Inspector Schmidt - The Ebbing - Prolog

Inspector Schmidt - The Ebbing - Prolog

Active Fungus Studios · March 11, 2025 · Adventure, RPG, Action-Adventure, Action RPG, Exploration

Inspector Schmidt - The Ebbing - Prolog is free to play — no purchase needed. We track it so you know if that ever changes.

PC
Positive93% · 29 📉 Recent reviews down 82%
This game is free to play. Get it on Steam →

Screenshots

Inspector Schmidt - The Ebbing - Prolog price

Inspector Schmidt - The Ebbing - Prolog is free to play — there is no purchase price, on Steam or anywhere else we track. We keep watching it, so if it ever stops being free the price history on this page will show when that happened and what it changed to.

About Inspector Schmidt - The Ebbing - Prolog

✦ AI summary

Inspector Schmidt - The Ebbing - Prolog is a detective adventure where you explore a 1870s North Sea steamship to solve a poisoning mystery by interrogating suspects, gathering clues, and using skill checks to uncover the culprit's motives. Your choices and dialogue decisions shape how the investigation unfolds, serving as the narrative bridge between chapters of the Inspector Schmidt series.

NOTE: This free game is the official prologue to our main game Inspector Schmidt - The Ebbing. You will solve a tricky case that takes place right before the main storyline of The Ebbing. This case is not part of the main game but serves as the narrative link between Part 1 and Part 2 of the Inspector Schmidt series.Valentin Schmidt, a Bavarian civil servant with truly bad timing, actually just wants to go on a well-deserved vacation to the North Sea. But right from the start, this is overshadowed by a drama: The captain of the steamship that is bringing Valentin and the other passengers to an idyllic North Sea island suddenly collapses during lunch and struggles for his life.Was the captain poisoned? Valentin is tasked with finding out what happened – and discovers a web of relationships, dependencies, and motives among the ship's crew and passengers that he must unravel to find the true culprit.

Gameplay

  • Explore the Open World: Move freely on the North Sea steamship in 1870 and search for clues.
  • Initiate a Confrontation: Question the suspects and convict the perpetrators.
  • Engage in Exciting Dialogues: Use the dialogue mechanic to interview passengers, gather intriguing information, and find out who is hiding something.
  • Go on a Trail Hunt: Use your detective instinct to find hidden clues.
  • Combine the Clues: Link information and findings to solve the case.
  • Level Up: Develop your character and decide which skills you want to improve.
  • Pass the Skill Checks: Use your skills in classic pen and paper skill checks (dice rolls).
  • Craft Useful Items: Gather resources and build items and consumables to improve your skills.
  • Make Difficult Decisions: Your actions affect the course of the story. Decide for yourself how you want to solve the tasks—through charisma, diplomacy, etc.—but the mission is clear: Solve the case!

Setting

The year is 1870. The first functioning transatlantic telegraph cable has been put into operation. It creates hope for a communication-rich and peaceful time between the USA and Germany. The world is coming closer together, and industrialization is also advancing by large steps. However, these changes are not only met with supporters among the population. And then there is also the Franco-Prussian War, which is causing unrest among the people, who are being conscripted out of fear.Valentin Schmidt, a young official from Bavaria, has just solved a tricky murder case in Wolpertshofen, Bavaria. As a thank you, Mr. Haller, the chief commissioner, sends him to the North Sea for rest. After the eventful crossing to Havstedt, Valentin is immediately confronted with the next mysterious death that needs to be cracked...Supported by funds from nordmedia – Film and Media Company Lower Saxony/Bremen Ltd.

Inspector Schmidt - The Ebbing - Prolog — game info

Platforms
Windows
Player modes
Single-player
PC Game Pass
Not included

What Steam players say

Recent verbatim reviews from Steam — separate from playze.io community reviews below.

Recommended Jul 15, 2025
⠀
6 found this helpful
Not recommended Apr 26, 2025
well, I can't get past the prologue. It wont even let me change the language settings. nothing seems to work.
1 found this helpful
Recommended Mar 29, 2025
Such a charming demo. Feels like a distillation of the best parts of the first game.
1 found this helpful
Recommended Sep 13, 2026
Inspector Schmidt The Ebbing Prolog is the kind of detective game I enjoyed because it gives me an actual place to investigate instead of simply moving from one clue to another. I play as Valentin Schmidt, who is travelling on a steamship when the captain suddenly collapses during lunch. I liked the setting immediately because investigating a crime on a ship gives the whole mystery a naturally enclosed feeling. The investigation is built around exploring the ship, questioning passengers and searching for clues. I enjoyed being able to move around freely and decide which people I wanted to talk to rather than having the game push me through a completely fixed sequence. Conversations can reveal motives and relationships, while examining the environment gives me physical evidence to connect everything together. The clue combination system is probably my favorite mechanic. I have to take separate pieces of information and work out how they relate to each other before I can build a convincing theory. I liked this because the game makes me actually think about the evidence instead of simply collecting glowing objects until the story tells me what they mean. The role playing elements a…
Not recommended Jul 23, 2026
My cursor would not "line up" with any of the content leading to a most unfun playthrough, but also, it's buggy, nonsensical, and it kinda reeks of AI in a lot of areas. I don't know if AI was used, mind you- but man, it feels like this game was coded over a 12 hour "make me a game" prompt. This is MY kinda game, and I couldn't be bothered with it, and I won't be coming back for full release.
Recommended Mar 20, 2025
If you love detective stories and immersive RPGs, Inspector Schmidt – The Ebbing is a must-play! 🕵️‍♂️⚓ From the very first moments, the game draws you into a gripping mystery aboard a steamship, where the captain’s sudden collapse sets off a tense investigation. Interrogating passengers, piecing together cryptic clues, and rolling the dice for skill-based checks make every decision feel meaningful. The steampunk-inspired setting adds to the atmosphere, making it an unforgettable detective experience. Can you crack the case before it’s too late? Highly recommended for fans of deep storytelling and deduction! 🔍🎲

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