Skip to main content

Confidential Killings

Confidential Killings Game Cover
84%Game Brain Score
Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay
Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, replayability
84% User Score Based on 265 reviews

Platforms

PCWeb BrowserMac OSWindows
Buy Nowfrom $10.49
Buy NowGet on Steam $10.49Buy NowGet on itch.io Store
Confidential Killings Game Cover

About Confidential Killings

Confidential Killings is a single player simulation game with a mystery theme. It was developed by BRANE and was released on January 12, 2026. It received positive reviews from players.

Set in the glitzy world of Hollywood in the late '70s, Confidential Killings have you investigate a series of gruesome murders that seem connected. There are rumours about a mysterious cult behind them...  Explore the crime scenes, use your detective skills to deduce what's going on! Wishlist on Steam! https://store.steampowered.com/app/2797960/Confidential_Killings On some browsers you may ex…

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
Confidential Killings screenshot
Confidential Killings screenshot
Confidential Killings screenshot
Confidential Killings screenshot
Confidential Killings screenshot
Confidential Killings screenshot
Confidential Killings screenshot
Confidential Killings screenshot
Confidential Killings screenshot
Confidential Killings screenshot
Confidential Killings screenshot
+3
Skip Games Like Confidential Killings

Games Like Confidential Killings

Looking for games like Confidential Killings? Here are top simulation recommendations with a mystery focus, selected from player-similarity data — start with The Case of the Golden Idol, The Rise of the Golden Idol or Lost Wiki: Kozlovka.

The Case of the Golden Idol Image
91%9.6kreviews

The Case of the Golden Idol

2022Quiz
Nintendo SwitchAndroidPlaystation 5+17
Games like The Case of the Golden Idol
The Rise of the Golden Idol Image
95%2.5kreviews

The Rise of the Golden Idol

2024Quiz
Nintendo SwitchAndroidPlaystation 5+14
Games like The Rise of the Golden Idol
Lost Wiki: Kozlovka Image
97%953reviews

Lost Wiki: Kozlovka

2026Role Playing
LinuxPCWindows
Games like Lost Wiki: Kozlovka
Little Problems: A Cozy Detective Game Image
92%297reviews

Little Problems: A Cozy Detective Game

2025Casual Puzzle
PCWindows
Games like Little Problems: A Cozy Detective Game
Tangle Tower Image
96%2.6kreviews

Tangle Tower

2019Action Adventure
Nintendo SwitchAndroidPlaystation 5+13
Games like Tangle Tower
A Case of Fraud Image
98%367reviews

A Case of Fraud

2025Puzzle
PCMac OSWindows
Games like A Case of Fraud
Unheard Image
87%5kreviews

Unheard

2019Role Playing
Nintendo SwitchPCMac OS+9
Games like Unheard
Quern: Undying Thoughts Image
89%2.6kreviews

Quern: Undying Thoughts

2016Open World Simulation
LinuxPCPlaystation 5+5
Games like Quern: Undying Thoughts
DAEMON MASQUERADE Image
97%207reviews

DAEMON MASQUERADE

2024Casual Puzzle
LinuxPCMac OS+1
Games like DAEMON MASQUERADE
The Ratline Image
87%250reviews

The Ratline

2026Puzzle
PCMac OSWindows
Games like The Ratline
More games like Confidential Killings
Skip User Reviews

Reviews

84%Audience ScoreBased on 265 reviews
story67 positive mentions
grinding7 negative mentions
  • Engaging detective gameplay inspired by Golden Idol, featuring deduction mechanics that reward careful observation and logical reasoning.
  • Strong atmospheric presentation with stylish noir-inspired comic-book art, immersive 1970s Hollywood setting, and a moody jazz soundtrack that enhances the narrative.
  • Well-connected cases that form a cohesive and intriguing overarching story, with memorable characters and satisfying puzzle design accessible for both newcomers and fans of the genre.
  • The game suffers from repetitiveness, including having to repeatedly identify the same characters across cases and locate clue words only in specific, sometimes unintuitive places.
  • Puzzles and cases are considered too easy by many players, lacking the complexity, challenge, and subtlety found in comparable games like Golden Idol and Obra Dinn.
  • Some technical and design issues such as poor UI quality (e.g., small selection panels, lack of hotkeys), awkward and occasionally poor English writing/translation, short playtime relative to price, and minor bugs that impact user experience.

  • story

    156 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    43% positive mentions, 53% neutral mentions, 4% negative mentions

    The story is broadly praised for its engaging noir atmosphere, interconnected cases, and a compelling overarching conspiracy involving crime and corruption, providing a satisfying and immersive detective experience. However, some critics find it predictable, straightforward, or occasionally shallow, with a few character and writing clichés, and note that the narrative pacing or complexity may feel rushed or too easy for seasoned players. Overall, the story effectively complements the game’s art and mechanics, making it enjoyable especially for fans of investigative mysteries, though it may feel short and lacking in replay value for some.

    • “This innovative design is paired with a compelling mystery and narrative that weaves a meaty story involving corporate espionage, hidden identities, and a dangerous drug empire.”
    • “The overarching plot maintains excellent momentum across interconnected cases, providing an immersive experience for virtual detectives.”
    • “The story begins with what appears to be a single suspicious death tied to Hollywood’s entertainment industry, but the investigation quickly expands into a much larger conspiracy involving corruption, organized crime, political influence, and hidden agendas buried beneath the glamorous public image of the city.”
    • “The story was extremely hard to follow; I sometimes found myself thinking, 'How did we get from point A to Z?'”
    • “The story was pretty uninspired and dull, which is disappointing because the setting is perfect for a fun sex-and-drugs murder mystery conspiracy romp.”
    • “The story is also very basic.”

  • gameplay

    74 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    18% positive mentions, 78% neutral mentions, 4% negative mentions

    Confidential Killings offers engaging and accessible deduction gameplay centered on clue collection and notebook reconstruction, with a well-paced investigation structure and a strong noir atmosphere. While its mechanics closely resemble those of Golden Idol, they are generally simpler and occasionally hindered by repetitive tasks like character identification and limited keyword access, which some players found frustrating. Overall, the game provides a satisfying, though not deeply challenging, detective experience that will appeal to fans of the genre seeking an immersive but straightforward mystery.

    • “Confidential Killings delivers engaging deduction mechanics through a core gameplay system of collecting clues by clicking underlined words and reconstructing events in a notebook.”
    • “Each investigation is structured with a well-paced progression that introduces increasingly complex elements, such as security camera footage, recorded tapes, and multiple victims to keep the gameplay fresh.”
    • “The gameplay involves playing through a series of seemingly standalone cases where the player heads to the crime scene, examines various objects, locations, and people to gather clues, and then slots those clues into their case file to build the narrative of what happened.”
    • “The gameplay loop introduces mechanical friction through repetitive character identification, forcing players to rediscover and re-assign names to the exact same recurring suspects in subsequent cases.”
    • “This is a sub-genre whose mechanics have been well defined since inception, so it's odd that this game backslides on user experience with things like names and having to pick up a keyword from one of six random mentions in clues, rather than from any mention.”
    • “There is a lot of repetition in re-identifying recurring characters and, frustratingly, you are only able to get certain keywords from specific clues, which feels more like padding than a valid gameplay mechanic.”

  • graphics

    52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    62% positive mentions, 32% neutral mentions, 6% negative mentions

    The game’s graphics feature a distinctive 70s/80s noir-inspired, comic-book art style that effectively sets a mysterious and atmospheric tone, praised for its hand-drawn aesthetic, dramatic lighting, and cinematic framing. While generally captivating and well-matched to the story, some players found character designs occasionally too similar, causing confusion. Overall, the visuals strongly enhance the mood and storytelling, making the game appealing to fans of classic murder mysteries and stylized detective narratives.

    • “Character portraits, dramatic lighting, and cinematic framing all contribute to a distinctive noir aesthetic that fits the story perfectly.”
    • “Confidential Killings is a solid noir mystery set in 1970s Hollywood with a great hand-drawn art style that nails the atmosphere.”
    • “The art style is genuinely nice and gives the game a clear identity, helping set the tone for its world and characters.”
    • “The slick, pared down comic art style sometimes results in people with faces and hairstyles that are easily mistaken for other characters.”
    • “Some constructive criticism; I think one of my only minor complaints is that while I do like the art style, some of the characters had 'same-face syndrome,' and were hard to tell apart, especially when they're smaller in the 'persons' tab where you're asked to name each individual.”
    • “I love detective games but sometimes get confused which character is which in their graphical representations.”

  • music

    23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    48% positive mentions, 39% neutral mentions, 13% negative mentions

    The music effectively establishes a moody, noir-inspired atmosphere that complements the game’s visual style and slower investigative pacing without overwhelming it. While generally praised for enhancing the retro-70s, mysterious tone, some users found the soundtrack repetitive and noted an irritating high-pitched noise in a specific section. Overall, the soundtrack is considered pleasant and immersive, contributing significantly to the game's ambiance.

    • “The game effectively establishes a serious, noir-inspired tone through an effective visual aesthetic and a minimalist yet cool musical score.”
    • “The neon noir atmosphere is so stylistically beautiful, the music is speculative and subtle in a way that helps heighten every scene, the characters and puzzles are engaging but never too difficult or frustrating.”
    • “The music never overwhelms the experience, instead quietly underscoring the sense that you’re peeling back layers you maybe weren’t meant to see.”
    • “The music is okay; it sets the mood but also gets quite repetitive after a bit.”
    • “Only complaint here is the music at Ad Astra having a super annoying high-pitch noise.”
    • “The second to last case has a very annoying high-pitched musical sting that repeats and forced me to mute the music for that level.”

  • atmosphere

    18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    61% positive mentions, 39% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    Confidential Killings excels in delivering a consistent and immersive noir atmosphere set in 1970s Hollywood, enhanced by stylish hand-drawn art, moody music, and subtle sound design. The game's atmospheric storytelling and restrained audio create emotional weight and tension throughout the mystery, making investigation engaging without overwhelming players. While the overall tone is polished and evocative, the atmosphere supports a straightforward, accessible detective experience rather than a complex or challenging one.

    • “Overall, Confidential Killings is a remarkably clever, atmospheric, and mechanically engaging noir detective game that shines brightest through its creative notebook reconstruction system, multi-layered corporate mystery, and rewarding deductions.”
    • “The neon noir atmosphere is stylistically beautiful, with speculative and subtle music that heightens every scene. The characters and puzzles are engaging without being too difficult or frustrating.”
    • “Subtle background sounds, a restrained but effective score, and atmospheric sound effects all work together to reinforce the tension.”

  • grinding

    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    The grinding aspect is widely regarded as tedious due to cumbersome interface design, excessive clicking, and poor organization that forces constant tab switching. Hidden elements and repetitive tasks, like word hunting and character naming, further contribute to a tiresome experience. Improved controls or better UI structure could alleviate some of this frustration.

    • “Having to hunt for pre-defined words is more tedious than helpful.”
    • “The interstitial / sub-mysteries that do exist don't actually help, as the way the UI is structured they're all hidden away, rather than being separate windows like in idol games, so you can't view them all at once, resulting in too much tedious tab switching.”
    • “The controls were a bit of a miss for me; the constant clicking was just beyond exhausting, and I felt like if it was maybe on controller it wouldn't be as tedious.”

  • emotional

    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game maintains a consistent emotional atmosphere that supports the narrative's weight, enhanced by stylish visuals that preserve tension. However, limited development of some side characters weakens certain emotional moments. Challenging puzzles add to the experience without detracting from the emotional engagement.

    • “This atmosphere remains consistent throughout the experience and helps the narrative maintain emotional weight even during quieter investigative sections.”
    • “The exaggerated shadows and bold color contrasts create scenes that feel stylish without losing their sense of danger and emotional tension.”

  • replayability

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    The game features an engaging story and appealing art style, but its short length and limited replayability reduce the incentive to play through it multiple times, as the mystery loses its impact after the first playthrough.

    • “A good story and I like the art style, but I'm a bit disappointed with how short this is, especially considering the lack of replayability since once you've gone through it all once, you know where everything is and the mystery's gone.”
Skip Game Offers

Buy Confidential Killings

Play Times

5h Median play time
6h Average play time
5-8h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs
Skip Videos

Videos

Skip Game News

Game News

Confidential Killings review: A sleek, seductive mystery

January 12 on escapistmagazine.com
Skip FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Confidential Killings is a simulation game with mystery theme. Common tags for Confidential Killings include first-person, indie, 2d, conspiracy, detective and others.

Confidential Killings is available on PC, Web Browser, Mac OS and Windows.

On average players spend around 6 hours playing Confidential Killings.

Confidential Killings was released on January 12, 2026.

Confidential Killings was developed by BRANE.

Confidential Killings has received positive reviews from players. Most players liked Confidential Killings for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

Confidential Killings is a single player game.

Similar games include The Case of the Golden Idol, The Rise of the Golden Idol, Lost Wiki: Kozlovka, Little Problems: A Cozy Detective Game, Tangle Tower and others.