Obsidian Moon demo uncovered in Steam Detective Fest

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Full version of Lovecraft-inspired "noir detective simulator game" due out later this year on Windows PC

They call detectives "gumshoes" in honour of the footwear needed to pound the pavement in search of clues. Thanks to computer games, however, now even the most old-fashioned investigators can solve cases without ever having to get out of their seats, like in the upcoming "noir detective simulator game" Obsidian Moon by indie developer Lost Cabinet Games.

In the 1930s, somewhere amidst the "smoke-filled alleys of a city drowning in secrets," lives Sam Carter, a former war hero and once-respected homicide detective whose life has hit the skids, awash in booze and "haunted by grief and failure." Carter is down to his final chance even with the supportive Chief O’Hara, which he's determined to make good on. It certainly won't be easy, however, as a "series of ritualistic murders is shaking Obsidian City and the bodies pile up." Players will be called upon to solve ten distinct cases that "interconnect into a larger plot involving a sinister cult that aims to resurrect an ancient dark entity." Like any good detective with "vintage forensics" available, you'll need to "follow leads, interrogate suspects" and use both logic and instinct to succeed. But with limited money and time, you'll also need to balance your precious resources and – as well as your sanity. Here "every decision matters" and the choices you make may "bring you closer to the truth, or break you entirely." 

Presented in either full colour or black-and-white "Noir" mode, Obsidian Moon may sound fairly traditional so far, but what really sets it apart from most mystery adventures is that it's all text-based and takes place on your desktop (or rather, on Carter's). Using a "genre-bending" approach, the gameplay represents a "fusion of card-based mechanics like Stacklands and Cultist Simulator, economy elements like Papers, Please and classic point-and-click adventure puzzle-solving." In practice, this means you're not so much a standard detective as a resource manager. Before you are documents and case files to read through and combine, then make decisions about how best to proceed, such as whether to "run forensic reports, dig into criminal records ... or take more questionable shortcuts." Many decisions cost time and/or money, and the consequences take a toll on Carter's mental state, as does the story about a "growing, otherworldly conspiracy" in which "Lovecraftian horrors blend with ancient Minoan and Kawirian mysteries." It's up to you whether to choose "stability or spiraling," as each case "adapts to your methods, offering more than 30 different investigative paths."

The full mystery won't be ready until later this year, but players can get started investigating right away through the playable demo available now for Windows PC as part of the Steam Detective Fest running until December 19th. The demo offers an "introductory tutorial case plus the first original case" of the full Obsidian Moon experience.