The Sexy Brutale

Wanted to like the game. Interesting game mechanic. I was hoping it would improve, but never did. In the end it is boring and the ending is weak.

The game is extremely stylish and has a fantastic premise. That's about it for its positives. If you're looking for a time loop mystery game, this is NOT it. Each mystery is solved rather easily, they're isolated from each other, and there's no bigger picture or large mansion exploration. I checked out The Sexy Brutale because I saw it was recommended for people looking for something to scratch the itch and fill the void left by Outer Wilds, but in the end, it was disappointing. The premise of a mystery game with a timeloop is great, but the game never really removes the training wheels, and just when you think the real game is about to start, it ends. I'd summarize it as a big bundle of untapped potential. And don't get me started on the writing; I want to keep this review spoiler-free, so I won't say more than this: the ending feels lazy to me.

Despite what the name makes it seem like, this game doesn't really contain any sexual content (beyond one character talking about wishing the library had smut books) and it makes me rather sad quite a few people are going to avoid this gem due to such a name. It's a short but fun murder mystery, puzzle, time loop game about the staff of a casino/mansion murdering every single guest during a party, in which you use a stopwatch to reset the loop and attempt to save all the guests. Not a spoiler by the way, I'm pretty sure the description of the game states that and it literally happens within the first 5 minutes of the game anyways. Gameplay was enjoyable! There were a couple times I felt stuck and had no clue where I was supposed to go, but the game does encourage exploring, so I eventually stumbled upon my next goal. Loved the puzzles as well to save each guest from their demise. I also loved the concept of collecting the guests masks after you save them, giving you new powers to use throughout the mansion and your loops. Reminds me a bit of A Hat in Time of all things! Story was intriguing, I do love a good mystery. Not anything too crazy or big, but still fun! All the character…

Good story, I liked how it played out. The puzzles were complicated enough to be engaging without being frustrating/driving me to use a guide to get past any. Sometimes games like this have solutions that are so obscure that they're counterintuitive, that never happened here. Finding all the playing cards is a pain and I did use a guide for that when I was at 51/52, but the cards are only necessary if you're achievement hunting or trying to see a specific ending (which was an interesting one). Like many puzzle games, the replay value is limited so at least the first experience is solid.

[h1]INSERT NEGATIVE TITLE HERE[/h1] The game was pretty alright, although it definitely needed 1-2 more months in the cooker. Talking about rough animations, or soundtrack cutting in-and-out at times, really taking me out of experience. The concept was really fun and creative, kinda wish it was utilized better. A lot of the moments that have potential were cut out by jank, confusion, or it just being tedious. I kinda wish the solutions were... cleverer, because some of them were just bland, and getting through the motions, or feeling like fetch quests. First solution? Simple, works well for the tutorial, wouldn't change a thing. Second solution? I solved it almost by accident, before even seeing how the characters die, or the inside of the "Beast" room. Third solution... Now this is where the game has thrown a lot on you, and it takes a good while to have everything figured out. Probably the most difficult one in the whole game. Fourth solution? I didn't like it. It was staring you right in the face, there's nothing to solve, just dealing with the jank of when and how to do this very specific thing. Fifth solution unfortunately follows the same issue. Even as we are ap…

puzzles are easy but was quite an enjoyable time