Next of Kin: Epiphany suddenly revealed for 2026 release

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Final installment in loosely connected trilogy of small-town mysteries coming to Steam and consoles

Carol Reed has had no shortage of cases to pursue in Sweden, but Norrköping isn't the only Scandinavian locale filled with intrigue. For the third and final time, the small town of Mjolkebo will be host to a brand new mystery to solve later this year with the arrival of Spelkväll Games' Next of Kin: Epiphany. 

The three games are only loosely connected by their shared "peaceful village in the countryside." In the original Next of Kin, a man named Thomas awakened one day to find that his wife Martha had mysteriously disappeared. The sequel was really a prequel, as Fidelity jumped back to 1987, when Thomas and Martha's neighbour Bjorn found himself confronted by a repressed traumatic childhood event with the arrival of a stranger. Epiphany is set after the events of its predecessors, though its story will take players back to earlier times as well. Here you play as private detective Dennis Monroe, a "relentless investigator" who is determined to "catch the infamous 'Epiphany Killer,' a shadowy figure who has haunted the city for over twenty years." Your dogged pursuit uncovers more leads and "every clue draws you closer to the truth, but danger lurks behind every revelation."

As with the first two games, Epiphany is a gamepad- or keyboard-controlled top-down pixel art adventure that more closely resembles a 16-bit retro RPG than a traditional point-and-click. The gameplay, however, will be pure detective work, as you explore "atmospheric locations" across Mjolkebo in search of evidence that will help "unveil a web of secrets." Along the way you'll interrogate witnesses and potential suspects using the newly implemented "Expose" system inspired by the Ace Attorney series to catch any lies or inconsistencies from those attempting to conceal the truth. The "focused, fast-paced" story promises a "gripping murder mystery filled with emotional depth and unexpected twists," and will tackle mature themes like "mental illness, suicide [and] violence," but will once again do so with a "large chunk of wacky humor" to prevent the subject matter from feeling too heavy. Though it's not necessary to have finished the first two games, returning players will find "hints and nods" to familiar events, and in striving to "save the best for last," the developers aim to bring closure to all the main characters previously encountered.

There is no firm target release date just yet, but Next of Kin: Epiphany looks to maintain the series' once-a-year release schedule, as it's due to arrive on Steam for Windows PC sometime before the end of 2026, along with console versions for PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch platforms. 

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