The Return of the Obra Dinn is by far the best detective game I have ever played.
this post was submitted on 13 Jun 2023
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If only the art style didn't make my head hurt
I really liked it. The music was iconic too, everything about the game is so unique. Sometimes I just listen to the OST and wish I could play the game for the first time again haha.
I'm familiar with that feeling lol
To each their own, I love it though!
Oh yeah, I'm not saying it's objectively bad. I have chronic migraines and trying to play it would make them worse, so it literally made my head hurt.
Oh, sorry to hear that. I can see how it would be migraine-inducing. But I'm glad that we all now agree that it's objectively good :)
This game (Shadows of Doubt) is in early access but is super promising so far. I'm in love with it!
Shadows of Doubt is probably the closest thing to a pure detective game. It's definitely a bit rough around the edges, but the core concept is really cool. I had a lot of fun playing it even in its current state, and look forward to coming back once it's further along in development.
This is what I came to recommend. I'm actually waiting for it to exit early access (or at least cook a bit longer), but it looks like a detective game wet dream.
I can't get it out of my mind, only reason I haven't bought it yet is because I don't want to experience an inferior version of it.
Yeah I def get what you mean. I have a lot of games in early access on my wishlist that I want to wait for the EA period to end.
But for this one, with each case being different and randomly generated, I felt like I could experience it now without diminishing any experience I'd have when it has a full release
It's really fun but still kinda rough around the edges. I wish there other games like this that are fully fleshed out and complete.
Would Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney fit your bill? I mean it's mostly about moon logical deduction but also finding clues and such.
This might not fit what you're looking for, but the Phoenix Wright games are mostly about detective work, despite playing as a lawyer. If you like wacky and surreal, the series should be right up your alley!
And if you like the Phoenix Wright games but don't want to pay Phoenix Wright money, Avian Attorney is quite fun. And I'm now realizing I'm recommending a lot of animal based detective games.
Return of the Obra Dinn is a very good game about piecing together clues to find out who everybody is and their eventual fate.
If you like puzzles while soving a mystery I would recommend any of The Room games or Agent A a puzzle in Disguise.
A lot of detective games are mostly point and click adventure games, which generally are older games or more indie style. That said there are a few I can think of:
The Gabriel Knight games have a lot of good detective elements, including some good puzzle solving. https://www.gog.com/en/game/gabriel_knight_sins_of_the_fathers
Chicken Police has a really neat interrogation mechanic and a fantastic noir setting. Its a bit silly all things considered, but the detective elements are fun. I've not beaten the game, but the time I've put into its fun. https://www.gog.com/en/game/chicken_police
In a similar vein, Backbone is a noir detective game set in an animal setting. The detective mechanics feel weaker, and the game seems to force you on to the critical path pretty hard, but its still been fun so far. https://www.gog.com/en/game/backbone
Finally, this is a horror game, but unraveling the mystery is fun and the game doesn't railroad you on the critical path too hard. Simulacra is a game about a guy who receives a mysterious cell phone and he is using all the tools available on the phone to uncover the identity of the owner. Short and engrossing. https://www.gog.com/en/game/simulacra
Another one that I think is fun (though don't get the sequel) is Don't Feed the Monkies. This is more like Simulacra and is less detective game and more about experiencing the stories presented and unraveling a light mystery. Still fun and fits in the detective theme: https://www.gog.com/en/game/do_not_feed_the_monkeys
The Sexy Brutale is a really interesting game with more fantastical elements but there are some tricky puzzles to figure out with the clues the game gives you: https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_sexy_brutale
Last one, and one I've not played any of. Case of the Golden Idol apparently has multiple critical paths. Supposed to be really good. https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_case_of_the_golden_idol
Most of these are on sale now.
+1 for The Case of the Golden Idol! Great game!
Chicken police was surprisingly well done.
Return of the Obra Dinn is worth checking out like others have mentioned. I also really enjoyed The Case of the Golden Idol, which is somewhat similar.
I'm surprised no one has mention The Outer Wilds yet. The whole game makes you feel like part detective, part archeologist, and one of the best games I've ever played.
All three of these are fantastic mystery stories. You have to pay some attention to what's going on, nothing is explicitly spelled out (Golden Idol comes maybe the closest), but you feel SO smart when everything just clicks into place.
I had some weird bugs replaying it recently but maybe you'll have better luck than me - Orwell
Cloudpunk is more of a delivery game that has a mystery aspect but I enjoyed it (haven't finished it yet)
CaseCracker was enjoyable but there were some translation issues I think so some things weren't clear in English.
Not a detective game but would HIGHLY recommend Cloudpunk anyway. Amazing atmosphere, outstanding music, and the story made me cry so, ten out of ten.
I haven't played either of these, but they sound very cool and have been on my wishlist for a while:
- Metaphobia - a FREE game on Steam. It's a classic-style point-and-click adventure in the vein of Gabriel Knight.
- Shadows of Doubt - An immersive sandbox detective stealth game set in a fully simulated sci-fi noir city of crime and corruption. The world is procedurally generated and you can explore and take on cases freely. Discover, meet and tail individual citizens, each with their own name, job, apartment and daily routine, in unique, procedurally-generated cities. Each case has different culprits, clues and experiences for you to test your investigative skills.
Thanks for these suggestions. They've really piqued my interest and will try them on Steam.
Not exactly detective but the zero escape series is all about finding out mysteries
I wouldn't rate L.A. Noire too highly, as it's a weird hybrid between detective game and GTA.
What rubbed me the wrong way was the illusion of choice in side quests (roadside police work) where it seems like it's always the worst possible outcome. The story, especially the choices my character made (without me having a say in it), wasn't to my taste either.
It's a different style, but Ghost Trick is being re released in HD very soon. I definitely recommend you give it a try!
It's absolutely not a detective game per se, but if you'd like an experience where you're trying to solve something and piecing together clues and secrets, then I'd really recommend Outer Wilds. You don't play as a detective, but you do get a spaceship and there is a lot of detecting to do!
Great call, did not think of outer wilds but that game is super thoughtful. You're like a space archeologist.
Thimbleweed Park!
Murder by Numbers - it's picross + detective visual novel. While the core gameplay is nonogram puzzles, the visual novel parts involves finding clues and interrogations as an amateur detective. Probably not exactly what you're looking for, but it's a surprisingly fun game and I highly recommend it.
Perhaps a point & click adventure would be a good fit? I’ve played and quite enjoyed The Blackwell Legacy and I’ve heard good things about other games by Wadjet Eye.
Murdered: Soul Suspect casts you as a detective solving your own murder from beyond the grave.
Have you played The Wolf Among Us? It's a Telltale adventure game, so in terms of gameplay it's more like an interactive graphic novel, but the story is great, and the detective work and interrogations are really immersive.
I haven't played it myself but my brother has and I do remember a good amount of it. I should probably pick it up since they did announce a sequel if I'm not mistaken!
It's been a long time coming but I'd love more.
Has nobody recommended Aviary Attorney? It's a bit wacky, but in a good way, takes a good chunk of inspiration from the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attourney games. Some good mysteries to be solved.
LA Noire was really fun on the steamdeck. Low key wish rockstar would make #2 instead of all that GTA RDR stuff..
Tales of the Neon Sea is a nice cyberpunk adventure based detective title.
Gemini Rue is similar but more dark and in the tone of Blade Runner.
Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter is another really great title, although its more of an overarching story told during/through the various cases.
Call of Cthulhu is a detective story set in Lovecraftian horror. Really great endings.
The Sinking City is an open world detective story set in Lovecraftian horror. Gameplay outside of the detective aspect is not great but does its job.
An older game that fits this, which I loved and that ended up not really getting anymore content sadly, was D4: Dark Dreams Dont Die. It's worth a play though.
It's played in episodes and only ever got one "season" of content, so there's a prologue and two episodes to play.
Observer System Redux with a performance from Rutger Hauer. I've just started it so I can't vouch for how good it is but it has positive reviews and has been pretty interesting so far.
I haven't played it yet, but A Hand With Many Fingers is one I've heard good things about. It lets you build that board of red strings, dig through evidence boxes, and piece things together. Also based on a true story!
Highly recommend Policenauts if you haven't played it yet. Its a linear story but there are so many details to uncover and people to talk to. Plus there's a little bit of action sprinkled in. Definitely an instant classic. There's also an English translation version of the PS1 version if you look it up online.
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