I'll push this title: The Painscreek Killings
https://store.steampowered.com/app/624270/The_Painscreek_Killings/
I've bought it but haven't played any as yet! But the premise of looking
for clues in a deserted town to a coldcase murder, with no hand-holding,
taking notes to follow up on etc, is very intriguing to me. Looking forward
to starting it.

Another excellent title is Gone Home
https://store.steampowered.com/app/232430/Gone_Home/
This title was a minor sensation upon release, and justly so: Gone Home has
a superb short story plot woven into the narrative, but you have to take
time exploring all the nooks and crannies and reading all the notes to tease
out those threads. If you do that, it's very rewarding. The atmosphere of
the empty house setting was a stroke of genius, and I remember this title
very fondly.

rms

Also, Isn't Firewatch cast as something of a mystery story as well? I
haven't played it, but it is highly rated.

rms

I'll add one more: Observer: System Redux
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1386900/Observer_System_Redux/

Your character, voiced by Rutger Hauer, is a detective investigating several
strange cases in a futuristic apartment building. This title requires a
fairly high-end system to shine.

Here is my review from last year:
I've played a couple games in the 'dark cyberpunk' genre: Blade Runner,
Technobabylon, Soma; and a few 'psychological horror' games like GOTY2017
Get Even, Evil Within 1&2, Hellblade. Observer System Redux is among the
best in mixing the two.

The cramped corridors, twisting staircases, labyrinthine basement, decaying
tech, exposed cables, and ever-present building noises reflect the mental
state of both the occupants and the detective investigating them, and I give
high marks for this design choice in keeping all the plot in one locale (a
little reminiscent of System Shock 1 for me). The immediacy an FPS viewpoint
gives adds to this -- a VR version could be a thing of wonder.

I only briefly tried the original game, and recall finding the graphics
blurry, and had some trouble navigating, but those early impressions are
gone in the remaster. Environments are detailed and colorful, navigation and
movement natural and weighty, and apparently the gameplay has been
streamlined somewhat, with repetitive sections reduced, while adding
additional content in side investigations. These side missions were
delightful for me in adding to the world-building, I had no sense they were
tacked on, and I did every one I could find.

I've read several gamesite reviews after finishing, with these two the most
insightful:
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-08-17-observer-review
and this highly critical one:
https://nichegamer.com/reviews/observer-system-redux-review/
This nichegamer review does make good points on the shortcomings (mostly
from staffing and budget issues) but while playing, though I was somewhat
aware of them, I could care less, the world-building was so good as to keep
me coming back day after day for another session. And casting Rutger Hauer
in the lead role was absolutely a brilliant move. As Eurogamer puts it "Part
of the thrill, of course, is essentially casting Roy from Blade Runner in
the role of his nemesis, Deckard, but Hauer also lends a distinctive texture
to the part - by turns detached, baleful, kindly and bemused", and I reveled
in hearing his voice throughout, despite the age-induced blurring.

I guess I can't bear to rank Observer: System Redux, but it's in the same
tier as Get Even, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, though I'd play those two
first with their stronger emotional impact on me, if you have to choose!

rms

On Sat, 22 Jan 2022 14:53:36 -0700, "rms"
<rsquiresMOO@MOOflashMOO.net> wrote:

>Also, Isn't Firewatch cast as something of a mystery story as well? I
>haven't played it, but it is highly rated.

I adore "Firewatch", and while there is something of a mystery to its
tale, I would be hard pressed to consider it a 'detective story'.
What's going on is far less important to the narrative than the
developing relationship between the two characters. It also falls
heavily into "walking sim" territory; there really is no gameplay
besides strolling around the maps and talking. You can't win (or lose)
the game; whether you figure out the 'mystery' is completely
incidental.

That shouldn't discourage people from playing this game; if nothing
else, "Firewatch" has some of the most natural sounding dialogue I've
heard in any game and - while the visuals are highly stylized - it's
also quite beautiful to look at (although I'm quite partial to
wilderness settings, so take my opinion with a grain of salt). PW -
the original poster - may well enjoy this game, but not because it is
a 'detective game' but because it's just a well-made piece of
interactive fiction.