Murders on the Yangtze River

Today, detective games are all the rage. People love getting the chance to show their wit and their guile when it comes to solving crimes, after all. Today, the use of what is essentially the visual novel format will give you every opportunity you need to test out your skills and see what kind of detective you are deep down. Many games exist that give you this experience, but a new release on the horizon is OMEGAGAMES STUDIO’s Murders on the Yangtze River.

This game offers a very compelling visual style and detail that should make it easy for people to get involved in the story. The game takes place not in Japan, as many of these games do, but in 20th-century China. Can this exciting new murder mystery release provide a compelling alternative to some of the more well-known titles out there?

Cracking The Case

So, Murders on the Yangtze River is a game that clearly takes inspiration from the Ace Attorney series. At least the developer is clear on this, as Ace is mentioned very quickly in the description of the game. However, taking the game to China instead of Japan allows for a different approach to the storylines that you are going to be coming up against.

The cases that you take on in Murders on the Yangtze River look very interesting indeed. The change of scenery to China alone allows for a different kind of criminal to appear. Much of the gameplay, though, is built around the classic concept of using their logic and your reasoning to try and uncover the various clues that need to be found to help crack the case.

You take on the role of a detective who is going to be finding clues, dealing with witnesses, and doing everything you can to crack the code and break the mystery down. It contains many elements that are similar to the likes of Ace Attorney, yes, but Murders on the Yangtze River is absolutely its own game.

A Case Worth Solving (8.5/10)

From what we have tried of Murders on the Yangtze River, we are very impressed. The attention to detail in both the visuals and the quality of the cases is very impressive. The game itself is very easy to play, with a simple sliding nature to move your character across the screen. This does mean that it is a touch more interactive than other games of this nature, which are essentially decision-based novels.

The plot is pretty simple – you will need to help solve a series of murders taking place across the Yangtze River in China. You will need to use your logic to try and outwit the suspects and to look for clues in rather strange places. While some of the clues we have had to find so far were a touch on the nose, many of the aspects of Murders on the Yangtze River chime well.

Pros

• Excellent art style that makes Murders on the Yangtze River stand out from competitors
• Fun cases to crack and characters to deal with in a world that feels very enticing overall
• Great attention to detail in the writing helps to make cases feel not as obvious as they appear

Cons

• Wears its inspirations on its sleeve a little bit too much at times – lacks originality