Mindcop
Genres: Puzzle, Mystery, Story Rich, Adventure
Release Date: 14-11-2024
Developer: Andre Gareis
Our verdict
8/10
- Difficulty: Medium
- Players: 1
- Playtime: 4–6 h
Mindcop is a non-linear whodunit by solo developer Andre Gareis. A murder rocks the small town of Merrylin Crater Camp, and you have five in-game days to find the killer. Every action costs time, and you can enter suspects' minds through a real-time puzzle that sorts their memories into truths, uncertainties and lies. It suits solo detective fans who like pressure and odd, hand-drawn worlds.
Players rate it Very Positive, with about 92 percent of 244 reviews in favour. Reviewers enjoy the quirky, dark humour, the flawed characters and the layered mystery. One argues the clock is the best part: unlike open-ended investigation games, you cannot collect every clue, so choosing where to spend your hours matters. The mind-diving puzzle is a striking hook, though one reviewer felt it stayed more novelty than core tool.
The recurring complaint is saving. There is only a constant autosave, so running out of time on day five means starting over, and players say this makes exploring the two endings a chore. Tracking down specific people can also be tedious. At its low price it is well worth a look; just play carefully on the final day.
Pros
- Five-day time limit forces real choices about which leads to chase
- Mind-diving puzzle sorts suspects' memories into truths and lies
- Hand-drawn noir town full of odd, flawed characters
Cons
- Autosave only; failing on day five means restarting the whole game
- Seeing both endings means replaying from scratch
- Some characters are hard to find when you need to question them
About
The quiet hamlet of Merrylin Crater Camp is shaken by a murder!
Uncover the truth in this non-linear „whodunnit“ detective game. As the Mindcop you have 5 days to catch the true killer among Merrilyn Crater Camp’s inhabitants.
Key features
WHODUNNIT DETECTIVE GAME
Use your Mindcop capabilities to uncover secrets and unravel people’s lies to find the true suspect of this town’s murder.
MINDSURF
As the Mindcop you can attempt to sneak into the mind of one of the suspects. This plays out as real-time puzzle game.
Complete it and explore their « Sea of Thoughts » to get clues and topics to use in conversation.
TIME
You have 5 days to solve this murder and every action comes with a time cost. As the Mindcop, make tough decisions on what is worth your time and what will lead you to dead ends. Choose well and discover two different endings!
Can you catch the killer in 5 days?
Mindcop is the work of solo game developer Andre Gareis.
