Detective Grimoire

Lots of fun, short and sweet, very, very immersive while you're playing! I got here from playing the sequel, Tangle Tower. This is definitely a more 'condensed' experience but still very enjoyable, well thought-out (the culprit makes more sense and the mystery is more airtight!)

I recently played Tangle Tower (this game’s successor) and decided to play this one as well. Another very solid murder mystery game that I would give a 7/10. Spoiler free review.
Positives:
-The game is somewhat stylized similar to its successor Tangle Tower; ghostly white skin characters with colorful accessories, hair, and so on. Solid visuals, not mind-blowing but way above the run-of-the-muck graphics.
-I love the cutscenes! They are short, nice, and I thought really added to the game.
-Music is very good here, and has a whimsical, fun atmosphere to it. Definitely did not tire of the music before the game ended.
-The dialogue is overall very concise and well written. There are some moments that it feels a tad dry for a game like this, but for the most part it is right where it should be in terms of getting the point across in a fun manner.
-The mechanics of the game are fun and while some are extremely primitive (many puzzles are just…moving things around to look at some; I’m not sure if this game was originally a flash game but it reminded me of flash games back in the 2000’s a bit) and some pointless (the suspicious and not suspicious mechanic is fun, but ultimately pointless and the achievement actually slightly ruined the ending for me since I wanted to get all the achievements in one run), I mostly found it a charming kind of simple.
Neutral:
-Game is short. I know some people do not care about a game’s length, hence neutral, but I would say 3-4 hours max is how long your first playthrough will take. Not much meat here.
-Game has the common issue most games like this have of bringing an item to everyone to talk about it.
-While I like that the game does not waste my time when I bring an item that a character has no information on, the fact it cycles through the same three dialogues of “I don’t know” is a bit lame. It’s not a huge deal, but I rather they either have unique dialogues for each item, or just a generic “I don’t know,” single line quip that’s easy hear fast and skip, so I don’t accidentally skip dialogue on an actually relevant item.
-The locked challenges were interesting but I kind of felt some were strangely not that useful or relevant. Some felt like they just needed the person to be…related to the crime in some way. This was pretty rare though.
-The game’s scope is short and concise. That means it is all done well, but also that there are not really any crazy twists or anything. Sets a goal and does it, so it is a kind of predictably fun experience.
Negatives:
-This is a pretty extreme nitpick, but the game hints at a sequel (which again is out, Tangle Tower) a lot. Like a lot a lot. I’m okay with hints, references, and slight pushing of a story that will go “Hey, we’ll have a sequel at some point!” story-wise, but for a 3-4 hour game, I think there were about 3-4 moments that did that. That’s pretty excessive and detracts from the current experience, you do not want your game to feel like an ad for your next game. But a very, very forgivable if not petty negative on my end.

I played the series slightly out of order, but it did NOT disappoint. If you enjoy fun detective games, you'll love this one.

Detective Grimoire is a mystery game where you play as the titular detective, trying to solve a murder at a secluded tourist attraction. Boggy, the mysterious swamp creature, has been accused of murdering Richard Remington, the owner of the park, but Detective Grimoire isn't so sure. The mystery is pretty engaging. I liked uncovering the backstory of Boggy's Bog, what Remington was doing in the park, and the motives of each of the suspects. The swampy theme park and cast of suspects were odd and fun. The story was easy to follow and it was usually pretty easy to follow the detective's reasoning. There's one key clue that tells you who the culprit is, but it doesn't come up too early, and the resolution had some unexpected reveals as well.
To investigate, you explore the park, interrogate suspects, and solve small puzzles. You click on the objects in each scene and talk to the characters to gather clues. You have a case file you can use to keep track of all the information you've gathered and which objects, suspects, or areas you haven't investigated fully. Most of the puzzles involve completing sentences to move the case along. The game gives you a question and you have to make the correct answer with the sentence parts it gives you. As long as you're paying attention to what's going on, these are pretty easy. I occasionally had difficulty with finding some of the clues, but you don't need to get 100% of the clues to finish the game or solve the mystery.
Detective Grimoire is pretty good if you want a short, easy detective game. The puzzles are straightforward, the mystery is engaging, and the music and art style complement it nicely. 9/10

I was hesitant to try this game at first because I felt it would be hard to even come close to the beauty of Tangle Tower considering it came out 5 years before it, but I really loved it! It's simple yet interesting, the art style is different than the sequel but just as beautiful. I highly recommend playing it whether it's before or after Tangle Tower!

It was a wonderful game (: I first played Tangle Towers and had no idea there was another game which came before - but I loved it! The voice acting was superb and the art beautiful. I loved the layout of clues, suspects and notes - makes the game much more seamless to play. I also enjoyed seeing how this game connects with the next and the overarching story that is being formed. I can't wait for the third game to be released! I recommend for any one who enjoys a good mystery (:

A pretty short and sweet VN. The visuals are nice, the voiceover is charming, and the atmosphere is appropriately mysterious. Do note, though, that this is more of a VN with detective elements than a full detective game. You have to think a little bit, but there isn't a way to fail or accuse a wrong person. All in all, it is pretty pleasant and takes just one or two evenings to finish.