Sockpuppet Noir
Our verdict
7/10
- Difficulty: Medium
- Players: 1
- Playtime: 6–9 h
Sockpuppet Noir is a detective visual novel from LizardFactory where every character is a real sock puppet, photographed on a green screen. You play Frank Sockowski, a private eye in the laundry-themed city of New Drawer, across three murder cases: a film set shooting, a high-rise killing and a death aboard a cruise ship. It suits solo players who like deduction games and do not mind a steady stream of puns.
It holds a Positive rating, with 19 of 21 reviews recommending it. Players praise the clue logic, the red herrings and the fact that you can accuse the wrong suspect and fail a case. The amateur voice cast and the 1950s noir tone get warm words, and several reviewers say the cases improve as you go.
The launch was rough. Many reviewers point to typos and sloppy text, small bugs such as reappearing dialogue options, and puppets that only stretch and squash rather than move their mouths. One early review also flagged AI-made stock images, which the developers have since disclosed and promised to replace. If you like Golden Idol-style accusations with a silly twist, it is good value at its price; if polish matters most, wait for the patches.
Pros
- Hand-made sock puppet cast filmed on a green screen gives it a unique look
- Three full murder cases with red herrings and the option to accuse wrongly
- Voice acting and a constant run of sock puns land with most players
Cons
- Reviewers report many typos and some small bugs at launch
- Puppets do not move their mouths, they only stretch and squash
- Some AI-made stock images, which the developers say they will replace
About
New Drawer was a city of sin, a cesspool of all the lowest scum you could find. If they weren't already pink by the mishandled wash of corruption, you could bet they were lost and alone, doomed to search forever for their lost partner.
And in the middle of all this mess, there was I. Frank Sockowski, Private Detective.
I made my coin by looking into the dirty heels of this city, snooping around, and solving crime.
GAMEPLAY
As a private detective (and woolly sock) it is your duty to investigate gruesome cases. Armed with the sharpest wits in New Drawers and your trusty magnifying glass, you get information through interrogation, classic sleuthing around crime scenes, and getting gossip from the local bar.
You unlock new clues as you progress the story, and once you are confident in your findings, you can carry out an arrest on your main suspect.
CASES
The game currently have 3 cases, with around 2-3 hours of gameplay each.
Shot and Directed - At the Holeywood studio, disaster strikes as in the middle of a hero-vs-villain climax, a pistol goes off with a loaded round. Detective Sockowski is forced to dive into the world of production fraud, actress drama and cinema fanatism to get to the root of this dastardly crime.
Puppets of Power - A grizzle murder happens in the city high-rise, right in the richest and most powerful district of New Drawer. A district attorney with ties to all layers of society, and a grieving newly millionaire widow will test Detective Sockowski's sleuthing skills.
Stabbed at Sea - Taking a break from the dark city and boarding the S.S. Herringbone, Detective Sockowski and his new femme fatale ally takes on a murder before it even happens! But suddenly, the light dims, and the world gets turned upside down, and sadly no one will be left alive to enjoy the chef's famous Charlotte cake!
PRODUCTION
This game was initially made during the Global Game Jam 2021 but has since been expanded, adjusted, voiced, and polished.
The main crux was that we had no artists in our team, so we had to improvise. But we had a bunch of socks and some googly-eyes on hand, so sock puppets were made, filmed on a green screen, and put into the game.
It has a cast of amateur voice actors from our circle of friends.
AI Generated Content Disclosure
The developers describe how their game uses AI Generated Content like this:
The game's writing, code, characters, voicework, and design were created by humans without the use of generative AI.
Some assets are made from freelancers or purchased off asset/stock sites that promised us it was not generative AI. We later discovered that some of these assets contained AI-generated material. We are replacing these assets as they are identified.
