First details unlocked for Lost Key: The Path of Illumination

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Point-and-click pixel art murder mystery unveiled by the creators of The Adventures of the Black Hawk

Croqueta Asesina Studios made a promising debut earlier this year, taking players back to eighteenth-century France for a nostalgic Robin Hood-like adventure in The Adventures of the Black Hawk. For an encore, the indie developer is going in a much different direction with the upcoming point-and-click murder mystery and conspiracy thriller, Lost Key: The Path of Illumination.

It's 1997, and a group of "former university classmates celebrate their tenth graduation anniversary with a dinner" in a small, quiet English town. Soon after, however, this pleasant reunion suddenly takes a dark turn when an invited guest who didn't attend is discovered murdered. What's worse is that you, a "simple literature professor" named Dave, are now the primary – in fact, ONLY – suspect of this "macabre crime." Inspector Jacob Bennett is assigned to the case, but as he's intent on targeting you as the culprit, it's up to you to conduct your own investigation, prove your innocence and identify the real killer. Little do you realize, however, that the murder is just one part of a larger mystery "shrouded in ancient secrets" relating to alchemy and the Rosicrucian Order that "may change the future of mankind."

Lost Key is another retro-styled pixel art adventure inspired by the genre classics, but the change in era and setting aren't the only differences from its predecessor. Created in Unity to be "somewhat more modern," the presentation now features a 320x180 widescreen resolution and the SCUMM-styled verb interface of The Adventures of the Black Hawk has been replaced by a more streamlined, two-button point-and-click interface with the inventory hidden at the top of the screen. Rather than a comedic tone, this is a "dark thriller" whose challenge is meant to come not from wrangling with commands, but rather in solving "the mysteries and puzzles of a story full of esotericism" as you begin to uncover "an ancient order that protects a secret, kept hidden for centuries."

Designed for Windows, Mac and Steam Deck, Lost Key: The Path of Illumination has no target release date just yet, but you can already wishlist the game on Steam and check out the developer's previous game in the meantime. 

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