40+ Mystery Game Recs (That Aren't the Ace Attorney Trilogy)
A list of games for people who have already played Ace Attorney, and are looking for other mysteries that are not those, because you've already played them. If you haven't played the Ace Attorney trilogy, my recommendation is "the Ace Attorney trilogy". Rankings are a combination of game goodness/how much I like them and mystery goodness. Will probably be updated over time, as I play a lot of these things.
I've noted games that are < $20 CAD or free online, as well as if the setting is Science Fiction/Fantasy or Weird Mystery content.
I've noted games that are < $20 CAD or free online, as well as if the setting is Science Fiction/Fantasy or Weird Mystery content.
44 Games
[SFF]
The more overtly science-fictional sequel to 999. Pretty good, though ends on a semi-cliffhanger that the third game does not resolve. Note that the 3DS version had a serious, game-destroying bug.
The more overtly science-fictional sequel to 999. Pretty good, though ends on a semi-cliffhanger that the third game does not resolve. Note that the 3DS version had a serious, game-destroying bug.
Americanized DS version of the long-running Tantei Jinguji Saburo series. Focuses on realistic noir mysteries and characters in their 30s, which I found refreshing--like episodes of a crime show. Had a disastrous initial English release that was poorly translated and didn't include the full game; make sure you play the "Memories of the Past" edition.
[Free]
Short, novice-friendly parser game. Play through suspects' statements Rashomon-style and confront them on inconsistencies.
Short, novice-friendly parser game. Play through suspects' statements Rashomon-style and confront them on inconsistencies.
[SFF]
The divisive sequel to AItSF. Many fans didn't like it, as it throws the first game's continuity out the window. As someone who wasn't invested in the overarching plot, I greatly prefer this game (although the mystery of its predecessor is better).
The divisive sequel to AItSF. Many fans didn't like it, as it throws the first game's continuity out the window. As someone who wasn't invested in the overarching plot, I greatly prefer this game (although the mystery of its predecessor is better).
[Free]
"Rich people in the countryside"-style murder mystery, with the neat gimmick that the murderer and associated clues are randomized between playthroughs. Parser game of intermediate difficulty--there are timed events.
"Rich people in the countryside"-style murder mystery, with the neat gimmick that the murderer and associated clues are randomized between playthroughs. Parser game of intermediate difficulty--there are timed events.
[PWYW][SFF]
Unique indie noir pastiche in the style of a GBC game. PI Beatris investigates a murder in a screwed-up family of roboticists, but instead of collecting clues, it's a timed social strategy game where you manipulate the suspects into spilling their secrets. The action sequence at the climax was too tricky for me, but I still enjoyed it.
Unique indie noir pastiche in the style of a GBC game. PI Beatris investigates a murder in a screwed-up family of roboticists, but instead of collecting clues, it's a timed social strategy game where you manipulate the suspects into spilling their secrets. The action sequence at the climax was too tricky for me, but I still enjoyed it.
[<$20][Weird]
I debated including the Layton games on here, because as much as I love them, they're more "weird mystery", despite having the trappings of golden age detective novels. This first one is a puzzle book skinned as a murder mystery. If it catches your interest, the gameplay and stories get better (and the mysteries more outlandish) over the course of the series.
I debated including the Layton games on here, because as much as I love them, they're more "weird mystery", despite having the trappings of golden age detective novels. This first one is a puzzle book skinned as a murder mystery. If it catches your interest, the gameplay and stories get better (and the mysteries more outlandish) over the course of the series.
37
[Free][SFF]
Short escape room with lovely graphics in which you have to escape from a killer's lair--and ideally figure out who the killer is. Nice puzzle gating and very slick for a free Twine game.
Short escape room with lovely graphics in which you have to escape from a killer's lair--and ideally figure out who the killer is. Nice puzzle gating and very slick for a free Twine game.
Best of the Holmes games I've seen. Not deep character pieces--the last case was good and the others I was 50/50 on, but it has a commitment to evidence-based investigation where the clues can genuinely be interpreted in multiple ways that really impressed me.
FMV game for mystery buffs. The gameplay leaves a lot to be desired, but it has a couple of great twists and turns. Much like Detective Conan, there's an Immortality Thing, but no supernatural logic in the cases.
Noir adventure game which you rotate the DS like a book to "read". Melancholy but hopeful. Sometimes considered part of a spiritual series with Trace Memory/ Another Code.
Direct sequel to Hotel Dusk. Only released in EU region, but DS games are region-free.
[<$20][Weird]
Mobile crime-scene investigation game inexplicably dummied-in as a Layton spinoff. Search the virtual crime scene to find clues and solve the mystery. Unlike the main series, these are real, sensible murder mysteries.
Mobile crime-scene investigation game inexplicably dummied-in as a Layton spinoff. Search the virtual crime scene to find clues and solve the mystery. Unlike the main series, these are real, sensible murder mysteries.
[<$20]
If you liked the idea of AA5 but were disappointed by the execution, this may be up your alley (in spite of the pixel-hunting and slipshod translation). Critically panned due to its old-school menu format, but I quite enjoyed the main case. The bonus mobile games I could take or leave.
If you liked the idea of AA5 but were disappointed by the execution, this may be up your alley (in spite of the pixel-hunting and slipshod translation). Critically panned due to its old-school menu format, but I quite enjoyed the main case. The bonus mobile games I could take or leave.
[Free][Weird]
You may recognize the name of the protagonist from the later Twine hit Birdland. This first Bell Park game is a short parody of Encyclopedia Brown-style mysteries, where the kid detective is called upon to investigate an adult murder.
You may recognize the name of the protagonist from the later Twine hit Birdland. This first Bell Park game is a short parody of Encyclopedia Brown-style mysteries, where the kid detective is called upon to investigate an adult murder.
[Free][SFF]
VN with point-and-click elements. A disgraced demonologist and his ex stage a fake seance that ends in a real murder. The kind of mystery that's based on in-universe magical mechanics.
VN with point-and-click elements. A disgraced demonologist and his ex stage a fake seance that ends in a real murder. The kind of mystery that's based on in-universe magical mechanics.
[Free][Weird]
Experimental Twine game with online multiplayer. You and your partner are Mark Antony (Vice President of the United States) and Cleopatra (Cleopatra). Bizarre, funny game with mechanics reminiscent of the Sherlock Holmes board games.
Experimental Twine game with online multiplayer. You and your partner are Mark Antony (Vice President of the United States) and Cleopatra (Cleopatra). Bizarre, funny game with mechanics reminiscent of the Sherlock Holmes board games.
[PWYW]
Short and silly parser game. In a premise that any procrastinator can appreciate, you're a parody-Poirot giving your summation speech... when you don't know who the murderer is yet. Only ~two commands, suitable for new parser players.
Short and silly parser game. In a premise that any procrastinator can appreciate, you're a parody-Poirot giving your summation speech... when you don't know who the murderer is yet. Only ~two commands, suitable for new parser players.
26
[<$10]
Atmospheric low-poly walking simulator about the mundane horror of cults. I was a bit concerned going in about how it would handle the content, but ended up appreciating the sympathetic direction it took. Definitely check the content warnings.
Atmospheric low-poly walking simulator about the mundane horror of cults. I was a bit concerned going in about how it would handle the content, but ended up appreciating the sympathetic direction it took. Definitely check the content warnings.
[Weird]
To me this is waaay more of a Layton game than an AA game, but it's written by Shu Takumi and the plot is pretty good. Includes a preview of the witness mechanic later employed by GAA.
To me this is waaay more of a Layton game than an AA game, but it's written by Shu Takumi and the plot is pretty good. Includes a preview of the witness mechanic later employed by GAA.
24
[Free]
Tightly-timed parser game by Jon Ingold (who also wrote Overboard, which shares this game's mechanics). It's riffing on Infocom's 80s detective game Deadline, with a genuinely brilliant twist. You're a detective called to the scene of a murder. The cast all have thoroughly detailed schedules; across multiple playthroughs you learn and exploit them in order to put the case to bed. Fiendishly difficult even for experienced parser players, but very satisfying.
Tightly-timed parser game by Jon Ingold (who also wrote Overboard, which shares this game's mechanics). It's riffing on Infocom's 80s detective game Deadline, with a genuinely brilliant twist. You're a detective called to the scene of a murder. The cast all have thoroughly detailed schedules; across multiple playthroughs you learn and exploit them in order to put the case to bed. Fiendishly difficult even for experienced parser players, but very satisfying.
[Free][SFF]
Technically a spy thriller--wait, hear me out! After infiltrating an enemy base, you're being interrogated via a memory-reviewing device; your goal is to put together what actually happened, while spinning a convincing story to your interrogator about what could have happened. Act 2 ends with you (the player) identifying the PC's goal with a single command that has to be one of the most satisfying moments in IF. Intermediate parser difficulty, though there's a walkthrough.
Technically a spy thriller--wait, hear me out! After infiltrating an enemy base, you're being interrogated via a memory-reviewing device; your goal is to put together what actually happened, while spinning a convincing story to your interrogator about what could have happened. Act 2 ends with you (the player) identifying the PC's goal with a single command that has to be one of the most satisfying moments in IF. Intermediate parser difficulty, though there's a walkthrough.
[<$10][SFF]
Quirky Twine game where you play an amnesiac who teams up with two eccentric detectives to figure out your identity and magic powers. I played the original IFComp release and was really impressed with some of the mechanics implemented. Note that the story is episodic and (last I checked) incomplete.
Quirky Twine game where you play an amnesiac who teams up with two eccentric detectives to figure out your identity and magic powers. I played the original IFComp release and was really impressed with some of the mechanics implemented. Note that the story is episodic and (last I checked) incomplete.
Slick Switch remake of a genre-codifying detective game. The plot is low-key cribbing from one of the Kindaichi novels and winks at you about this.
[$10][SFF]
Telltale noir adventure game set in the Fables universe. Your choices affect the way the story progresses. Content warnings for sex trafficking and murdered sex workers, among other things.
Telltale noir adventure game set in the Fables universe. Your choices affect the way the story progresses. Content warnings for sex trafficking and murdered sex workers, among other things.
[SFF]
Kotaro Uchikoshi joint where you play a member of a shady organization who travels through minds, solving dream-logic puzzles in pursuit of a serial killer. If you can get past the volume of sex jokes, it's an interesting, mind-bending mystery.
Kotaro Uchikoshi joint where you play a member of a shady organization who travels through minds, solving dream-logic puzzles in pursuit of a serial killer. If you can get past the volume of sex jokes, it's an interesting, mind-bending mystery.
18
[Free]
Sherlock Holmes is investigating a murder. You are his dog. Parser game where you navigate a "smell-scape" to put together a dizzying amount of context and piece together the story. Among the parser games on this list, this one is accessible for newbies; almost everything is done via the smell command.
Sherlock Holmes is investigating a murder. You are his dog. Parser game where you navigate a "smell-scape" to put together a dizzying amount of context and piece together the story. Among the parser games on this list, this one is accessible for newbies; almost everything is done via the smell command.
17
[Free]
Twine game where you play the ghost of a HOA busybody trying to find your killer after an apparent potluck poisoning. Ends on an (intentionally) unresolved note, though you the player can figure out what happened.
Twine game where you play the ghost of a HOA busybody trying to find your killer after an apparent potluck poisoning. Ends on an (intentionally) unresolved note, though you the player can figure out what happened.
[SFF]
Route-based VN. Initially seems to be about a group of people trying to curse each other to death à la Death Note, but turns into a more conventional mystery focused on juggling the different characters' routes à la Shibuya Scramble. You end up solving a number of murders, past and present. I figured out the main mystery quite early, but still enjoyed the story a lot.
Route-based VN. Initially seems to be about a group of people trying to curse each other to death à la Death Note, but turns into a more conventional mystery focused on juggling the different characters' routes à la Shibuya Scramble. You end up solving a number of murders, past and present. I figured out the main mystery quite early, but still enjoyed the story a lot.
15
AKA Another Code. A young girl comes to a deserted mansion to look for her missing father, and ends up investigating the death of the resident ghost. Adventure game that makes strong use of the DS's features for puzzles. Recently remastered alongside its sequel as Another Code: Recollection, but I can't speak to that version.
14
[<$20]
Walking simulator in which you arrive home from university to an empty house, and have to piece together what has happened to everyone (unearthing some family skeletons in the process).
Walking simulator in which you arrive home from university to an empty house, and have to piece together what has happened to everyone (unearthing some family skeletons in the process).
[<$20][SFF]
Series of episodic point-and-click games about a reluctant psychopomp and her ghost companion investigating deaths, often supernatural. Occasional abrupt twists, but great character writing. I won't list them individually, but each game is better than its predecessor IMO.
Series of episodic point-and-click games about a reluctant psychopomp and her ghost companion investigating deaths, often supernatural. Occasional abrupt twists, but great character writing. I won't list them individually, but each game is better than its predecessor IMO.
[<$20][SFF]
Last, best, and most gorgeous of the Blackwell games, with bigger picture stakes. I wouldn't play it without having played the previous ones, though.
Last, best, and most gorgeous of the Blackwell games, with bigger picture stakes. I wouldn't play it without having played the previous ones, though.
11
[<$20][Weird]
Short, nifty investigation game where you solve mysteries purely through recorded audio. "Five-minute mystery" style, but with complicated intersecting schemes.
Short, nifty investigation game where you solve mysteries purely through recorded audio. "Five-minute mystery" style, but with complicated intersecting schemes.
[Free]
Standalone DLC for Unheard that mostly ignores the base game's silly framing device. Plot is basically the movie Get Shorty, with a twist.
Standalone DLC for Unheard that mostly ignores the base game's silly framing device. Plot is basically the movie Get Shorty, with a twist.
[SFF]
Uchikoshi's best, imo, following nine people trapped in a deadly game. Eventually reveals an overarching mystery. Gameplay is a mix of branching VN and escape room segments.
Uchikoshi's best, imo, following nine people trapped in a deadly game. Eventually reveals an overarching mystery. Gameplay is a mix of branching VN and escape room segments.
Prequel to Missing Heir, surrounding the investigation of a missing high school girl. I preferred this one to its predecessor--more atmospheric. Also there was a fan translation of the original SNES version of this one floating around back in the day, if you're curious to compare the changes.
OK, this is technically Ace Attorney, but it was originally intended to be a Sherlock Holmes game, so. IMO some of the strongest material in the franchise and a love letter to the Holmes stories. Contains some period-typical racism which is not always handled sensitively.
[Free][Weird]
IRL time-distanced sequel to the gay coming-of-age Twine game Birdland, about the ways Toronto has changed since 2014. Bell Park investigates a mundane disappearance case with a typically quirky cast. Time travel ensues.
IRL time-distanced sequel to the gay coming-of-age Twine game Birdland, about the ways Toronto has changed since 2014. Bell Park investigates a mundane disappearance case with a typically quirky cast. Time travel ensues.
[Free][SFF]
Parser IF. You are a medieval theologian sent back in time to investigate the "first murder" with the power of alchemy. Interesting meditation on the nature of truth. Tries to make itself accessible to people who have never played a parser game before, though I think the scope might still be a little overwhelming to a newcomer. There's a thorough walkthrough, though beware of spoilers.
Parser IF. You are a medieval theologian sent back in time to investigate the "first murder" with the power of alchemy. Interesting meditation on the nature of truth. Tries to make itself accessible to people who have never played a parser game before, though I think the scope might still be a little overwhelming to a newcomer. There's a thorough walkthrough, though beware of spoilers.
[<$20][SFF]
A truly open world murder mystery, with a delightfully bonkers setting. At any point you can end the investigation and make your case, and it is fully possible to incriminate the wrong person (by accident or by choice), although there is a definitive correct answer. One of the most interesting experiences I've had in a game.
A truly open world murder mystery, with a delightfully bonkers setting. At any point you can end the investigation and make your case, and it is fully possible to incriminate the wrong person (by accident or by choice), although there is a definitive correct answer. One of the most interesting experiences I've had in a game.
AKA Kamaitachi no Yoru. Classic branching VN that inspired the Zero Escape series. Depending on how long it takes to identify the killer, it can turn from mystery to slasher horror. The mystery itself is genuinely good and memorable. The older Americanized iOS release I played is abandonware, but there are various fan translations of the GBA and PC versions.
[<$20]
Cool IF-adjacent FMV game where you piece together a murder investigation by combing through an interview database with keyword searches. Places a lot of faith in the player by allowing you to search clips in any order, and it pays off. The solution is controversial; personally I liked it.
Cool IF-adjacent FMV game where you piece together a murder investigation by combing through an interview database with keyword searches. Places a lot of faith in the player by allowing you to search clips in any order, and it pays off. The solution is controversial; personally I liked it.
[SFF]
Shu Takumi's other mystery game, a gem of a physics puzzler where you play an amnesiac poltergeist trying to solve the mystery of his own death while saving others. Half the fun is piecing together who the characters are and how they are connected, so I recommend playing blind.
Shu Takumi's other mystery game, a gem of a physics puzzler where you play an amnesiac poltergeist trying to solve the mystery of his own death while saving others. Half the fun is piecing together who the characters are and how they are connected, so I recommend playing blind.