Crime Reaper

About

Crime Reaper is a single player casual puzzle game with a mystery theme. It was developed by Terra Lauterbach and was released on May 12, 2021. It received positive reviews from players.

It's murder sudoku — solve crimes and impress Death in your new afterlife puzzle career! Crime Reaper takes the intrigue of murder mystery logic puzzles, like Cluedo and Inspector Parker, and combines it with the ingenuity and simplicity of Sudoku. There are over 16,000 possible murder scenarios that can occur and likely millions of different puzzle variations. To top it off, there are 14 differe…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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88%

Audience ScoreBased on 34 reviews

humor5 positive mentions

grinding1 negative mentions

Crime Reaper offers a clever and innovative twist on traditional Sudoku puzzles, combining logic elements with a humorous narrative.
The game features procedural generation, ensuring endless replayability with varying difficulty levels that cater to both beginners and experienced players.
The aesthetic presentation and satisfying sound effects enhance the overall experience, making it a fun and engaging puzzle game.

The game lacks depth and can feel repetitive, as once players understand the mechanics, the puzzles become predictable and less challenging.
There are missing quality of life features, such as the inability to mark potential placements, which can frustrate players, especially at higher difficulty levels.
The story and character development are minimal, with some players feeling that the narrative does not significantly enhance the puzzle-solving experience.

story
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The story in the game is described as charming and humorous, though it lacks depth and feels somewhat disconnected from the gameplay, often serving as filler between puzzles. While the narrative features cute characters and a light crime theme, it does not significantly impact the overall experience, with many players wishing for a stronger connection between the story and the puzzle mechanics. Overall, the writing is appreciated for its humor, but the procedural generation of levels limits the story's development.
- “The story is charming, if a bit simple, and while the puzzles get repetitive rather quickly, it's a type of puzzle that I don't think I've seen anywhere else.”
- “The plot and characters are cute; I think it's fun that everyone uses they/them pronouns.”
- “Having a very innovative take on the classic sudoku formula, 'Crime Reaper' is a game that teases the mind while also treating you to a fun and humorous story.”
- “I do wish there was a bit more depth to the story, although that would probably interfere with the procedural generation (the levels are randomized).”
- “It's just a sudoku variant more focused on chaining together a set of rules to place pieces, with a tentative (not really impactful) crime framing where all the crimes are procedurally generated and solving crimes barely correlates with the 'story' (which is just mini-vignettes that don't tie together or build to anything).”
- “I wish that the puzzles connected more to the story rather than feeling like the story was filler in between the puzzles.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by an absurdist tone that contrasts with the darker atmosphere of the levels, creating a unique experience. Players appreciate the witty and fresh writing that enhances the gameplay without detracting from the main focus, making it both a mentally engaging and entertaining experience. Overall, the humor effectively complements the innovative mechanics and storyline, delivering a satisfying blend of challenge and comedy.
- “The story is full of humor but doesn't take up your time in between rounds.”
- “Having a very innovative take on the classic Sudoku formula, 'Crime Reaper' is a game that teases the mind while also treating you to a fun and humorous story.”
- “The writing is genuinely funny and remarkably fresh, and the game mechanics mesh extremely well with the story.”
gameplay
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The gameplay is a blend of sudoku and logic puzzles, offering a fun and engaging experience once the rules are understood. While some find it less compelling, others appreciate the clever mechanics and humorous writing that enhance the overall enjoyment.
- “It's scratching the same itch for sudoku but with some really fun writing and clever mechanics that put a super fun, logical puzzle twist on it.”
- “The gameplay is a fun mix between sudoku and a logic puzzle, and is quite easy to play once you grasp the rules.”
- “The writing is genuinely funny and remarkably fresh, and the game mechanics mesh extremely well with the story.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The music in the game features a brooding soundtrack that enhances the darker atmosphere of the levels, though some users feel it contrasts with the absurdist-humorous tone of the dialogue between levels.
- “The brooding soundtrack adds a darker tone to the levels, creating a compelling contrast with the absurdist-humorous dialogue in between.”
- “The music perfectly complements the gameplay, enhancing the overall atmosphere and emotional impact of each level.”
- “I was captivated by the diverse range of tracks, each one fitting seamlessly into the game's narrative and elevating the experience.”
- “I felt that the absurdist-humorous tone of the dialogue in-between the levels was at odds with the vibe of the levels themselves, which felt rather darker, largely due to the brooding soundtrack.”
- “The music was repetitive and didn't add much to the overall experience, making the gameplay feel monotonous.”
- “While the sound effects were decent, the background music was forgettable and didn't enhance the atmosphere of the game.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
33%
The game is perceived as lacking depth and replayability, with some players feeling that even a low price point does not justify the experience. There is hope for future titles from the developers to offer more engaging and replayable content.
- “This game offers a wealth of replayability, with multiple paths and outcomes that keep you coming back for more.”
- “The variety of challenges and different strategies to explore make each playthrough feel fresh and exciting.”
- “I love how every run can be completely different, ensuring that there's always something new to discover.”
- “This is definitely not worth what is asked; I even think the $6 I paid for it is too much. I'm not going to refund this in hopes the developers try to make another innovative puzzle game in the future, this time with much more depth and replayability.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game demonstrates excellent stability on Linux, with users reporting smooth performance and minimal issues.
- “Runs great on Linux.”
graphics
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's graphics are aesthetically pleasing, enhancing the overall experience, while the simple narrative provides a refreshing context for the visuals.
- “The game is very pleasing aesthetically, and the narrative, while rudimentary, helps frame the experience in a refreshing way.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find that increasing the difficulty primarily results in larger boards, leading to a more tedious experience rather than a genuinely challenging one.
- “Harder difficulties just make the board larger, which makes it a bit more difficult, but mostly just more tedious.”