A Case of Fraud
Our verdict
8.5/10
- Difficulty: Easy
- Players: 1
- Playtime: 2–3 h
A Case of Fraud is a short document-deduction game from Hesperus Games. The CEO of Zoolingo, a startup building an app to translate pet sounds, has vanished after a huge funding round, and all you have is a pile of papers from her home and office. You work out who everyone is, including the staff's pets, and build the case that exposes the fraud. It suits solo players who liked The Roottrees are Dead and want a smaller, gentler version.
Players rate it Very Positive, with about 98 percent of reviews in favour. There is no hunting for hidden objects; every document is handed to you and the puzzle is in reading closely and cross-referencing. Reviewers call the deductions logical and solvable without guessing, with a few clues that take real effort, and they like the hand-drawn art and the pet theme.
The main caveat is size. Most players finish in two to three hours, and nearly everyone calls it easier and shorter than Roottrees. One reviewer felt the final solution leaned on an assumption the game did not clearly support, and another wanted a stronger overall story. At its price it is a satisfying evening for deduction fans; skip it if you want a long, hard case.
Pros
- Every clue is in the documents, so it is pure reading and deduction
- Identifying staff and their pets adds a charming twist
- Logical answers with no need to guess, per most reviewers
Cons
- Most players finish in two to three hours
- Easier and smaller than The Roottrees are Dead it is modelled on
- One reviewer found the final answer relied on an unstated assumption
About
A short, non-linear detective adventure. Investigate the mysterious disappearance of a successful CEO by analysing documents from her home and office. Examine evidence, connect clues, and make your own deductions to uncover a case of fraud.
Zoolingo is a seemingly successful startup company aiming to build a translation app that allows people to understand their pets. After landing an enormous amount of investor funding, the CEO has disappeared under suspicious circumstances. The only evidence you have is a whole lot of documents. Piece together the identities and roles of the family and employees, figure out who had motive and opportunity, and construct a case to unravel the fraudulent scheme.
Inspired by open-ended narrative deduction games like The Roottrees are Dead.
Features:
Non-linear gameplay
Progression is in your mind! Explore evidence however you want. Connect clues and form your own theories with no hand-holding
Deep reading
There is no searching or hunting for hidden clues. All documents are provided throughout the game, and the puzzle is in how you interpret them.
A complex case
Exposing the fraudulent operation won’t be easy. You’ll need to discover missing identities, decipher clues from the past, and make logical deductions to bring it all together and crack the case.
Lots of cute pets
Deduce the identities of the employees’ adorable animal companions!
Note: the art was hand drawn in Procreate using an iPad and Apple Pencil
