Pretty meh on this one. As someone who thought Obra Dinn already had some major problems, this game has even more.

First of all, the player perspective makes no sense. Who are we? Why is each scene frozen in time but not really? Why is the storytelling so all over the place with comic book panels inserted randomly between some cases?

As for the puzzle mechanics themselves, they're pretty shallow and haphazard. In an attempt to solve the verb-guessing issue of Obra Dinn all the solutions are built out of words you discover in each level, but in practice it's just busy work. There are counters and indicators telling you exactly where to find everything and when you've found it all, so it's very flat and checkbox-y. Also, why do I have to find words like "have" written on random notes before I can use them in my solution? What is that even supposed to be expressive of? It's silly.

This is more of a word game than a proper adventure or puzzle game, and it's fine for what it is for a while at least. But man, when I got to the final few levels and brought up those solution pages with like 50 blanks on them they just made me feel tired.

Generally, the environmental puzzle solving was still somewhat satisfying, so I didn't outright dislike the game but it's nowhere near a recommendation from me. I think if you like word games (or Obra Dinn) more than I do you might still get a lot of enjoyment out of it, though.

I was a little underwhelmed for the first 4 or so cases, but then the story took some interesting wild turns and the game starts to (implicitly) reward you for paying attention to some details it doesn't outright state. Story and puzzles are nicely woven together. The game doesn't drag on for too long and is definitely engaging the entire time.

Still, I feel like deduction games haven't reached their peak yet here. There are some constraints on what is possible to enter as deduction: you get a limited selection of words to complete a few sentences. In some cases this guidance seemed necessary to figure out what happened. Also, if you are close to the solution, the game tells you so, and this can be abused to triangulate which parts of the deduction you are wrong about and solve it in a guess-the-word way. All this doesn't make you feel very clever. I admit it's a better solution than leaving players completely stumped, but I feel like this can be improved upon - a better hints system seems like an obvious way to go.

Maybe Klei Games should pick up the deduction genre, they can turn every genre into gold.

If you're looking for a game that combines mystery, puzzles, and storytelling, you might want to check out Case of the Golden Idol. It's a game where you play as a detective who has to solve a series of murders related to a mysterious artifact. The game is divided into two parts: the investigation and the thinking screen. In the investigation, you explore the crime scenes, collect clues, and interrogate suspects. In the thinking screen, you use your logic and deduction skills to piece together the clues and find the culprit.

One of the things that I really enjoyed about this game is how it uses different types of puzzles in the thinking screen. You don't just have to match the evidence with the suspects, but also solve other kinds of puzzles that are relevant to the case. For example, in one case, you have to figure out the rules for a card game and the hands of the suspects based on the evidence in the crime scene. This adds variety and challenge to the gameplay, and also makes the story more immersive and engaging.

Another thing that I loved about this game is how satisfying it is to unravel the truth behind each case. The game does a great job of creating suspense and intrigue, and keeping you guessing until the end. As everything started to come together, it was very satisfying to start to realize what some of the things in plain sight in earlier cases actually meant. I felt like I was really involved in the story, and I wanted to know more about the characters and their motives.

The game also has a unique art style that might not appeal to everyone, but I personally liked it. The game uses pixel art and retro graphics, which give it a nostalgic and charming feel. The art style also suits the tone and atmosphere of the game, which is a mix of humor and drama. The game doesn't take itself too seriously, but it also has some emotional moments that make you care about the outcome.

The game reminded me a bit of Professor Layton, which is one of my favorite series. It has a similar vibe of solving puzzles and mysteries in a whimsical setting. However, Case of the Golden Idol also has its own identity and originality, and it offers a different kind of experience, because the puzzles are more directly connected to the story than in Layton. But they have similar types of logical puzzles.

If you're looking for a fun and relaxing game that will keep you entertained for a few hours as you work through the scenes, I highly recommend Case of the Golden Idol.