Frog Detective, Edith Finch and more are all going cheap in Steam's Mystery Fest
Cheap crimes
The Steam Mystery Fest is well underway, discounting countless games about detectives, murder mysteries, or generally strange occurrences. Lots of heavy hitters have big sales like Return Of The Obra Dinn and Pentiment, but as always, you’ll need to do quite a bit of scrolling to find the hidden gems. The sales last until February 27th, so you have a week to grab some cheap games, and if you’re struggling with recommendations, here are some good’uns.
The Case Of The Golden idol - £13/€14/$14 (-20% off)
The Case Of The Golden Idol was a surprise hit when it was released last year - a mystery that takes place over 100 years and 12 different murders. You’ll need to scan the crime scenes to collect word-based clues pointing to whodunnit, whytheydunnit, and howtheydunnit. The best part? Golden Idol leaves all the juicy detective work in your hands. No wonder it was one of RPS’s favourite games of 2022.
Overboard! - £4.50/€6/$6 (-60% off)
If I hear that a murder mystery is set on an Agatha Christie-type ship, I’m already sold. Although you won’t be wearing detective Poirot’s monocle for Overboard’s investigation, you’ll be the one getting away with murder, or trying to - ideally with a bagful of your late husband’s cash. The game can go in some wildly different directions, but Overboard’s light attitude always keeps things fun.
Frog Detective 1 + 2 + 3 - £8/€10/$10 (-31% off)
The Frog Detective trilogy is a party bag of different genres going from a haunted ghost investigation to the far reaches of the wild west. They’re simple games, but the deadpan dialogue and absurd scenarios make them consistently funny. As the Steam description says: You’re a detective, and a frog, and it’s time to solve a mystery. What more do you need? All three games are individually discounted as well.
What Remains Of Edith Finch - £4/€5/$5(-75%)
The mystery behind What Remains Of Edith Finch sounds a little bleak. You return to your family home - a Tim Burton-ish house that looks like an unstable Jenga tower of rooms - and rummage through your late family's belongings, going back generations. The Finch family has somewhat of a curse, almost all of them dying in an untimely fashion, and as you explore the house you relive their last tragic moments. It’s a game about hereditary curses, what we adopt from our parents, and what we pass onto the future, but it’s never too dreary. If you hadn't played it already, this price is almost too good to pass up.
The Wolf Among Us - £6/€7/$7(-50%)
Most people got a bit burnt out by TellTale’s style of adventure games. Some of them ran worse than me, and it became obvious your choices didn’t really affect the game all too much. But TellTale really worked when the illussion was intact, tricking you into a sweaty crisis of conscience, which is exactly what happens in The Wolf Among Us, repeatedly. It’s dramatic and intriguing, with beautiful neo-noir scenery mixing a comic book art style with a million neon lights. And if this is your introduction to the Fables’ world, the realistic depiction of fairytale characters is a really fun novelty. There’s also a sequel on the way now, so, not a bad time to catch up.
Now it's your turn. What should I buy over the next week? I have my eyes on the Danganronpas and the Nonary games, but what else is good in Steam’s Mystery Fest?