Database Detective: Minor Crimes Division is a comedy deduction game where you solve petty crimes in Los Zorangeles, such as littering or overstaying a hotel checkout, by writing SQL queries. It has ten cases that get longer as you go, a short in-game textbook, clear error messages and an assistant you can ask for help. That makes it friendly to SQL beginners while still giving data people a real workout. It suits solo players who like Obra Dinn or Golden Idol style deduction and don't mind typing code.
Players love the humour, the retro desktop look, the voiced briefings and the detail in the 40-plus fake websites. One case asks you to dig through forum profiles of over 200 characters. Several reviewers say the hard part is not the SQL but working out which question to ask. They also say every answer can be deduced without guessing.
The main split is the second half. Around chapter seven, the game shifts from joining tables to browsing websites for clues, and some players who came for SQL found it a chore. Others complain about red herrings and losing their notes after a wrong accusation. Expect ten to fifteen hours. It is easy to recommend at full price.
Pros
Real SQL queries are your detective tool, with a beginner-friendly textbook
40+ fake websites and a dense, very funny fictional city
Answers are always deducible, with no guessing needed
Cons
Later cases lean on web sleuthing more than SQL, which some find a chore
Red herrings, and a wrong accusation wipes your working lists
There’s been a backlog of unsolved cases piling up in the Minor Crimes Division of the Los Zorangeles Police Department and we’ll need a Database Detective to help solve them.
We’ll need you to analyze clues and manipulate data using SQL, a database querying language, to figure out who perpetrated crimes from as minor as littering to as serious as not checking out of a hotel after the check-out time.
Don’t worry! This role is intended to be accessible for those without any SQL experience, so each Database Detective is given an introductory textbook when they start! This short textbook is less than 20 pages and explains everything that’s needed to solve each case.
If you still have trouble writing queries, our comprehensive error messaging system will tell you exactly where your query went wrong, making it easy to correct your mistakes.
Still not enough? Each Database Detective is assigned an assistant who’s ready to answer any questions you might have, whether they be about the case itself or the SQL queries you’ll need to write!
Understanding how to manipulate data using SQL is not the only part of being a Database Detective! Your job will also require you to piece together evidence and clues, just like a real detective! Further on in your Database Detective career, you’ll have to sleuth through the internet and piece cases together yourself.
Job benefits also include…
Fully voice acted mission briefings at the beginning of each case!
Fully hand drawn art for you to enjoy!
More than 40 websites to explore!
10 cases for you to solve, each case getting longer and more complex!
A total of around 8-10 hours of valuable work experience to add to your resume!
