The Final Chapter for Carol Reed to be written January 1st

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Twenty-first installment in the popular amateur detective series in Sweden announced for Windows and Mac

It's official: The next Carol Reed mystery will be called The Final Chapter. It has a relevant meaning within the game, obviously, but could the title of the twenty-first installment in MDNA's long-running series be the end of the line for the amateur detective in Sweden herself? No spoilers here (we know but aren't telling!), but players will be able to find out soon enough when it rings in the new year of 2026.

This time around, Carol is asked by a literary agent to find out what happened to Aldred Bauer, a "best-selling writer of crime fiction." The author had always reliably met his deadlines and promised he would once again with his latest book, but instead he failed to do so and has seemingly disappeared without a trace. Carol "finds it unusually difficult to determine Aldred's whereabouts," but it appears he left home intentionally, as she "can't find any computer, typewriter, or other writing paraphernalia in his house." But what could have caused him to vanish so suddenly, without so much as a word? That's for players to figure out. 

Outside of the original new storyline, series fans know exactly what to expect of the gameplay in The Final Chapter. As with its predecessors, the game features a first-person, slideshow-styled presentation – just about literally, as the many locations Carol visits are based on photographs taken by series creator Mikael Nyqvist in and around his hometown of Norrköping, Sweden. Familiar faces will return as well, but there will be plenty of new places to scour for items and clues, and of course numerous puzzles to solve along the way using the same simple point-and-click interface as usual. 

The release date for The Final Chapter should be expected by now too, as this game continues the series' tradition of releasing January 1st, exclusively on the MDNA website for Windows and Mac.