Demo offers first clues to Murder Is Game Over: The Blackinton Curse

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Fourth game in retro-RPG-styled dog-and-detective mystery series unveiled for PC

For a series that calls itself "Murder Is Game Over," there sure seem to be a lot of new game opportunities to continue playing. And the more the merrier, we say, with the next chance to solve mysteries with a canine companion by your side coming up in HitherYon Games' The Blackinton Curse.

When a renowned music composer dies suddenly, the "surviving heirs return from abroad to their childhood home in The Berkshires." It seems they've hit paydirt with the estate, but "in addition to the family’s Victorian mansion, sprawling acreage, and millions of dollars, they’ve also inherited something much more sinister." According to family legend, a horrible curse has afflicted each new generation since the late 1800s, and it looks to continue when a "spooky masked figure appears and warns the siblings that they will be the next victims." Is there something truly supernatural dooming this poor family to perpetual torment and grief, or is someone very much flesh and blood just using it to spread fear among the survivors? Once again it'll be up to Detective Guy and his faithful pup Cleo to uncover the truth, not just about one death but "multiple murders and a 150-year-old legend."

Fans of the previous games will feel right at home in The Blackinton Curse's presentation, as the latest sequel is once again presented like a retro RPG with pixel art, large-headed sprites and an overhead bird's-eye perspective. Like any good detective, you'll need to explore the grounds, search for evidence, interrogate the family, and eventually begin making deductions based on the information you turn up. But you've also got the benefit of Cleo's sensitive snout to sniff for clues imperceptible to humans, so you'll need to switch characters on occasion to find out what Guy is missing. What promises to be different this time around is more of an "open world design" than before, as well as the inclusion of some "optional horror gameplay" for those with the courage to pursue it. 

There is no firm target release date just yet for Murder Is Game Over: The Blackinton Curse, but the game is already available for wishlisting on Steam for Windows PC, with a playable demo available now to download. 

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