Reviews by thesleuthacademy

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Waiting for Sunrise, by Victor Selnæs Breum
Short but interesting, January 18, 2024

I liked how it's heavy on deduction skills and how it just cuts to the chase with the narrative. Short and sweet; totally my cup of tea. I find the deduction stage somewhat unique in that you first get to choose options from dropdown menus, and then if you've got it all correct, submit a written report of the details of what you thought happened, which allows you to then compare your report with the truth of the matter. The truth of the mystery made a lot of sense with the clues hidden in the narrative. Hope to see more of such works!

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A Clockwork Noir, by Jeremy Lee Harden

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
A promising noir mystery, December 4, 2023

Looked promising till I got hopelessly stuck (Spoiler - click to show)after shooting a figure that keeps reappearing.. A walkthrough or a hint system would have been great. Spotted a few typographical errors. Some of the exits don't quite make sense - I could go "out" but not use cardinal directions to exit a location.

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CODENAME OBSCURA, by Mika Kujala

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Almost perfect in every way, October 4, 2023

Another gem found. Appreciated the depth of exploration for a one-hour game, the beautiful pixelated old-school graphics(!), and the ease of gameplay (well I liked that you don't need a walkthrough for this; the in-game hint system was simple but sufficient to point you in the right direction when you need one. The difficulty was just right and that was a significant part of the fun). Was stuck at the very last part in (Spoiler - click to show) catching the main criminal but managed to figure it out eventually after a few failed attempts. Minor glitch encountered where (Spoiler - click to show) the turtle reappeared and I could take the turtle even though I had already done so, after revisiting the fountain the second time. (Spoiler - click to show)Wasn't quite sure what the microphone on the box in the villa was about though, and didn't manage to find the other puzzle piece for the mosaic wall either, but one could still complete the mission without these.

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Saint City Sinners, by dgallagher

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Short noir comedy, June 26, 2023

Plot could have been more well-developed. More of a comedy than a detective mystery. Oh and the music is on point!

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Murder at the Aero Club, by Penny Wyatt

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Easily my cup of tea, June 23, 2023

A simple yet adequate murder mystery plot with sufficient suspects and clues. Was stuck towards the end when I couldn't get the suspect to talk, so had to rely on peeking at a walkthrough, but otherwise most things made sense. Would be great to have an in-game hint system, and anticipate other commands to minimise the "There is no reply" response. Would also be nice if there were more plot development, but otherwise I am glad to have found this.

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The Kuolema, by Ben Jackson

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
Beautifully executed on GForms, April 14, 2023

Very impressively designed on an unconventional platform. The mystery storyline (twists included) was intriguing enough for me to want to finish all five chapters at one go. Can be played without much reference to the walkthrough (I had to use it two to three times as I was stuck at a few puzzles in the later chapters). I liked how the puzzles became more difficult as one progressed in the game. Appreciated the informative details provided at the end as well. You could also explore multiple endings. Creating IF games just became a lot more accessible for those who are programming-naive. Highly recommended!

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Murder on the Big Nothing, by Tony Pisculli

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Let it tell you a story, April 4, 2023

This is one game in which I actually didn't know what was going on or what I should do until I gave up and that was when the "Aha" moment struck me. 'Nuff said. (Spoiler - click to show)Bittersweet.

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Closed Door; Key?, by KnightAnNi

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Curious and curiouser, March 26, 2023

Interesting way to craft an IF game! Short but it was fun while it lasted. Lovely colour scheme too. Would’ve been great if there was more than one puzzle.

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Happyland, by Rob Fitzel

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Body was unsearchable :(, March 21, 2023

I was not able to examine or search the victim's body. It just kept saying the body was not there (Spoiler - click to show) when I examined the car at the crash site. Otherwise, the walkthrough made the game look very promising. I appreciated the plot twist along the way, but I could not continue with the gameplay without being able to access the abovementioned vital evidence.

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The Wizard Sniffer, by Buster Hudson

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Excellent, March 15, 2023

By far the best game I've played. Was quite stuck at the machine puzzle and had to rely on the transcript. Otherwise, the in-game hints were sufficient. The twist was unexpected (perhaps because I was too engrossed in solving the puzzles), but it blew me away. This was one game I could do without a map. Five stars because it has done very well in both narrative and game design. Thank you!

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