Alex Hill to return in search of The Body at Clearwater Bay

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Sequel to Whispers at White Oak Inn already underway for Windows and Mac

Alexandra "Alex" Hill may not be a household name like Nancy Drew just yet, but the star of indie developer hannahontrek's recently released Whispers at White Oak Inn is looking to become one soon enough, with a sequel called The Body at Clearwater Bay already underway. 

Alex's debut adventure saw the ambitious young P.I. returning to her job at the Concilio Detective Agency following a suspension for "bending" the rules. Her first case back was a reported haunting at a rural hotel in upstate New York, whose employees had begun receiving threatening letters right around the time the ghost of the former owner's daughter appeared, two years after a tragic drowning accident. With that mystery now behind her, Alex will next turn her sights to the shores of Clearwater Bay, where the corpse of River Garcia has washed up in a suspected suicide. The police ruling "doesn’t sit right" with River's parents, however, so Alex is hired to "investigate the mysterious retreat center where River lived." There you'll meet its "secretive members," all of whom seem to have something to hide, and "the more you dig, the more you realize that nothing is as it seems." To succeed you'll need to "solve puzzles, look for evidence, and confront a web of lies as you work to uncover the truth."

As with its predecessor, The Body at Clearwater Bay is meant to be a relaxed, cozy adventure game experience with a slideshow-style, first-person point-and-click presentation. Come rain or shine, you'll need to overcome both natural and man-made obstacles, from the seemingly serene retreat center and its quaint log cabins to the sandy beach by the bay where River was discovered. Along the way you must scour the environment for clues and interrogate the cast of fully voiced potential suspects you meet. There will be plenty of puzzles to solve as well, and once again you'll have your trusty cell phone with you – now bigger than before – along with a list of current and finished objectives to aid in your investigation. New to the sequel will be improved, more user-friendly inventory mechanics, and an optional "notes" feature for players to manually record their own thoughts along the way. 

It's far too early for a target release date just yet, but not too early to wishlist the game on Steam, where The Body at Clearwater Bay will be launched for Windows and Mac, as well as on itch.io. To learn more about Alex Hill and her mystery game series, be sure to check out the official website for additional details.