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Review
Neon Case is a short custom choice-based cyberpunk/murder mystery game. You are Mei Ling, a Hong Kong police officer in the year 2065. A call comes in: a murder at a strip-club/brothel called Neon Lotus. The victim? An android... and therefore a legal shade of grey. Told in first-person P.O.V.
The investigation kicks off when you and fellow officer Kai Wong arrive at the club to interview three persons of interest: the manager, the patron suspected of murder, and the murder victim, Luna. Yes, we hear her side of the story by accessing her memory. Cue the main event: an actual A.I. interaction. According to the game’s description, "the player interrogates the android’s memory through an in-story AI system (a real chatbot interaction)." The player is directed to type questions into a text box to sift through Luna’s memories. I thought this was clever.
Thing is, (Spoiler - click to show)it’s obvious that she was murdered by the patron, making the “investigation” superficial. You also only get to ask a handful of questions before her diagnostics system fizzles out (no matter what, she’ll tell you what you need). This lack of interactivity and depth fails to showcase this chatbot feature in a meaningful way. It does, however, effectively convey Luna’s individualism and how she feared for her life.
You: Who hurt you?
Luna: I-I'm so frightened, (Spoiler - click to show)it was Vincent Bo...
Which leads to a key question: Is this ultimately a matter of murder or destruction of property? I found it difficult to explore this question due to the spareness of backstory on android technology and its legality within the story. NPCs refer to androids as “it,” but not with malice. Just matter-of-fact, “please don’t damage our androids because we paid a lot for them” kind of way. Perhaps they really are programmable property. And yet, the “lethal deactivation” (aka murder) of an android can land a person in prison. Lots of mixed messages going on.
What is clear is that, regardless of mainstream belief, Luna’s death was traumatic. The scraps of memory from her mind show that she was fully aware of the violence inflicted upon her.
(Spoiler - click to show)So, again: Murder or property damage? The player decides. You can be bribed to bury the case (this one is clearly corrupt). You can arrest the patron for murder- this option is literally labeled as “justice for Luna.” Or you can force him to pay the club for the damages and be let off with a warning. Does the third option break the law? No one acts like it. In the vague ambiguity of violence against androids, society seems content to leave it up to interpretation.
But get this: Kai is an android! This is revealed at the end. Besides being a coworker, he is also Mei’s significant other. Talk about missed opportunity for additional perspective. You would think that he’d have something to say about Luna’s personhood, right? Nope. In fact, he half encouraged us to bury the case. Is this an instance of an android looking down on another android? Interesting.
Final thoughts
As a work of cyberpunk science fiction, Neon Case is filled with familiar elements. Rainy nighttime setting, androids, nightclubs, neon signs, glowing advertising, economic disparities, synthetic food, you name it. Cliches, sure, but that can be part of the fun. Even the generic sci-fi artwork adds flair (though I suspect it’s A.I.-generated). There’s no denying that the game has atmosphere.
But don’t expect in-depth gameplay or a suspenseful story. Neon Case is best approached as the experimental game that it is. Its goal is to showcase its implementation of A.I. as a means for investigating a murder mystery. I think the chatbot and its text input fits well with the premise of sifting through an android’s memory banks in search of clues. Unfortunately, it currently feels more like a gimmick and less like the investigative tool that the author was hoping for.
I recommend Neon Case if the chatbot feature interests you and/or you are an inherent fan of cyberpunk ambience. Fans of the video game Detroit: Become Human may also enjoy the themes in the story.
Comments on this review
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Thanks a lot for the review — I really appreciate you taking the time.
I’m curious about the 3/5 score: what do you feel would most improve the experience? More depth in the investigation, more meaningful choices, or something else?
About the chatbot part: I know the conversation is short and can feel limited, but in the story it’s meant to act as evidence for the police — it unlocks the arrest and provides the background for the final moral decision. I was worried that making the interrogation longer or more demanding might turn it into something many players wouldn’t want to push through.
That said, I’d genuinely like to hear where you felt it fell short, so I can improve future pieces.
