Just got a gorgeous poster from @paintbucket.de's the Darkest Files. It's the first of what I want to be my wall of Detective game posters. Bonus shot of my little princess.

Great talk here by the Duck Detective creators. A good insight into the construction of the game, and I would have loved to have seen this before we recorded the episode we just released.

Toady we released our episode on @happybroccoligames.bsky.social 's delightful Duck Detective: The Secret Salami. We wanted something fun for Thanksgiving week, and this absolutely fits the bill! open.spotify.com/episode/6E4S...

This is another one to keep our eye on. Enormous potential here and the Inkle team has a proven track record of delivering

🥳 It's almost time to solve The Case of the Worst Day Ever! Wishlist & Play the Demo now: store.steampowered.com/app/3279410

I just played The Family Tree from @saffrona.bsky.social. It's a short but sweet construction of a family tree. It's from the same Jam that led to The Roottrees are Dead, and it's cool to see the different paths chosen. saffrona.itch.io/the-family-t...

I am conflicted. Both The Roottrees and The Seance of Blake Manor are great. They are very deserving!

A tantalizing and frustrating game, Loose threads shows a super cool concept, but can be frustrating when your groupings of evidence don't match what the game is looking for, even though you are telling the same core story. Worth checking out for everyone though. cheesebear.itch.io/loose-threads

This is one to look out for!

Just played through this tonight. For a game jam game, this had way more layers of case than I expected, and some pretty brutal observations needed. I thought I was going insane and failing at math, but I was really getting fooled by children's drawings.

Wrapped up the game over lunch. The hardest thing for me was finding Charlotte's last name, turns out I overlooked something reasonably obvious. I dithered for a while on the answer's Frame job. Was it external, or did the victim frame themself? Good fun all around, and I hope there's more coming!

I started this game this morning, and almost missed an actual work meeting because I was too caught up with a fictional company's org chart. I NEED to know the last name of the accounting administrator, what else could be more important than that?

Today Mav and I discuss Murder Mystery Machine, developed largely in parallel with The First Cases. Sadly, this game doesn't live up to its goals, with lots of inconsistent deductions and poor execution. So far it's my least favorite detective game I have played. open.spotify.com/episode/01Fa...

I am really looking forward to receiving this!

I've been working on post- #LDJam updates to My Friends the Monster Trainers. I'm adding an alignment chart you can fill out as you find clues about which monsters are strong or weak against others. Still in progress, but I hope it'll be a fun part of solving the puzzle! #gamedev

Been messing around with a Detecting Mechanic visualization. Probably best viewed on PC, I have no idea if it works on mobile. My idea was to be able to show this to anyone who says "I Liked Game X, what's like it?" flatfootsandfools-design.github.io/game-visuali...

How can I not?

And now the final cases of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. A game that's launched a 24 year franchise, spanning multiple media forms, and still remains a good experience, especially with the updates when brough to PC and Mobile. RSS Link Here: anchor.fm/s/108c64748/...

Played another short detective game from Itch called Fowl Play, but this one has a lot of technical issues, and I was not able to finish it. Once I got it running, the part that bugged me the most was having almost all the information in a single notebook. shmael.itch.io/fowl-play

Been on a smaller games binge lately. darqwerful.itch.io/the-lost-bor... This one's a nice contained set of puzzles on a ship. It features both deduction puzzles, and some more classic Point & Click ones. I really liked the former, but the latter were not for me. Still a fun trip to take!

rickycruz.itch.io/classified-o... Played this as well over the weekend. The simple task of matching yearbook photos to names ends up being far more complex than expected, and is delightfully challenging. A great session for anyone looking for more Golden Idol style games.

After playing Leaf Taker last week, I played another enjoyable investigation game this weekend. It reminds me of A Hand With Many Fingers, with some different detailed mechanics. I recommend this for anyone who likes the idea of diving through an archive! korbohned.itch.io/another-nigh...

Just finished this gem. Brutally strict on formatting, but very cool. I was stuck for a very long time because I didn't search for one of the starting terms, but after that it flowed well. By the end I was able to see most of the solve path, and enjoyed completing it!

I liked Type help, so this is now on my list to play

Just played this demo tonight. It's got promise for an intriguing story. It's made me realize I should play the other games from this creator that over been putting off

Just played a delightful Game jam project from @celia-14.bsky.social A reductive description is The Roottrees meets Pokemon, but for those more immersed in deduction games it feels similar to playing some of Owlskip's games like Family celia14.itch.io/my-friends-t...

The first part of our long but satisfying conversation about 2001's Phoenix Wright. Ace Attorney. Andrew and John are joined by Lynx to discuss the start of a long running series that still inspires fan projects today. open.spotify.com/episode/2Ip8...

This week I just played through all of Mind Diver. I really enjoyed this game. The narrative is quite wonderful with authentic and relatable characters. The system of solving through objects is excellent too, removing potential for UI to get in the way, or finicky text to be an issue.

Hello all, We just released episode 3, on Agatha Christie - Hercule Poirot: The First Cases. This is a hybrid of an adventure game and a significant clue-deduction-conclusion system. Episode is available on Spotify, Youtube, and Apple podcasts! RSS link here: anchor.fm/s/108c64748/...

Installing this now. I was intrigued by the demo, and will start playing this today. Ever since the Ludonarracon panel, I have wanted to see how this turns out, and now we can!

Just finished @badvikinggames.bsky.social's Strange antiquities. I forgot what the number was, but I did the Pillar. I really enjoyed my first playthrough, even though I got myopically fixated on the clock for a puzzle that didn't utilize it. Recommended for anyone who thinks they might enjoy it!

Two hours into @badvikinggames.bsky.social Strange Antiquities, and my favorite part so far is all the secrets in the shop. There's lots of things to tickle your brain, and I always feel like I am close to unlocking something but don't have all the keys yet.

Both of these are absolutely worth picking up, and getting them as a bundle is pretty sweet

Finished this yesterday. My favorite Expansion yet in terms of theme and story. The puzzles were challenging but satisfying. A great send off to a great game!

Finished three cases tonight, and am having a blast! So far a great final chapter to a great game.

September 2025 confirmed as the best month for detective games yet!

I just played through the demo, and I am intrigued. I normally dislike discovery games with timers, as the tension between the two is usually uncomfortable. This game takes an approach I have not encountered before, and I really want to see how it plays out over the full game. Looking forward to it!

We really enjoyed the previous two games, and are looking forward to this one!

I am buying this when I get home. My wife and I will pay this weekend!

September looks to be the biggest month of detective gaming ever. September 4 - Casebook 1899 - The Leipzig Murders from @homonarransstudio.bsky.social September 9 - Little Problems: A Cozy Detective Game from @littleproblems.bsky.social 1/2

After 4 years, Mind Diver @minddivergame.bsky.social , our deduction game set inside a mind, is launching in TWELVE DAYS! Each day before launch, I will share reflections about making and releasing a game in 2025! If you see this, plz repost, so I can join bsky for real 🙏 #gamedev #indiedev

"Even if you’ve never played Strange Horticulture, you’ll feel right at home in the world the developers have built. Strange Antiquities is, quite simply, a secret worth uncovering. 9/10" ❤️

Hey all, Here's the second episode of our Podcast, focused on the Case of the Golden Idol: Base game. Posting again because we have some more distribution channels now: RSS Link: anchor.fm/s/108c64748/... Spotify Link open.spotify.com/show/4e9MkSi...

Finished @littleproblems.bsky.social today. I really liked the cases at the end with many different aspects to juggle. The Stand out part for me is still having to find the photos of people yourself. It's a nice addition to the usual solution mechanics.

Strange Horticulture is 60% off on Steam right now! 🌱 With just 5 days to go before Strange Antiquities, this weekend is the perfect time to step into Undermere and learn what it takes to manage an occult shop. store.steampowered.com/app/1574580/...

Been playing @littleproblems.bsky.social. So far my favorite part was having to select people from the scene unmarked. It's a nice variation on the usual solve mechanics. I hope to see more as I continue playing!

The Darkest Files - as seen on CNN edition.cnn.com/2025/09/08/e...

Our little game is finally out today 💛 We couldn't be any more excited! It's called Little Problems and it is about life’s small mysteries. We hope you enjoy playing it as much as we enjoyed making it. #LittleProblems #CozyGames #IndieGame #puzzlegames

Yesterday I finished The Darkest Files from @paintbucket.de. The ending brought me to tears, and I can tell I will be thinking about it for some time. It showed the human face of an otherwise impersonal system of injustice, and highlighted how that system needs people to sustain it.

Hey all, We are launching a podcast about detective games. We are going to touch on anything we think is detective themed, or has significant detective mechanics. We plan to release every two weeks, and hope you will enjoy! #detective #podcast open.spotify.com/show/4e9MkSi...