By Karoline Castillo-Troncoso

I didn’t expect humor in Case Solved: London Files, a cozy noir point and click game where players solve puzzles by piecing clues together in order to crack cases.

Despite this game being characterized as noir, often associated with crime, Case Solved: London Files is rather whimsical. The 2D characters, emulating the flat dimensions of stickers adds to this feel. In contrast, the scenes were three-dimensional, with different objects placed around the map, some hidden, others in plain sight. At the top left corner of the scene, I can see the amount of hints acquired and the amount of clues needed before connecting the dots on the deduction board. 

I used logic and reason to play – in place of mere estimation. The deduction board can be viewed beforehand, however, the process of collecting the necessary information for this stage is made a lot easier if you have all of the clues. Players receive a hint if they are able to spot, say, a cat which is hidden very intricately within every scene, blending in with the scene’s colors and hues. That cat is frequently mentioned by characters. 

Players can click on the objects they believe are pieces of evidence, or they can wait to interact with the different suspects. After exhausting the suspect’s entire script/dialogue, the interaction ceases and a clue is revealed, checking off objects on an evidence list. The freedom of choice concerning whether a player can find a clue on their own or allow it to be revealed for them leans into the casual and stress-free nature of this game. 

The genre of puzzle games is quite vast. However, the majority of puzzle games don’t allow players to progress unless a particular item is found, with the discovery of said item often being tied to the plot. This can become frustrating, discouraging players from continuing gameplay. This makes Case Solved: London Files distinct from other puzzle games. For me, it enhances the experience, especially if you’re a completionist. 

The muted tones and shadows add to the mystery here in a simple yet effective manner. The jazz tunes in the background complement the cozy atmosphere and remind me a bit of old-school black and white movies that didn’t have any audible dialogue or vibrant colors but that the music and the expression on the characters’ faces were enough to portray the different elements of the plot. 

Listening to the mini investigative interview between the detective and every suspect, I can begin to make predictions as to who they think committed the crime. The anticipation of seeing whether or not your predictions were correct, seeing all the clues come together, and discovering the motives behind every suspect’s actions makes gameplay all the more immersive. I really became invested in the plot behind each case.  Cutscenes provide visual context for the scenes that follow them. There is a feature that, when turned on, skips through the cutscenes which I took advantage of because I sometimes tend to find cutscenes uneventful. I’d rather jump straight into gameplay.  

The first file contained three cases: “Fatal Chord,” “Last Act,” and “Stolen Time.” Each case had five stages, each stage becoming increasingly complex and requiring more intentionality in connecting the dots in order to discover a major clue that would allow me to progress to the next stage, until eventually solving the case. 

The dynamics of this game reminded me of a problem I once had to solve for homework in one of my math classes. There was an empty chart and there was a set of rules. Like the game, I was given a rule or a “hint” that worked cohesively with the rest of the information, allowing me to complete the chart and to associate every element with its respective holder. 

It was a case of checking for conflict and exclusion. Specifically, in Case Solved: London Files, Stage 2 in Case 1 contains a clue where it says, “The suspect who was Talking had the Notebook and was not on the Dancefloor.” Each major element within the clue was color-coded to match the category that was relevant to that piece of information. There are various elements in the clue which point to one suspect, eliminating the potential for association to other elements. It brings me back to when teachers urged us to “read the directions carefully” because, if you missed the last bit, it could easily throw off the lead you were building.

I would recommend Case Solved: London Files to players who enjoy the genre of true crime without all of the gore and explicit content. It holds the same fascinating elements as if solving a case, but it is wholesome in nature and stress-free.

Senior intern Karoline Castillo-Troncoso, currently a student at Hunter College, won a Circle scholarship for writing a one-act play featuring a video game.

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