You are the greatest detective, which makes sense since you share a last name with the most famous sleuth of all time. You have been invited to a hotel where the world’s finest mystery writers are holding their annual meeting. However, one of them is a murderer.
There are 20 cases to play in any order. While the core structure remains the same, each case features a different theme. You will always have the same five suspects, the same locations, and the same investigative options, but the clues, conversations, and information in the suspects’ files change. Although certain details repeat across cases, they appear in a different order each time.
Your objective is to identify the murderer, the victim, the weapon, and the motive. These elements vary in every case. You have only a limited number of minutes to gather clues, as time never stops. Everything must be solved before midnight, when the killer strikes.
Because time is limited, characters move between locations. To keep track of them, you have access to surveillance cameras that monitor every room. This allows you to eavesdrop on conversations or confirm a suspect’s whereabouts before breaking into their room. Characters change locations every 30 minutes, and you can speed up time by clicking the clock on the table.
Breaking into rooms is interesting. To succeed, you must choose the correct response, which you can determine by studying suspect files, listening to conversations, or taking a calculated guess. Choosing the wrong response alerts a guard, who will watch the door for a few minutes. You can always return later to try again. Each room can only be broken into once, as you collect all available evidence during your visit. Cleared rooms are grayed out, helping you focus on those you have yet to investigate.
Once all rooms have been searched, you no longer need to worry about this mechanic. All discovered evidence is automatically recorded in your notepad. The notepad also stores transcripts of phone calls and eavesdropped conversations. The phone is a crucial feature that allows you to question suspects. As with breaking in, you must select the correct responses. If you choose incorrectly, you can try again later, and once you find the right response, you will not need to select it again.
You can ask each character four questions before they hang up, but you can immediately call them back and continue where you left off. After exhausting all questions, your notepad organizes the collected statements into a chart for clarity. From there, you must continue advancing the hours, gathering additional clues, and comparing them to the suspects’ statements.
When you determine that something is impossible or untrue, you can eliminate it from consideration. Once you believe you have identified the murderer, you must call that person and make your accusation. You cannot afford a mistake, as a false accusation ends the game.
Overall, the presentation is simple, but the gameplay has a distinct old school feel and can be quite challenging. Although the notepad keeps track of the information, the reasoning is entirely up to you.
