Scene Investigators
Genres: Puzzle, Mystery, Atmospheric, Adventure
Release Date: 24-10-2023
Developer: EQ Studios
Our verdict
6.5/10
- Difficulty: Hard
- Players: 1
- Playtime: 6–10 h
Scene Investigators is a first-person crime-scene deduction game from the makers of The Painscreek Killings. You play a trainee investigator in the near future working through reconstructed case files. You study each scene, take your own notes and answer questions about what happened, who was involved and why. There are no hints. The developers describe a 70/30 principle: some evidence is missing on purpose, and you fill the gaps with reasonable assumptions. It suits patient solo players who want pure deduction over story.
Opinion is split. Steam reviews are Mixed, at about 64 percent positive. Fans enjoy rebuilding a timeline from small clues and say the harder cases, such as Bloodbath, can be solved with careful reasoning and good notes. Tag votes for Difficult back this up.
Critics point to the same design. Scenes are limited to a few rooms where you cannot open drawers, doors or phones. Victims get no backstory. Some players found their well-reasoned answers marked wrong with no explanation, and fans of Painscreek missed its story. Buy it on sale if you like scoring your own CSI-style theories. Skip it if you want the game to confirm your reasoning.
Pros
- Rebuild each crime timeline from scattered clues, with no hints
- Harder cases reward careful note-taking
- Grounded, true-crime style scenes
Cons
- Scenes are small, and you can't open drawers, doors or devices
- Answers can be marked wrong with no explanation; victims have no backstory
About
Set in the near future, you play as a trainee in pursuit of becoming a licensed investigator. Presented with a set of reconstructed case files that border between challenging and perplexing, your goal is to solve them and pass the test. Your only tools are your keen perception, astute thinking and mental acuity. Can you solve them all?
Scene Investigators is a hardcore deductive reasoning game that leans heavily on keen observation, filling in the missing gaps, looking for motives when they aren't seemingly there, and coming up with several plausible assumptions to progress through the investigation.
The game is tailored to fans of detective films, the true crime genre, escape room puzzles and especially for those who love the challenge of solving cases.
"True Crime" Detective Experience
You are to observe each scene carefully and analyze everything on site. There is no handholding or hints. Take notes on anything that stands out and write down your suspicions as you navigate through the crime scene.
Uncompromising Murder Mystery Puzzles
Piece everything together, not only to understand what happened but also the connection between the perpetrators and their victims. Your only tools are your keen perception, mental sharpness, and real-life wisdom.
Calculated Assumptions - 70/30 Principle
You may find that some evidence is missing, limiting you from making the best conclusion. There might be 70% of the evidence in the case, but the other 30% is nowhere to be found. This is where you have to fill in the missing gaps, trust your gut-feelings and make smart, calculated assumptions.
Telling Stories Through the Environment
Notice the pink lipstick on the wine glass? What about the trajectory of the bullet on the wall? How about the faint size-12 boot marks on the windowsill? These are part of the environmental clues that can help piece the story together.
Solve Them With a Friend
It’s more fun to solve when you have someone to discuss your findings with - a friend, a significant other, or even the whole family! Scene Investigators is perfect for this and it is our hope that you can enjoy this game with others. They might spot something you missed in your investigation, and vice versa.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Note for The Painscreek Killings Fans...
In terms of gameplay, Scene Investigators is quite a departure from our first game, The Painscreek Killings. TPK focuses heavily on the story and uses a rather simple 'breadcrumb' system for its gameplay, one that allows players to continue their investigation whenever they pick up a clue. Scene Investigators, on the other hand, leans heavily on keen observation, filling in the missing gaps, looking for motives when they aren't there, and coming up with a number of possible assumptions in order to solve the case.
In short, The Painscreek Killings is a story-rich game while Scene Investigators is a deduction reasoning game.
