Murder Mystery Machine

About

"Murder Mystery Machine" is an immersive detective game where you play as a rookie detective, Cassandra Clarke, and her reluctant partner, Nate Huston, investigating the murder of a politician. The game challenges players to piece together evidence and deduce the story of the crime through unique mind-map puzzles. As you explore crime scenes and interrogate suspects, you uncover a sinister web of corruption and deceit in the city's corridors of power.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

76%

Audience ScoreBased on 72 reviews

story7 positive mentions

stability10 negative mentions

The game features beautifully decorated crime scenes that enhance the overall atmosphere.
The gameplay involves challenging deduction mechanics that require players to link evidence and make connections, providing a satisfying detective experience.
The overarching story and character development keep players engaged throughout the game.

The game lacks a proper save system, forcing players to restart entire crime scenes if they need to leave mid-investigation.
The menu and deduction systems are overly complex and confusing, making it difficult to understand what connections are valid.
There is no voice acting, and the writing quality is inconsistent, leading to a less immersive experience.

gameplay
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
74%
13%
The gameplay is a mixed bag, with players enjoying the murder-solving mechanics and overarching story, but often finding the core deduction system frustrating and inconsistent. While the investigations are engaging, the reliance on connecting evidence can feel repetitive and confusing, leading to a sense of irritation rather than satisfaction. Overall, the game offers unique elements but lacks the polish and depth needed to elevate the experience.
- “The gameplay is what made this game for me, and I could keep doing it endlessly.”
- “Overall, I did enjoy this game - the story is solid, the graphics and environments are generally pretty nice, and the gameplay is fairly interesting and unique, just lacking in polish.”
- “I like this game so far - you work as a police detective, and the main part of the gameplay is connecting evidence and suspicions using the 'connecting things with red string' mechanics.”
- “The main weak point, however, is the core part of the gameplay - connecting the evidence.”
- “The gameplay involving deduction - a main selling point of the game - is extremely inconsistent and often borders on silliness that causes frustration.”
- “But unfortunately, the gameplay is repetitive, uninteresting, and frustrating.”
story
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
52%
14%
The story has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it engaging due to its overarching narrative and interesting mysteries, while others feel it lacks depth and meaningful consequences for player choices. Although the detective characters and the connection between clues are appreciated, the execution suffers from clunky mechanics and familiar plot elements, leading to a sense of disappointment in the overall storytelling experience. While some players enjoyed the serialized crime drama format, they noted that improvements in narrative delivery and gameplay flexibility could enhance the experience significantly.
- “I liked the detective characters themselves and I thought the story was interesting and I wanted to see it through to the end.”
- “This game basically tries to be a serialized crime drama in game form, with the settings, characters, storyline, etc. and I think it accomplishes that goal pretty well - the mysteries are interesting, the overarching narrative ties everything together nicely, and while individual characterization may be kind of weak, it was still overall enjoyable to watch the story unfold.”
- “Overall, I did enjoy this game - the story is solid, the graphics and environments are generally pretty nice, even if you see a lot of assets reused later on in the game (admittedly with plot-justified reasons), and the gameplay is fairly interesting and unique, just lacking in polish.”
- “And the story I was a little disappointed at; at the end of every case you have two choices, but the choices never result in consequences.”
- “Sometimes, evidence will have a description like 'Sam's folder' (impossible to examine and get any additional info), and in the next chapter – it will be revealed that one of the main characters gained crucial information from it to conveniently explain a plot turn – a cheap trick and a bit insulting to a player.”
- “The overarching story is nothing to write home about and the game freezes a lot.”
graphics
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
50%
17%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the visually pleasing art style and charming environments, while others criticize the character designs as off-putting and the overall graphics as mediocre or plain. Animations are noted to be stiff and slow, detracting from the experience. Overall, while the graphics may not be top-tier, they are considered adequate for the game's purpose of engaging players in a murder mystery narrative.
- “The graphics and gameplay are simple and charming.”
- “The graphics are quite nice, though I'll give it that.”
- “Overall, I did enjoy this game - the story is solid, the graphics and environments are generally pretty nice, even if you see a lot of assets reused later on in the game.”
- “The animations are stiff and take too long; the graphics are mediocre.”
- “The graphics are fairly plain and boring.”
- “Coupled with poor graphics, writing, and near-silent sound production, 'Murder Mystery Machine' is one you should avoid.”
stability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game currently suffers from significant stability issues, with frequent freezes occurring, particularly when players attempt to reorganize their deduction boards. While some users report no bugs, many express frustration over the game's tendency to freeze during critical gameplay moments, leading to a negative overall experience. These stability problems have heavily influenced recommendations, with many leaning towards "do not recommend."
- “It's a really fun game, but as of right now, it's still a bit buggy.”
- “The worst thing is the freezes.”
- “Because in every section of the game, when I try to organize clues, my game freezes.”
music
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
44%
33%
The music in the game is generally considered underwhelming, with a repetitive score that often fades into the background and lacks variety. While the trailer effectively creates an engaging soundscape reminiscent of a stylish crime show, the actual in-game music is minimal and can become monotonous, leading some players to turn it off entirely. Overall, the absence of voice acting and the limited musical elements detract from the overall experience.
- “The music is quite alright, but it stays largely in the background.”
- “The music and sound effects enhance the overall experience.”
- “The trailer did a good job selling the game and making it look and sound almost like an episode of a stylish crime show, and yet – the soundscape is minimal here, so the trailer ends up being the most exciting thing about the musical component after all.”
- “The music never really changes, and it's only okay.”
- “There's no music except for the one track in the intro cutscene that gets replayed before every case starts.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
Character development in the game is noted to be minimal, with players expressing frustration over the slow pacing and lack of depth in character arcs. While some appreciate the retro character design, others criticize it, particularly the design of the partner character. Overall, the character development does not significantly enhance the gameplay experience.
- “In spite of the issues with the game freezing, I powered through the remainder of the episodes, and the rest of my review holds: this game is slow, the internal logic is irritating to have to guess at, the character development is minimal, and the investigation gameplay is weak.”
- “The character design, specifically of your partner, is pretty bad.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and uninteresting, often exacerbated by the lack of voice acting and subpar writing, which detracts from the overall experience.
- “Besides that, there is no voice acting and the writing is iffy at best, which makes everything but the art style fall somewhere between tedious and uninteresting.”
- “Sure, it can get tedious, but I'm a dumbass.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
150%
The game's atmosphere is characterized by a largely silent environment, with only occasional tracks that suggest tension, reminiscent of a TV crime drama. While it aims for a noir tone, the lack of consistent audio elements and impactful sound effects detracts from the overall immersive experience.
- “They're going for an atmospheric, noir tone, and good audio production is pivotal to setting that up.”
- “There are only a few tracks implying underlying tension (in a TV crime drama kind of way) that could be heard periodically, so largely, the game feels a bit too silent, and even sporadic sound effects don’t really change this atmosphere.”
- “The overall atmosphere lacks depth and immersion, making it hard to feel engaged with the game world.”
- “Despite the game's setting, the atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, failing to evoke any real sense of dread or excitement.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews indicate that the game's optimization has been positively received, with players noting that recent performance improvements have enhanced their overall experience.
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is criticized for its lack of replayability, with a short playtime of around 8 hours, making it difficult to justify its $20 price tag. While some players found value in the experience, the absence of incentives to replay diminishes its overall appeal.
- “I can't highly recommend it, especially as it's rather short for a $20 game with no replayability factor at around 8 hours of playtime.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users express that a lack of impactful elements in the game leads to minimal emotional investment, indicating that emotional engagement is crucial for a fulfilling gaming experience.
- “The story left me in tears; I felt every character's pain and joy.”
- “I was completely immersed in the emotional journey; it resonated with my own experiences.”
- “The game beautifully captures the complexity of human emotions, making every moment feel significant.”