Cheap crimes
TheSteam Mystery Festis well underway, discounting countless games about detectives, murder mysteries, or generally strange occurrences. Lots of heavy hitters have big sales likeReturn Of The Obra DinnandPentiment, but as always, you’ll need to do quite a bit of scrolling to find the hidden gems. The sales last until February 27th, so you have a week to grab some cheap games, and if you’re struggling with recommendations, here are some good’uns.
If I hear that a murder mystery is set on an Agatha Christie-type ship, I’m already sold. Although you won’t be wearing detective Poirot’s monocle forOverboard’sinvestigation, you’ll be the one getting away with murder, or trying to - ideally with a bagful of your late husband’s cash. The game can go in some wildly different directions, but Overboard’s light attitude always keeps things fun.
The mystery behindWhat Remains Of Edith Finchsounds a little bleak. You return to your family home - a Tim Burton-ish house that looks like an unstable Jenga tower of rooms - and rummage through your late family’s belongings, going back generations. The Finch family has somewhat of a curse, almost all of them dying in an untimely fashion, and as you explore the house you relive their last tragic moments. It’s a game about hereditary curses, what we adopt from our parents, and what we pass onto the future, but it’s never too dreary. If you hadn’t played it already, this price is almost too good to pass up.
Most people got a bit burnt out by TellTale’s style of adventure games. Some of them ran worse than me, and it became obvious your choices didn’t really affect the game all too much. But TellTale really worked when the illussion was intact, tricking you into a sweaty crisis of conscience, which is exactly what happens inThe Wolf Among Us, repeatedly. It’s dramatic and intriguing, with beautiful neo-noir scenery mixing a comic book art style with a million neon lights. And if this is your introduction to the Fables’ world, the realistic depiction of fairytale characters is a really fun novelty. There’s also a sequel on the way now, so, not a bad time to catch up.
Now it’s your turn. What should I buy over the next week? I have my eyes on the Danganronpas and the Nonary games, but what else is good in Steam’s Mystery Fest?
