An Act of Murder

There is a lot to like here -- I am a sucker for a good drawing room mystery in the style of Agatha Christie or Dorothy L. Sayers, and the opening of this game feels like a classic set up: a small group of people who know each other well, a few secrets, a body. Huang's writing is on point, and the NPCs are interesting. And the way that you solve this game -- not just by figuring out the murder, but by laying out the evidence -- is very smart and prevents you from stumbling into a correction solution.

Unfortunately, I think the randomized aspect of the game -- the killer and method of death vary from one play to another -- detracts from its impact. It's clever and no doubt it was fun to code up, but I think it ultimately detracts from the development of the NPCs. I found a lot of actions and topics that weren't implemented -- showing a potential murder weapon to a suspect should elicit some reaction! -- and asking an NPC about a subject more than once got the same response each time. I would have preferred, personally, a game with one solution and deeper development of the NPCs.

But that isn't the goal Huang set for himself, and he did what he set out to do well.

Was this review helpful to you?   Yes   No   Remove vote  

More Options

Promote this user

Demote this user

Plonk this user

Flag spoilers

Flag as inappropriate

Direct link

View my user filters

Explain these options

 | Add a comment