Murder by Numbers

This game is a cozy detective visual novel crossed with nonograms. You play as Honor, a TV star turned amateur sleuth, alongside her robot partner SCOUT, solving 1990s-style murders via the nonogram puzzles. The combo worked well for me and I enjoyed the game. [u] What I Loved [/u] [list] [*] The nonogram puzzles are the heart of the game and they're satisfying to figure out. Scanning evidence by filling in grids never got old, and tying each puzzle to a clue made them feel like each one had a purpose. [*] Honor and SCOUT are a fun duo. Their banter and the case-of-the-week structure kept me invested in the story beyond the puzzles. [*] The 90s setting, character designs, and upbeat soundtrack reminded me of my childhood and felt like it fit the tone perfectly. [*] It's an easy game to sink into. The cases are broken into bite-sized scenes, so it's simple to play a little or a lot. It took me a little over 14 and a half hours to get 100% achievements. [*] There's a hint system, which can be helpful if it's needed. [/list] [u] What Could Have Been Better [/u] [list] [*] The puzzle difficulty caps fairly early. Once you hit the bigger grids, it stays in that range for most of …

~Ace Attorney Vibe and storytelling style ~I like the math puzzle, but it seems out of place for the story ~Unique art is pretty good, but everything is so vibrant that i tkinda hurts to look at ~Good music, but not enough variety It starts getting gay (literally) as you play. Chapters 1-2 were tolerable, but in chapter 3 a line needs to be drawn.

The Picross side of it was kind of enjoyable for the most part, the visual novel side of it wasn't.

Great nonogram gameplay with unexpectedly good and moving story.

This game combined two of my favorite genres, puzzle and detective games in a very good and cozy manner with a great art style and a couple of twists

I think I'm mostly feeling let down by this game because there wasn't much need to figure things out outside of the added on puzzles. The stories and characters felt like they were aimed at children or young teens, apart from the whole murder thing. I think I'm just not the audience for this.