Brink of Consciousness: The Lonely Hearts Murders

About

Brink of Consciousness: The Lonely Hearts Murders is a single player casual puzzle game with horror and mystery themes. It was developed by MagicIndie and was released on November 24, 2014. It received positive reviews from players.

Help Owen Wright rescue his daughter from the clutches of the Lonely Hearts Killer, the mysterious figure who kidnaps and murders people who have suffered a love gone wrong.The killer must be stopped so justice can be done!

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Single-Player

Brink of Consciousness: The Lonely Hearts Murders screenshot

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84%

Audience ScoreBased on 105 reviews

story46 positive mentions

replayability2 negative mentions

Engaging detective mystery story with interesting plot twists and character development, better crafted than typical hidden object games.
Beautiful artwork and atmospheric music that suit the dark Victorian setting well.
Variety of original and mostly easy-to-understand puzzles and hidden object scenes, with enjoyable mini-games and a bonus chapter adding extra content.

Illogical item placement and excessive backtracking due to lack of fast travel, causing tedious gameplay and breaking immersion.
Excessive and lengthy dialog/cutscenes that can interrupt pacing and make the game feel slow or boring for some players.
Limited hidden object scenes, low puzzle difficulty, occasional technical bugs, and no achievements or journal features reduce replay value and player engagement.

story
130 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
60%
5%
The story is a compelling, dark Victorian-era detective mystery with intriguing plot twists and well-developed characters, enhanced by voice acting and cinematic cutscenes. While praised for its atmosphere and originality, it suffers from occasional illogical plot elements, uneven pacing, and an overabundance of cutscenes that can disrupt engagement. Overall, the narrative stands out among hidden object games but may require players to suspend disbelief for full enjoyment.
- “The story is engaging and very well crafted, with excellent dialog and voice acting.”
- “This second installment in the Brink of Consciousness series serves as both a stand-alone Victorian detective story with a slight touch of the occult, and a vague prologue for Oscar's tale in Dorian Gray Syndrome, for the perceptive gamer.”
- “A great addition to Brink of Insanity series; this is part 2 but it is a prequel to the first game. Unlike the first game, this is more of a Sherlock Holmes classic mystery murder rather than the first game's horror feel. The game's tie-in does not make sense till the bonus chapter when more is revealed—a very awesome story.”
- “There are a ton of video cutscenes intended to progress the story and make the investigation more realistic, but at times, the cutscenes were numerous and more of a distraction than a plot enhancement.”
- “The mystery (who is the lonely hearts killer?) is cleverly-plotted; the story itself is severely lacking in common sense.”
- “HOGs are rarely logical but this one wins the absurdity trophy: the story is totally silly, clues are hidden in everybody's homes, and the characters rarely make any sense and constantly act stupid.”
graphics
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
36%
8%
The game's graphics are generally praised for their beautiful, elegant, and atmospheric artwork, with a spooky and detailed style that enhances the experience. While some find the visuals darker or slightly outdated, most agree they are visually appealing with smooth animations and fitting design. However, a few note occasional technical hiccups like pauses when changing areas.
- “This is a high quality HOG game with excellent voice overs and stunning graphics.”
- “The artwork of the game is very beautiful, the colors are soft and everything blends in nicely.”
- “The graphics are darker and more toned down than it is the case in most hidden object games, but still manage to look elegant and detailed.”
- “Although the graphics are outdated, you can still enjoy the game.”
- “The graphics are very dark and dull; and when they're not dark they lack contrast.”
- “Nothing about the gameplay, the graphics, the characters, or the strange storyline makes up for the insanely long over-abundance of cut scenes.”
gameplay
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
69%
12%
The gameplay is generally described as basic and typical of hidden object games, featuring standard elements like exploration, item collecting, and simple puzzles, with a casual and somewhat short playtime of around 3-5 hours. While competent and occasionally enjoyable, it suffers from dated mechanics, repetitive backtracking, and occasionally improbable puzzle logic, making it borderline adequate but unremarkable. Most praise lies in the storytelling and character interactions rather than the gameplay itself.
- “I love mechanical-type puzzles, so these were right up my alley.”
- “The gameplay is the standard of the genre, with exploration, item collecting, hidden object minigames and small puzzles (easier than the first game).”
- “Positives - the different chapters are divided into separate gameplay areas that you don’t have to backtrack through.”
- “It's not terrible, but there's just nothing special here and dated mechanics make it a drag.”
- “I'd even say that at least 30 minutes out of my entire 3 hours of gameplay would be running back and forth between the objectives in each chapter.”
- “Of course, I'd still claim that hidden object games are not the finest means of delivering a crime-oriented story, and this game suffers from typical goofs its genre is known for (repetitive searching for various items not even remotely connected with the intrigue while the murderer is on the loose, objects needed to solve the puzzles being placed in the most improbable locations, or the fact that during the first few minutes of gameplay, in the closet of the main protagonist, a proper, elderly gentleman, we find a feminine corset, shawl and a lipstick).”
music
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
31%
14%
The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric, moody, and fitting soundtrack that enhances the spooky and mysterious tone. While some find it pleasant and well-complemented by good voice acting, a few note that the soundtrack is brief or reused from other titles, occasionally feeling mismatched. Overall, the music is considered a strong and enjoyable aspect, often accompanied by extras like downloadable tracks and concept art.
- “Nice story, funny and macabre, very good music, voice-over and although graphics are outdated you can enjoy it much.”
- “The music is moody, calm and plain gorgeous most of the time.”
- “Lovely soundtrack that matches the mood of the story.”
- “The music is reused from the Women's Murder Club games (those are good, get them) and clearly doesn't fit this setting, only enhancing the general dullness.”
- “The game itself has a beautiful spooky atmosphere with common English from islands; graphics and music are fine, also I'm giving 8.4 from 10.”
- “+ include extras, like wallpapers and music tracks”
atmosphere
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
The game's atmosphere is praised for its compelling, detective-themed, Victorian style that creates a fitting and immersive experience, though it is less creepy and horror-focused than the first in the series. The clean graphics, atmospheric sound, and voice acting enhance the mood, while the story offers intriguing plot twists that keep players engaged. Overall, the atmosphere successfully balances a gloomy, sinister tone without relying heavily on horror elements.
- “The game creates the true atmosphere of a detective despite outdated graphics and long dialogs.”
- “The Victorian style of the game adds a nice atmosphere.”
- “The graphics are clean and crisp, and the sound is atmospheric and fitting.”
- “The game looks outdated and the dialogs are too long, which affects the atmosphere, but it still creates the true atmosphere of a detective.”
- “The atmosphere is very different from the first game, with the first being more horror-oriented.”
- “The gloomy atmosphere, the sinister and at times cruel backstory would have been a justification to build in some twists, but the game lacked the chance of failure.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by a mix of macabre and hilariously bad moments that provide occasional laughs and smirks. Despite some outdated graphics and challenges, players found the story amusing and appreciated the comedic elements, especially in the character interactions.
- “Nice story, funny and macabre, very good music, voice-over and although graphics are outdated you can enjoy it much.”
- “Hilariously bad but I still couldn't put it down - glad it's over and the bonus chapter provided a bit of a twist... the Dorian Gray game is better but this was so bad it provided a few hours of smirks and laughs.”
- “I just finished this game a few days ago, and it was challenging at times, and seemed like a long game. Jayden was funny leaving details out till last minute.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers minimal replay value, lacking achievements and trading cards, making it a one-time play experience that is not particularly memorable or engaging. It may be worth trying only if purchased cheaply or in a bundle.
- “No achievements, trading cards, and very little (if any) replay value, but if you get it cheap or in a bundle, it's worth a shot.”
- “This game is perhaps worth playing once and discarding due to low replay value, or you could skip it altogether as it is not very memorable or unique and the puzzles are not nearly as engaging as standard hidden object puzzles.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is considered tedious and repetitive, with frequent back-and-forth tasks that disrupt the overall flow and pacing.
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is technically well-optimized, running smoothly and without crashes, providing a stable and trouble-free experience.
- “Technically solid hog - it didn't even crash once, the game runs smoothly and trouble free.”

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5h Median play time

4h Average play time

3-5h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Brink of Consciousness: The Lonely Hearts Murders is a casual puzzle game with horror and mystery themes.

Brink of Consciousness: The Lonely Hearts Murders is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 4 hours playing Brink of Consciousness: The Lonely Hearts Murders.

Brink of Consciousness: The Lonely Hearts Murders was released on November 24, 2014.

Brink of Consciousness: The Lonely Hearts Murders was developed by MagicIndie.

Brink of Consciousness: The Lonely Hearts Murders has received positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its atmosphere.

Brink of Consciousness: The Lonely Hearts Murders is a single player game.

Similar games include Brink of Consciousness: Dorian Gray Syndrome, Enigmatis 2: The Mists of Ravenwood, Left in the Dark: No One on Board, True Fear: Forsaken Souls Part 1, 9 Clues: The Secret of Serpent Creek and others.

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