Return of the Obra Dinn

A murder mystery and detective story, notable for presenting freeze-framed scenes at different moments in the past. I've really enjoyed that the game rarely gives out obvious information. It does not draw attention to clues or their significance. I had to actively make observations and incorporate them into the growing web of hard facts, suspicions, and mental notes. The game keeps this process very convenient and organized through the in-game logbook and the structure for confirming your guesses. It felt very satisfying to gradually piece together what happened, all the while getting intimately familiar with the events, the people, and the location. This ties into how surprisingly emotional I felt about the story, in spite of being slightly disappointing in the traditional "narrative" sense. I thought the minimalist visual style and the sounds added a lot to the story by creating a stark and grim atmosphere, and many scenes even looked beautiful and moody. After completing the game pretty thoroughly in about 9 hours, I wouldn't say it's very long or replayable, but I felt it's the right length and a good value. I believe this is an extremely well-made, clever, satisfying game that sticks with you after playing, and I'd highly recommend it.

This is game is a wonderful work of art! The art style is perfect for the environment and 'feel' of the game. The logic puzzles range from simple to extremely detail oriented. I will admit a few of the puzzles were annoyingly tedious to solve however, the overall experience was great! The story telling of the game draws you in with each chapter unfolding in reverse. I was expecting a bit more length for the price but, I can't really complain... the quality of the experience carries the short play time. I'll definitely be looking forward the creator's next game.

This was the first puzzle/mystery game in a long time that felt both fair and satisfyingly difficult. There is no crazy adventure-logic to keep you guessing longer, instead you have to look for small details, connections, and the flow of scenes to deduce each answer. This was very frustrating sometimes, but it never stopped being fun. The concept is original, creative and incredibly well executed. I enjoyed the artistic style as well, the games conjures up a lot of atmosphere with very simple (but very well done) graphics. Absolutely recommend, whether you enjoy puzzle/mystery games or not, because this is in a league of its own.

This is unquestionably a landmark title in the adventure game genre (at least that's what I think the genre it belongs to). Not only is this a whodunit that ends all whodunit (in that you have to solve *50-plus* murders), but the game designer came up with one of the most unique gameplay mechanics and graphic styles ever. There is no animation, but only "3D freeze frames" of all the moments when the murders occurred. You walk around the crime scenes in those moments to catch clues and listen to dialog during the murders. Crime scenes may be gruesome even in pixel graphics, so this may not be a family-friendly game. There are red herrings, there are surprise killers, and there are answers hidden in plain sight -- all the lovely elements of detective fiction. This game is an absolute joy to play and MUST be experienced. And I think adventure gamers who like storytelling and puzzle-solving may enjoy this one the most.

I can shortly describe it as a kind of mix between a "cluedo" and a fantastic murder story. I think the story grabs you, specially at the middle-end of the game when you are familiar with the characters and the plot. The graphics and soundtrack are great and contribute to provide and immersive experience. The only drawback, for me, is that there are too much murders to solve by elimination (not by clues). In summary, the game is special, innovative and well ended.