Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus?

70%
Game Brain Score Based on 261 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • humor
Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus? Game Cover
Your family is bat-shit crazy, you’re guilted into spending time with them, and the only relative you like is your uncle Marcus. And now one of them has gone and poisoned him. Shit.
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"Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus?" is a thrilling murder mystery game set around a family quiz. When Uncle Marcus reveals he's been poisoned, Abby becomes the prime suspect's target. Featuring a star-studded cast and shot in lockdown, the game challenges you to expose the killer before it's too late. From the creators of "The Complex," "Five Dates," "Night Book," and "Bloodshore." 'WISHLIST THE ISLE TIDE HOTEL' on Steam.

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Reviews

70%
Audience ScoreBased on 261 reviews
story39 positive mentions
grinding14 negative mentions
  • Engaging story with a compelling mystery that keeps players wanting to uncover the truth.
  • Strong performances from the cast, adding depth and humor to the characters.
  • Multiple endings and replayability enhance the experience, allowing players to explore different outcomes.
  • Gameplay can feel tedious due to the need for multiple playthroughs to gather all evidence, leading to repetitive scenes.
  • Dialogue choices often feel random, making it difficult to deduce the correct paths to uncover clues.
  • The skip function for previously seen scenes is inconsistent, causing frustration during repeated playthroughs.
  • story108 mentions

    The story of the game is a mixed bag, with some players praising its engaging and humorous elements, particularly in the context of a dysfunctional family murder mystery. However, many reviewers noted issues with pacing, repetitiveness, and a lack of clarity, leading to confusion and frustration during gameplay. Overall, while the writing and character development received some commendation, the execution often fell short, making the experience feel tedious for some players.

    • “The pacing and acting are marvelous, and the story is genuinely interesting.”
    • “The story is fun, engaging, the characters are hilarious and just interesting to watch.”
    • “The humor made me laugh out loud many times and the story was actually really enjoyable.”
    • “The game could have given more time to get 'into the story'.”
    • “So you get an ending where you don't even have enough information to accuse someone of being a killer, and then get asked to repeat the whole thing except now all the mid-story twists and tensions are lost.”
    • “The bad: the plot and game is severely limited by the fact that it was shot during COVID restrictions, so there aren't really any interactions between the characters.”
  • gameplay46 mentions

    The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing it for being overly simplistic and lacking depth, often feeling like it plays itself with minimal player agency. While some appreciate the unique style and humor, others find the mechanics tedious and repetitive, leading to a frustrating experience that detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game. Despite its interesting premise and engaging characters, the gameplay is often described as lacking intuitive design and meaningful choices, resulting in a less satisfying mystery-solving experience.

    • “Unique style of gameplay, very fun.”
    • “Good acting (except Marcus), interesting characters, good script, and simple, but fitting game mechanic.”
    • “The gameplay is quite nice; you get to question the family members in each round, and each one has a different outcome and evidence.”
    • “There is no skill to the gameplay, as the game basically plays itself.”
    • “The experience leaves one feeling like the developers added gameplay as an afterthought.”
    • “There's no deduction mechanic; it's simply going through all the interview scenes and randomly trying to pick the right dialogue options to unlock evidence.”
  • humor40 mentions

    The humor in the game is widely praised for its clever writing, engaging character interactions, and dark comedic elements, making it a highlight for many players. While some found the humor to be genuinely funny and entertaining, others felt it fell flat or became annoying over time. Overall, the game effectively balances absurdity and wit, appealing particularly to those with a cynical sense of humor.

    • “The writing was hilarious and the actors are superb.”
    • “It's a fairly funny game, with every character being huge parodies of their archetypes.”
    • “The humor made me laugh out loud many times and the story was actually really enjoyable.”
    • “I guess the game is supposed to be funny, but I mostly found it annoying.”
    • “The humor fell flat for me; it felt forced and unoriginal.”
    • “I expected a lot of laughs, but the jokes were stale and predictable.”
  • grinding14 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious and repetitive, with players expressing frustration over the need to repeatedly replay sections to uncover all evidence and navigate convoluted dialogue paths. While some find enjoyment in the murder mystery elements, the overall experience is marred by a sense of monotony and randomness in choices, leading to a slog rather than an engaging sleuthing experience.

    • “I really want to like this game but as everyone else has said, having to repeat the game over and over and over and over to maybe get a new piece of evidence is too tedious.”
    • “Drab, tediously repetitive gameplay interspersed with hit-or-miss dialogue options that may or may not nudge the plot forwards with an obtuse crumb of information to keep you marginally nursed until your next, undoubtedly even more tedious and obtuse run, as your patience grows thinner by the minute with each replay rife with repetition.”
    • “What should be a game of sleuthing and deducing becomes a slog of grinding and guessing.”
  • optimization12 mentions

    Overall, the game is well-optimized, providing a smooth experience despite its indoor FMV setup. While the performances are generally strong and contribute positively to the game's appeal, the writing and puzzle design are noted as areas needing improvement. The combination of solid acting and decent production values makes the game enjoyable, even if it falls short in some aspects.

    • “The game is well optimized.”
    • “There are some good performances, enjoyable twists, and a fun level of camp.”
    • “The interesting mystery, the relatively high production values (for a strictly indoors 'we all look into webcams' setup), and the competent performances make this game worth playing, even though the writing is at best mediocre.”
  • replayability7 mentions

    Overall, players find that games with multiple endings and engaging narratives offer high replayability, encouraging them to explore different outcomes. However, some titles, particularly in the whodunit genre, struggle with replay value due to a lack of compelling reasons to revisit once the mystery is solved. While short FMV games can provide a satisfying experience through varied endings, their replayability diminishes once players uncover all possible scenarios.

    • “These endings add a level of replayability and make players feel more invested in the game.”
    • “These FMV games function pretty well in their short length with multiple endings; it does add to the replay value quite a bit because you won't be satisfied with just one ending.”
    • “+high replay value.”
    • “The replayability aspect of the whodunit just is not there.”
    • “You're very likely to fail on your first run, which leads into the second issue, the 'replayability'.”
    • “But on the other hand, once you do figure it out, the replay value is pretty well gone.”
  • graphics7 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews; while some praise the slick 2D visuals and overall aesthetic, others criticize them as simple and uninspired. Despite the high-quality acting and audio, the visuals are seen as lacking depth and failing to enhance the storytelling experience.

    • “Acting is brilliant, and the 2D graphics are really slick, which simulate the situation well without being too tacky.”
    • “I love the acting and overall aesthetic of the game.”
    • “Great acting, audio, visuals -- all top notch.”
    • “Graphically, this isn't anything to write home about at all, but that's so far away from the point of the game that its UI may as well have been in Courier font with white boxes or dots where it existed at all, and I wouldn't throw shade at the game for it.”
    • “It's a little pity the developer didn't combine the plot with the music and graphic effects, so the story didn't have its ups and downs.”
    • “Since the writing is not that great and the visuals are very simple, I do not care for the good ending only by doing repeated work and not by playing a game, which is what it should be.”
  • music5 mentions

    The music in the game is described as subtle and sparingly used, effectively setting the tone and enhancing immersion. While it complements the atmosphere and visual design, some reviewers feel that it could have been better integrated with the plot to create more emotional highs and lows. Overall, the music contributes positively to the experience, despite its limited presence.

    • “The music and atmosphere created the immersion.”
    • “The music and visual design worked for me too, and I liked the way the premise of the video call facilitated the information-gathering and secret conversations which could then be pieced together.”
    • “Music is used very subtly and sparingly, but to good effect.”
    • “It's a little pity the developer didn't combine the plot with the music and graphic effects, so the story didn't have its ups and downs.”
    • “Music is used very subtly and sparingly, but to a good effect.”
  • emotional4 mentions

    The game delivers a profound emotional experience, particularly during the initial playthrough, where players encounter impactful moments that evoke laughter, tears, and shock. While subsequent playthroughs may feel repetitive, the narrative effectively transitions from lightheartedness to intense emotional depth, particularly in key scenes.

    • “Emotional moments like surprised laughter, tears, or shock are all depicted believably.”
    • “The beginning of the story shows Uncle Marcus and Abby joking about the poisoning, but suddenly it becomes very serious and intense and emotional.”
    • “You have to keep having the same or similar conversations to uncover more information, and really only the first playthrough hits you with the emotional shock.”
  • stability2 mentions

    Overall, the game's stability is generally solid, with only minor glitches reported, such as occasional frame skipping and issues with the skip button not functioning properly on previously viewed scenes. However, players noted that the semi-buggy skip function can be helpful despite these minor inconveniences.

    • “Luckily, they have a semi-buggy skip function that helps, but it was really hard to know what conversation choice I had already picked.”
    • “I only encountered a few very minor glitches, like the video sometimes skipping a few frames, and occasionally the skip button wouldn't work on scenes I had seen before.”
  • atmosphere1 mentions

    Reviewers highlight that the music significantly enhances the game's atmosphere, contributing to a deeply immersive experience.

    • “The music and atmosphere created an incredible sense of immersion.”
    • “The game's atmosphere is hauntingly beautiful, drawing you into its world.”
    • “Every sound and visual detail contributes to an immersive atmosphere that keeps you engaged.”
  • character development1 mentions

    While the game's narrative structure is praised, the writing and character design are seen as lacking, resulting in underwhelming character development.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

68% average critic score

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Play time

5hMedian play time
5hAverage play time
5-5hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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