Three Of The Best Detective Games You Have To Play This Year
Classic Who Dunnit games and murder-solving skills make a great pastime for most. Puzzles, clues, and keeping your reasoning skills in working order are all part of why mystery-solving games have yet to go out of fashion.
If you’re keen to get your deductive skill set in order once more, then these detective games won’t let you down.
1. Sherlock Holmes – The Awakened
The British king of crime-solving with enough quirks to endear him to all is none other than Sherlock Holmes. The latest release is the remastered The Awakened which came out in April 2023. It is a game that’s hard not to love for fans who like some grit and darker overtones in their detective games. This remake combines the world-famous crime-fighting detective which stays true to his roots from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle along with adding in some of the fantasy elements of H.P Lovecraft.
The myth of Cthulhu features heavily in this game, as you pit the brilliant Sherlock against a dangerous cult who appears to be making people disappear. This game dives into the mythos of Sherlock and Watson, and how they became the crime-fighting duo that is beloved today and is hard to stop playing once you really start getting into it.
The overall gameplay should take around a full day to complete, depending on how fast you are able to navigate the terrain, clues and avoid the obstacles. In general, the remake of the game has given additional enhancements to the overall scenery, which has lightened up some of the darker game visuals that were a problem in the first game.
This detective thriller with decidedly dark tones is a winner with most players due to the addition of Lovecraftian lore.
2. L.A Noire
While this game has been around for over a decade, it’s a hit with everyone who plays it. Fans of classic detective thrillers, made during the golden age of Hollywood will absolutely love the dark and gritty L.A Noire. This detective story is set in Los Angeles and follows Detective Cole Phelps as he rises to fame in the LA police department.
From painstakingly collecting clues to snooping around crime scenes for evidence, the game is a faithful recreation of a classic Who Dunnit complete with grit, grime, and beautiful screenplay scenes with wonderful character dialogue.
The ability to investigate suspects and witnesses will help you sharpen your deductive skills and become fully immersed in this gorgeous detective game. Despite being over a decade old, the interactive elements and visuals of the game have withstood newer and flashier games to make this one still a must-play in 2023.
3. Layton: Curious Village in HD
Professor and detective Hershel Layton and assistant Luke Triton are a detective-solving duo as beloved as the online pokies New Zealand players adore. The sweet animations don’t interfere with the ability of the detective and his sidekick to solve the mysteries they unearth. This release is a revamped of the very first Layton series game release, Curious Village.
The remastered visuals and soundtrack have made this a must-play for any detective fans. With a mysterious murder as the draw to come to the Curious Village, PI Layton is on the case. The mystery-solving team discovers a hidden treasure during their search for clues and comes across plenty of interesting characters throughout the village. The game comes packed with plenty of puzzles to solve, witnesses to interview, and some uniquely intense and interesting cutscenes.
While it may start off as frivolous fun, you’ll quickly be drawn into the game and find it hard to take a break when you’re on the path of clues. If you’ve never played any of the Layton games, you’ll quickly become hooked and want to try and play them all. The good news is there’s a new Layton game in development that is slated to come out at some point in early 2024.
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