I can find a lot of flaws in the game, but despite that, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The gameplay is mostly about meticulously combing through rooms to find documents and keys rather than logic puzzles (although there are a few).
CONS:
- requires suspension of disbelief beyond the usual: having diary fragments and keys scattered all over the place is already common in detective games, but here you're supposed to believe that people moving out of town just left those laying around for the 2+ years since the events took place. Hell, one of the guests at the inn hasn't ever checked out and his things are still there! It seems like an apocalypse happened, not a town being slowly abandoned. This really bothered me during the first half of the game, but I managed to get over it later.
- you've never opened so many drawers in your life: i already mentioned the core mechanic of the game is combing through all the drawers and cabinets. It does make you feel like an investigator, but be warned it can also get irritating, especially when you'll inevitably miss something and have to go all over everything again.
- writing: while I liked the overall story, the language used by the characters sometimes seems off, especially for children. It's not bad, but it's not book quality either.
PROS:
- both the start and the end of the game have a great vibe. The start, when you know nothing and are finding out all the connections between the characters. The end, when after all the legwork and all the drawers opened, the last locks fall one by one and you know you're finally getting there.
- story: it's sad, maybe more so than the usual murder mystery, but also enjoyable to unravel.
- kept me guessing till the end: while I found out the dirty past of the town rather quickly, I wasn't sure of who murdered who until the very end.
