Murder by Numbers

83%
Game Brain Score Based on 1,722 reviews
  • story
  • music
  • gameplay
Murder by Numbers Game Cover
Turns out taking the loose framework of Ace Attorney and adding a dash of Picross is totally brilliant.
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Murder by Numbers is a pixel art detective game where you solve murder mysteries by completing picross puzzles. As honorary detective Honor Mizrahi, you uncover clues, question suspects, and ultimately reveal the truth behind each case. With a witty script and stylish visuals, it's a unique blend of investigation and puzzle-solving.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

83%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,722 reviews
story608 positive mentions
grinding54 negative mentions
  • Engaging story with charming characters that keeps players invested.
  • Well-designed Picross puzzles that gradually increase in difficulty, providing a satisfying challenge.
  • Great art style and catchy soundtrack that enhance the overall experience.
  • Repetitive gameplay with too many Picross puzzles that can slow down the story progression.
  • Missable puzzles can lead to frustration, requiring players to replay entire chapters to unlock bonus content.
  • Lack of quality of life features such as an undo button and a backlog for dialogue, making navigation cumbersome.
  • story1,666 mentions

    The story of "Murder by Numbers" follows a former actress turned detective, Honor, and her robot companion, Scout, as they navigate a series of murder mysteries. While the narrative is engaging and features charming characters, it often suffers from pacing issues due to frequent interruptions for picross puzzles, which can detract from the overall experience. Many players find the story enjoyable but somewhat predictable and formulaic, with some wishing for deeper character development and a more seamless integration of gameplay and narrative.

    • “The story premise starts simple, the main protagonist is a detective-playing actress that gets herself involved in a murder case, after meeting Scout, a robot with visual recognition functions, that has mysteriously awoken with his memories lost. They team up together to solve the many incidents they somehow end up getting involved in, taking on the mantle of a wannabe detective duo while trying to learn more about the past of Scout.”
    • “Murder by Numbers is a puzzle game with light detective mechanics that aims to marry the concepts of picross and Ace Attorney into a mostly cozy but satisfying detective story of a former actress and a robot with amnesia.”
    • “The story is engaging enough, though it's usually pretty obvious who is the culprit just based on the situation and characters.”
    • “The lighthearted approach is undercut by how much the game wants you to take its drama and tragedy seriously, the serious approach is undercut by an extremely simplistic story, frustratingly tropey characters, and a refusal to engage with the concepts of crime and murder on any level beyond the most bog-standard surface-level mush whatsoever.”
    • “But ultimately, the fact that Murder by Numbers says nothing that I haven't heard any story say before means that this pile of tiny flaws, this mountain of potential avoided at every crossroads by taking the most bland and inoffensive route possible, is what I'll remember it for.”
    • “The story slowly gets worse as you progress, and the fourth and final case is just an absolute mess - people acting out-of-character or just plainly dumb, with contrived and nonsense explanations, and a few central characters and plot points are completely dropped for the sake of poorly written payoffs.”
  • music598 mentions

    The music in the game, composed by Masakazu Sugimori of Ace Attorney fame, is widely praised for its catchy and engaging quality, effectively setting the tone for various scenes. However, many players noted that the transition from serious narrative moments to upbeat puzzle-solving tracks can create tonal dissonance, and the limited number of tracks leads to repetitiveness during extended gameplay. Overall, while the soundtrack is a highlight, its repetitive nature and mismatched energy in certain contexts detract from the overall experience.

    • “The soundtrack is absolutely phenomenal and the artwork is equally great.”
    • “The music is fantastic, the art is great and the mysteries are fun to solve.”
    • “The music, art, and writing are great and if you want some puzzles to chill out with then pick this game up without a second thought.”
    • “The music is pretty repetitive and a little bit too energetic for when you are solving a puzzle for 20 minutes, but then it seems to disappear completely in random scenes.”
    • “One moment it's a super tense scene, and in the next you have to solve a puzzle that will take you 5+ minutes and the music suddenly changing, which ruins the mood.”
    • “Also, the music... there's like four main tracks for all of the puzzles and only one of them is remotely appropriate for a chill puzzle game like this, and I got so sick of these tracks that I had to start muting the game and putting on my own music in the background because the music itself was getting so distractingly annoying.”
  • gameplay290 mentions

    The gameplay of "Murder by Numbers" primarily revolves around solving picross puzzles, which serve as the main mechanic for uncovering clues in a visual novel-style narrative. While the integration of puzzle-solving with a detective story is an interesting concept, many players feel that the gameplay can become repetitive and lacks depth, often detracting from the overall experience. Overall, the game appeals to fans of picross but may disappoint those seeking a more robust detective gameplay experience.

    • “Murder by Numbers is a puzzle game with light detective mechanics that aims to marry the concepts of picross and Ace Attorney into a mostly cozy but satisfying detective story of a former actress and a robot with amnesia.”
    • “The gameplay is interesting as the developers mix your typical visual novel together with picross, which adds more to the game.”
    • “If you enjoy picross (and you definitely need to enjoy picross to enjoy this game), this will be a very fun game to 100% with very cool aesthetics and music, as well as interesting characters.”
    • “The detective aspect was pretty nonexistent for the most part for gameplay; you don't really figure anything out, just it's a vehicle for the puzzles to happen.”
    • “Honestly, this game lives or dies on whether you can have fun with the incredibly repetitive gameplay loop, and I just don't think very most people will enjoy it for very long.”
    • “The gameplay is so separated from the story that it's horribly jarring; it doesn't help that the puzzles drop back to a common set of happy-go-lucky songs, regardless of the situation.”
  • graphics166 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming and distinct art style, featuring well-designed characters and vibrant visuals that enhance the overall experience. Many reviewers noted the game's strong aesthetic appeal, likening it to the beloved Ace Attorney series, with a colorful and engaging presentation that complements its narrative. However, some criticism was directed at the lack of animation and occasional glitches, though these did not significantly detract from the enjoyment of the visuals.

    • “The art style is fantastic and the game even has its own intro animation as if it were an actual TV show.”
    • “The character artwork is lovely and very expressive, and I'm a fan of how the chunky white outlines make everything pop from the background.”
    • “The artwork and the colorful, detective-centered storyline may trick newcomers into thinking this title is similar to the Ace Attorney games (not to mention both games share the same music composer!), but the investigation phase is minimal here.”
    • “The graphics - the characters are lovingly drawn but there's no real animation and there aren't even costume changes between chapters.”
    • “The characters are all cardboard cut-outs (both aesthetically and personality-wise) but when it got to the extremely tone-deaf gay stereotype character I was done.”
    • “But the hidden object part is too simplistic and the green look with the beeping detracts from the visuals.”
  • humor124 mentions

    The humor in "Murder by Numbers" is characterized by its witty dialogue, charismatic characters, and a blend of lighthearted and dark comedic elements, reminiscent of the "Ace Attorney" series. Players appreciate the game's snarky writing and amusing character interactions, though some find the humor inconsistent, with moments that can feel tone-deaf or overly trope-y. Overall, the game successfully combines engaging storytelling with clever humor, making it a delightful experience for fans of murder mysteries and puzzle games.

    • “The story was funny and snarky but complete with serious tones.”
    • “The characters are hilariously stereotypical and the dialogues are witty and entertaining.”
    • “There's a lot of humor and emotion baked into Murder by Numbers, a lot more than I would have thought by reading the description.”
    • “The writing of this game is 'corporate bad', offensively unfunny humor and filler text/stock characters that might as well have been AI generated.”
  • character development92 mentions

    Character development in the game is a mixed bag, with many praising the character designs as visually stunning and memorable, yet expressing disappointment in the depth of character growth and storytelling. While some characters, particularly the robot, exhibit notable development, others remain static and underexplored, leading to a sense of missed opportunities for deeper engagement. Overall, the charming art style and character designs are highlighted as strong points, but the narrative execution and character arcs could benefit from further refinement.

    • “I really loved the character design, story, and each of the motives/backgrounds.”
    • “Each character is incredibly well written with a beautiful character design to match.”
    • “A quirky little picross game that actually manages to pack in a lot of character development and growth in a short amount of time while also delivering satisfying puzzles.”
    • “The writing overall doesn't strike a good story balance between the murder mysteries, the backstory mystery, character development, and inane attempts at comedy.”
    • “Besides the core gameplay issues, the execution of the story was not very satisfying: some of the recurring characters, which make an appearance in multiple cases, do not go through any real character development: you get to know a bit more about some, but at the end of their spotlight moment, not only do they remain the same person they were before, but they also do not reappear in the following chapter, which I find to be a wasted opportunity to display some character growth.”
    • “It was like they had a word count target, so they drew out dialogues needlessly in ways that didn't advance the story in terms of plot or character development.”
  • grinding54 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game has been widely criticized for its tediousness, particularly due to the repetitive nature of the picross puzzles and the lengthy investigative segments. Many players found the gameplay loop to become monotonous, especially as the difficulty remained linear and the puzzles often felt unnecessarily prolonged. Overall, the lack of variety and engaging pacing contributed to a frustrating experience for those who were not fans of the genre.

    • “My only major gripe is that if you do not achieve an S-rank on a case, you will have to play through it all over again, which is tedious (especially considering that there are missables in case 3).”
    • “However, the constant barrage of picross puzzles was so tedious, so soul-crushing that I cannot imagine spending even another hour with this game.”
    • “It seemed like a novel gameplay loop at first, but there's so much of it that it becomes tedious and mind-numbing really quick.”
  • emotional37 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding it touching and heartfelt, particularly in its portrayal of complex relationships and personal struggles, including themes of recovery from emotional abuse. However, others feel that the emotional moments often fall flat or become predictable, detracting from the overall narrative experience. While the game features likable characters and a charming story, the frequent puzzles can disrupt emotional engagement, leaving some players feeling detached from the narrative.

    • “They're super likable and there are a surprising number of quotable and heartfelt moments.”
    • “It's got several LGBTQ characters, which is always a plus for me, and gives a surprisingly thoughtful portrayal of someone recovering after leaving an emotionally abusive spouse and dealing with complicated parent relationships.”
    • “Really captivating story with some super heartfelt moments, you know, in between the murders.”
    • “You have to click your way through a billion lines of an uninteresting, boring story that you can't skip to be able to reach a 5x5 pixel puzzle that you can literally solve in 5 seconds.”
  • atmosphere10 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is characterized by vibrant art and strong character design, which quickly captivates players. However, some reviewers noted that the limited interactivity and fewer locations can lead to a sense of monotony during extended story segments, occasionally detracting from the overall experience. Despite these drawbacks, the combination of engaging storytelling and charming visuals contributes to a unique and enjoyable atmosphere.

    • “The art and animations are very well done, nothing seems out of place, and I was charmed by the atmosphere of the game in less than 5 minutes after starting to play.”
    • “Phoenix Wright-esque storytelling and atmosphere, incredible casual puzzling, and enough wit and great characterization to make you smile all the way through.”
    • “It creates its own atmosphere, with strong characters, visuals, and, oh my god, the music.”
    • “The lack of interactivity and limited number of locations can make the world feel a little bland during longer story sections.”
    • “That really broke the atmosphere sometimes and caused me to mute the game in the end.”
    • “The art is colorful and works well with the overall tone and atmosphere, but the lack of interactivity and limited number of locations can make the world feel a little bland during longer story sections.”
  • stability6 mentions

    The game suffers from numerous bugs, including issues with sound effects and controller emulation, which detracts from the overall experience. While the graphics are generally appealing, glitches and menu bugs indicate a lack of thorough quality assurance in its development.

    • “The game has too many bugs (resetting a puzzle will blast multiple sound effects at once; and I had to turn off my controller emulation software in order to play because that's buggy as hell too), which is hardly excusable for a QA'd multi-person project.”
    • “Programming and design - the menus are a bit buggy.”
    • “The game offers some nice graphics, although there are some ugly glitches here and there; it is pleasant all the same.”
  • replayability6 mentions

    Overall, users express a lack of replayability in the game, suggesting that it currently offers little incentive to play again. However, some believe that adding certain features could significantly enhance its replay value and overall enjoyment.

    • “There isn't any replay value, but it seems like there doesn't really need to be.”
    • “There isn't any replay value, but it's looking like there doesn't really need to be.”
    • “If you could please add the first two, it would do wonders to make the game so much more playable.”
    • “It would vastly improve the replayability, in my humble opinion.”
  • optimization2 mentions

    The game features clever writing and a diverse array of picross minigames, all of which are well-optimized to enhance the overall enjoyment and fun for players.

    • “Clever writing combined with a large collection of picross minigames, basically all of which are optimized for fun.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

80% average critic score

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Play time

33hMedian play time
33hAverage play time
30-37hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 14 analyzed playthroughs

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