Since the beginning of detective fiction in the mid-1800s, one of the main aspects of the genre that attracts audiences is the interactivity. Unlike other genres where the audience simply watches events unfold, people can try to solve the case themselves. So, even as a novel, movie, or TV show, audiences can engage with it like a game.
Because of this, detective fiction is one of the best genres to use for a video game, since the medium simply amplifies the engagement with audiences. Out of the many detective games available, there are some that truly bring players into the story.
Hotel Dusk: Room 215
Although the Nintendo DS had many features such as the microphone and touch screen, most DS games didn't utilize all of them. The 2007 visual novel point-and-click adventure game Hotel Dusk: Room 215 was actually one of the few to use everything. Taking place in a motel called "Hotel Dusk" near Los Angeles in 1979, the game follows a former New York City detective named Kyle Hyde as he investigates several strange mysteries within the motel.
To play this game, players need to hold the DS sideways like a book. While the touch screen allows the player to interact with the environment, solve puzzles, and move around, the display screen shows the 3D environment, sketchbook-styled character portraits, and other visual elements. Several puzzles also use the microphone and the ability to close the DS.
L.A. Noire
Published by Rockstar Games, which is best known for several popular franchises such as Grand Theft Auto, L.A. Noire is a 2011 action-adventure where the player controls police detective Cole Phelps as he makes his way up the promotional ladder of the Los Angeles Police Department in 1947. As he solves various cases, he eventually gets caught up in a major conspiracy that affects both his professional and personal life.
Similar to Rockstar's other titles, the player is able to both walk and drive across a large open world. During cases, the player has to look for clues and interrogate people. Since the game uses motion capture, the player will also need to pay attention to subtle facial clues and respond to them correctly. At the end of a case, the player will have to decide who did the crime, and they can choose the wrong person.
Nancy Drew
Since 1998, most of the Nancy Drew games have been created by Her Interactive, which has developed 37 games for the franchise, with the latest being the 2019 game Midnight in Salem. Based on the Nancy Drew novels, these games have the player control the titular character as she solves various cases.
While the games vary in plot, aesthetics, and quality, all of them are adventure games where the player moves Nancy to different locations in order to solve puzzles and interview people. This simple gameplay combined with complex puzzles has made this series extremely popular and long-lasting.
Danganronpa
After the release of Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc for the PSP in 2010, the game became a huge success and spawned a whole franchise of sequels, side stories, and adaptations. Created as a new and darker take on visual novels and adventure games, the Danganronpa series had a huge influence on these genres and inspired many modern games. The games follow a group of high school students who are forced to murder each other at a famous school known as Hope's Peak Academy.
Instead of only focusing on one aspect of gameplay, these games are broken into parts. At first, the player talks to the other characters in a visual novel format. Then, after a murder has occurred, the game switches to an adventure game where the player must search for clues and gather evidence. Finally, the chapter concludes with a class trial where the player must work with the other characters to deduce the culprit.
The Shapeshifting Detective
Created as a spiritual successor to another great mystery FMV game, The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker, The Shapeshifting Detective is a 2018 murder mystery with a supernatural twist: the player is a shapeshifter. As they investigate the murder of Dorota Shaw by interviewing various suspects, the player can make themself look like anyone else.
Although this power can reveal new pieces of information and help with the case, it can also get the player killed by the murderer if they aren't careful. With the murderer randomly chosen each playthrough and many branching paths, most players can beat this game multiple times and still experience something new.
Simulacra
Beginning with the 2016 game Sara Is Missing, Simulacra is a series of horror games where the player finds a phone, which belongs to someone who is either missing or dead. The player must look through the phone, read emails, respond to text messages, answer calls, investigate photos, and watch videos in order to figure out what happened to the phone's owner.
Even though each game follows different characters and adds new gameplay mechanics, all of the games center around A.I. creatures known as "Simulacra" who want to assimilate all humans into the digital world by killing their real-world counterparts. Similar to the popular otome game Mystic Messenger, these games are known for making the player feel like they are using a real phone.
Ace Attorney
One of the most popular and best-selling visual novel franchises is Capcom's legal drama adventure game series Ace Attorney. Beginning with the 2001 GBA game Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, the series primarily follows rookie defense attorney Phoenix Wright as he solves cases and slowly becomes a legend with the help of Ace Attorney's large cast of characters.
Although each game in the series has different casts, plots, and gameplay mechanics, almost all of the games are made up of two types of gameplay sections. Half the time, the player is in the courtroom section where they need to spot contradictions, present evidence, and make choices. The other half of the game is the point-and-click adventure section where the player looks for clues and interviews people.
Lamplight City
Released in 2018, Lamplight City is a point-and-click adventure game that takes place in an alternate version of America where the American Revolution didn't happen and the Industrial Revolution led to even more advanced technology. In this game, the player controls a private detective named Miles Fordham, who used to be a police officer but resigned after the death of his police partner Bill Leger. As he solves cases and tries to avenge Bill's death, he finds himself haunted by Bill.
Unlike other detective games, this game fully lets the player solve the cases on their own by allowing the player to decide which leads to follow and what actions to take. Because of this, the player can accuse the wrong person or even make a case unsolvable.
Blackwell
Starting with the 2006 title The Blackwell Legacy, the Blackwell series consists of five point-and-click adventure games that primarily center around a young writer named Rosangela "Rosa" Blackwell. After her aunt Lauren dies, Rosa discovers that she is now a spirit medium when a ghost named Joey Mallone appears in her apartment.
With her new powers, Rosa and Joey begin solving supernatural cases in order to help ghosts pass on. To do this, the player will need to explore various places, talk to many characters, and solve puzzles.
Mizzurna Falls
Developed by Human Entertainment which is known for creating the Fire Pro Wrestling series and the Clock Tower series, Mizzurna Falls is a 1998 PS1 game and one of the first open-world games ever made. Within the fictional town of Mizzurna Falls in Colorado, a high school student named Emma Rowland disappears, and her classmate, Matthew Williams, decides to try to find out what happened to her.
There are three different endings, and the player only has seven in-game days to solve the mystery. The player can freely explore the town, and all the NPCs have different daily schedules. While this game was never officially released outside of Japan, a full fan translation was completed in March 2021.