Crime O'Clock

Crime O'Clock is a captivating point-and-click game that takes you on a thrilling journey through time to solve crimes before they happen. As a time detective, you'll unravel a multi-era linked story by investigating cases across evolving maps. The game offers a unique twist on the detective genre, and it kept me engaged from start to finish.

What I liked most about Crime O'Clock is its innovative gameplay mechanics. Each map presents multiple time markers that you can visit to resolve different cases, ranging from hacking and murder to theft and more. The interconnectedness of the cases creates a sense of depth and intrigue as you uncover a common thread of strange events that span centuries.

Unleash Your Inner (Time) Detective

The deductive sessions in Crime O'Clock are a true highlight. They require you to think critically and combine missing pieces to solve the mysteries at hand. The game challenges your observation skills and attention to detail, rewarding you for being thorough and methodical in your investigations.

The cleverly designed puzzles and clues keep you engaged, and the satisfaction of piecing everything together is immensely gratifying. While the game lacks a bit of the incisive cleverness of titles like Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, fans of the Ace Attorney series will feel most at home with the game's approach to logic and deduction.

EVE: Your Trusted Companion

In Crime O'Clock, you won't be alone in your detective work. EVE, an advanced AI, provides guidance and tools to assist you throughout the game. The partnership with EVE enhances the gameplay experience, offering new ways to find clues and evidence.

EVE's evolving system unlocks new features and upgrades as you progress, keeping the gameplay fresh and introducing exciting mechanics that further enrich the detective experience. This light approach to an RPG structure gives the game a sense of progression that's rarely found within this genre. At the very least, this makes Crime O'Clock feel much less linear than its competitors by virtue of letting the player choose how they'll approach every puzzle and hurdle on their way.

A Journey Through Crime

Crime O'Clock takes you on an exploration of five different ages, each with its own unique atmosphere and challenges. From the Steam Age with its gothic mysteries and automata to the futuristic Aeon Age with its bright lights and ruthless corporations, the game's attention to detail in recreating these eras is commendable.

The inclusion of real-world locations, such as Milan in the Information Age, adds a layer of authenticity that immerses you in the world of Crime O'Clock. Still, it would have been nice to see these locations recreated with even richer detail – not that there's anything wrong with the game's visuals, but they're certainly not for everyone.

Pros:

• Innovative gameplay mechanics combining time travel and detective work
• Engaging deductive sessions that challenge your observation skills
• Partnership with EVE, the advanced AI, adds depth and variety to the gameplay

Cons:

• Some areas could benefit from additional polish
• Limited replayability value once the main story is completed