Picross mystery puzzler Murder By Numbers is coming in March

Honor's boss is dead and she's the primary suspect for foul play, meaning it's time to roll up her sleeves and catch the real murderer. Unfortunately, Honor's no detective, she just plays one on TV. Therein's the setup for Murder By Numbers but it's nowhere near as grim as it sounds because it also has a healthy coat of neon 90s paint. Folks wear pumps and watch CRT televisions, and squad cars have actual cord phones as depicted in the new last century-style animated trailer for the mystery puzzle game.

Mediatonic announced today that the colorful puzzle story is arriving on PC on March 6th, so write that down in your planner with an ink pen, will you? The puzzles in Murder By Numbers are Picross-style "pixel puzzles" where the solution is the image of a clue Honor will need in her investigation. After collecting leads, you'll grill a cast of suspects using the evidence you've found from sneaking around movie sets and award shows.

You can spot some favorite old character archetypes in today's new trailer below. There's a gruff and bespectacled old detective, beleaguered stylist, and a bossy blonde choker-wearing movie star. It's 1996 glam just as I remember it watching TV as a kiddo, shoulder pads in suit coats and all.

If it sounds like Ace Attorney and looks like Hatoful Boyfriend, well you've got sharp eyes and ears. Murder By Numbers boasts character designs by bird dating sim veteran Hato Moa and cheeky pre-aughts tunes by Ace Attorney's composer, Masakazu Sugimori.

Throw on your crop top and frost your tips before Murder By Numbers pops over to Steam on March 6th. It'll sell for £12/$15.