of Shimane, uncover clues, and use the letters you wrote to each other to track down her childhood friends for questioning. But perhaps these friends, now adults living a peaceful life, will not be eager to let their painful memories resurface…
Key Features
- Solve a 15 year-old mystery – Many years have passed since the last correspondence with your pen friend Aya Fumino. While those memories have been long left behind, a confession of murder revealed in her last letter has resurfaced. It is now up to you to uncover the truth behind her disappearance.
- An interactive visual novel – Navigate your way around Aya’s hometown, search for clues in the environment, and confront her former friends that have now reached adulthood. Use the items and evidence at your disposal to make them confess!
- A story with different outcomes – Your replies to Aya’s letters will have lasting consequences, and impact your relationship. Choose your answers carefully and shape a story with up to five different endings.
- The complete experience – In addition to several gameplay improvements, Root Letter: Last Answer adds brand new epilogues that conclude Aya Fumino’s story and a live action mode.
New Live-Action Mode
The new live-action mode lets you experience the story in a whole new way! Meaning, 90 different real-life actors portray the characters from the original game. The backgrounds are even real-life screenshots of the city of Matsue in Japan. You can alternate between modes from the title screen at any time while playing to see Shimane Prefecture’s real locations.
If Root Letter sounds like the game for you, check out the Ace Attorney trilogy which also mixes a visual-novel narration with investigative gameplay. Furthermore, you can solve another murder mystery with this game here: Jenny LeClue: Detectivú – A Narrative Mystery About Detectiving and Choosiness.
