Criminal Archives: Blade of Deceit Collector's Edition

It's been a while since I've played an engaging and beautiful look-at Hidden Objects game. Criminal Archive is a detective series, and I don't know why I started with their latest game, the 4th one in the series. The main story doesn't have any connections with the previous games; however, the characters you are playing along with are from the previous games. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3393943931 The game starts in the police department, where you'll learn about a new murder: the body of a judge has been found on the riverbank. This time, you are not needed as just a crime reporter; they want you to work with them as a consultant for the police department and investigate the death of the judge by tracing where the victim went before his death; there are multiple people to investigate and accuse as the game has three endings. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3394981528 I enjoyed the gameplay, as it plays differently than the usual HOG. At some point in the game, they'll introduce you to the stars system, where every answer you give or question you ask will let you earn stars, which will determine the outcome of the chapter. In eac…

This game locks the good ending behind DLC, meaning that when you buy this game, you are buying an incomplete game. If they wanted to do this proper, they would have included the good ending in the game itself, and increased the base price if they really felt the game was so worth it. Instead, they decided to go the route of playing tricks and mind games on their customers. Absolutely unreasonable, absolutely scummy practice. Don't bother buying this.

Criminal Archives: City on Fire was EXCELLENT in many ways. Blade of Deceit isn't so good. Most of the objects don't make any sense in their context of use. I know some say they're just being creative, but some of the uses are ridiculous or really a stretch. It's not easy to know what to do next and many times I copped out with the hint button. Such a shame because I really appreciate real life based games such as police, detective, mystery etc without all that supernatural crap. But they really need to do better next time, especially since City on Fire was so good!

One of the choices I had to make would not allow me to choose the best answer, so I cannot access the full game. I paid for this game and cannot fully access the whole game apparently.

Criminal Archives: Blade of Deceit Collector’s Edition is a detective-themed hidden-object adventure developed and published by Do Games Limited. It combines murder investigation, point-and-click exploration, environmental puzzles, hidden-object challenges, inventory interactions, and story-driven progression into an accessible single-player mystery. Rather than attempting to simulate realistic police work, the game embraces the dramatic style of traditional hidden-object adventures, where every suspicious location may contain an important clue and seemingly ordinary objects frequently become essential tools. Its combination of crime fiction and casual puzzle design creates an experience aimed primarily at players who enjoy solving mysteries without having to master complicated mechanics. The story begins with a particularly troubling case involving Judge Alexander Therpen, whose body is discovered on a riverbank with his throat precisely cut. His position naturally complicates the investigation because a judge may have accumulated enemies through years of handing down decisions that changed people's lives. The player assumes the role of an investigator who has recently become an …