More than books or television, games draw audiences into an experience, placing them in it the driver’s seat. When it comes to mystery stories, this one is absolutely spot on. When Phoenix Wright solves a case, he never finds out before the player does. It’s the player’s job to solve the mystery next to the charactersand it is one of the most satisfying experiences the medium has to offer.
This could explain why detective games are so ubiquitous. Mysteries keep readers interested, hooked on as they try to figure out where the story is going. Games do the same by hooking players with a certain feeling for progression. The two go hand in hand, and these excellent titles illustrate that fact.
10/10 Contradiction: Find the liar!
Contradiction is a ridiculously charming FMV detective game. For those who don’t know, FMV stands for full-motion video. Instead of using 3D models and animations, Contradiction real actors and high definition cameras to capture his gameplay scenes. Some might resist this, but the way it comes across is endearing and nostalgic.
Contradiction follows a straightforward mysterious storyline. Inspector Jenks, the clever protagonist, investigates the recent death of a young woman in an English village. The player watches as Jenks interviews suspects and helps him by pointing out contradictions in their statements. It is a satisfying game that does not exceed its welcome. With only 5-6 hours we almost wish it was longer.
9/10 Deadly hunch
Deadly Premonition is a bad game. It’s also a great game. Heavily inspired by the TV show Twin Peaks, the game follows an FBI agent who discovers a supernatural influence in a remote town in the Pacific Northwest. Players can be drawn to the game’s ridiculous characters or hilariously bad acting, and then be taken aback by the story, which actually quite great.
It’s far from the most polished detective game, but it’s a thoroughly enjoyable classic. Too many games have boring, predictable storylines. Deadly Premonition goes against the grain and presents something so off-the-wall it’s impossible not to smile.
8/10 Sam and Max are on the road
It’s hard to go wrong with a Sam & Max series entry. The more modern Telltale Sam & Max games are good, but Hit the Road is a lasting classic. It was published for MS-DOS in 1993 and sits alongside classic LucasArts point-and-click games – Monkey Island, Day of the Tentacle, and so on. The graphics are dated, sure, but they looked great back then, and they’re still cute and eye-catching to this day.
While not exactly the mainstay of detective gameplay, the Sam & Max games always are hilarious and entertaining. The humor is at its best in the old LucasArts games, but the modern Telltale games are a bit more accessible without consulting a walkthrough.
7/10 Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
danganronpa is totally ridiculous, in a nice way. Fans will argue over which entry is the best – 1 and 2 are considered excellent, and V3 is a bit more controversial. They are not for everyone, but in terms of mysterious gameplay, they are incredibly fun.
The gameplay of Danganronpa is similar to that of Ace Attorney, but the plot is less based on reality. It’s about a group of high school students who are trapped in a murder mystery game, where the only way to survive is to solve the murders of your classmates or trick them through the perfect crime. For us, the game’s biggest flaw is that the story tends to drag when there’s no class test going on.
6/10 Disco Elysium
Disco Elysium has one of the best stories ever told in a video game. And it’s an important, challenging story. But we’re not looking at the best stories in games, and in terms of true detective gameplay, it’s far from the best of all time.
First, the good: there are always multiple ways to tackle the mystery. It’s a deep RPG with great dialogue and it rewards smart thinking. As for the bad, there’s only one real mystery to solve, and some of the best things in the game have essentially nothing to do with it. Also, without going too deep into spoilers, Disco Elysium breaks a core tenant of telling mysteries. Obviously rules are meant to be broken, but in the end the mystery itself becomes a bit of an afterthought.
5/10 The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles
The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, a very long-named game, breathes life into the classic Ace Attorney series with its fascinating environment. It starts just before the turn of the century in Japan. In the story, however, the characters travel to England in the time of gaslights, Sherlock Holmes and Jack the Ripper. This may seem like a strange trait, but it works shockingly well. Themes of justice and corruption abound in the justice system of Victorian England; it is an environment full of opportunities to tell stories.
For those new to the series, we highly recommend starting with the main games. However, for longtime fans looking to change it up, this game is nothing short of refreshing.
4/10 Her story
Like Contradiction, Her Story is a fantastic FMV mystery game. It takes place on the virtual desktop of an old police database. The player’s character uses this interface to study the interrogation videos of a woman named Hannah Smith, who is suspected (or was once suspected of) murdering her husband. As the game progresses, Hannah’s story unfolds more and more.
New videos are discovered by keyword search. This can be whatever the player wants; they must be distracted using information from the videos. This unique mechanic adds to the open nature of the game and really makes the player feel like a detective.
3/10 LA Noire
Created by a now-defunct Australian developer, LA Noire is a unique and excellent mystery game. His big claim to fame is the face scanning technology, which is used to create NPC faces that are so realistic they are almost creepy. This allows players to accurately read characters’ emotions, adding another layer to the detective gameplay.
Unfortunately, LA Noire fails to reach its full potential. His story feels undercooked sometimes, possibly because Cole Phelps never gets any character development outside of the cases he works on. That said, the game features one of the most lively, elaborate worlds found in every detective game. And the story isn’t all bad – the episodic nature of the mysteries means that while some can be boring, others are great.
2/10 Phoenix Wright: Lawyer
Ace Attorney is the Golden standard for any detective game fan, and the first game in the series is arguably the best. It follows the story of a young lawyer, with four episodes all centered around murder cases (with later reissues featuring a new fifth case). In addition to investigating crimes, the player questions witnesses and discovers contradictions in a court of law.
The Ace Attorney games contain witty humor, charming characters and excellent music. They also offer a variety of fun mysteries to be solved in a dramatic and satisfying way. It’s hard to go wrong with any entry in the series, but they’re all worth playing, so consider starting at the beginning!
1/10 Return of the Obra Dinn
Return of the Obra Dinn is an underrated gem of a game, a unique detective experience and arguably what all detective games should strive for. It might as well obliged for mystery games fans. More than any other, Return of the Obra Dinn manages to be a detective game from making the player feel like a detective.
Players will use logical deduction, elimination processes, and perhaps a bit of notes to fully unravel the mystery of the titular ship. Of course, these are all techniques used by real detectives. Ace Attorney is great, but it leans a bit towards feed reply to the player. Not so in Obra Dinn. Here the player’s brain is their only reliable tool. We don’t want to give too much away – the way to experience this game is through: play it as soon as possible.
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