Detective of the Dead to arise this year in Early Access 

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Supernatural mystery combines investigation and cozy cooking in the Mexican afterworld

Actrio Studio's upcoming Detective of the Dead features all the expected investigative work: pounding the pavement searching for clues, interrogating people, controlling a... magic dog and making tacos in the Mexican afterworld?!

Okay, maybe this game isn't what you're expecting after all. Far from it, in fact. Here you play a former detective shortly after his own murder. Yes, after. You see, in Mexican folklore the dead don't actually DIE, they simply go to the afterworld Mictlan, where things are "a bit different than in the world of the living." To learn more about your killer, who still threatens your loved ones left behind, you must not only solve puzzles and scour the environment for evidence each night with help from your trusty magical pooch Xolo, you'll also "source and prepare tacos to make suspects talk" during the day. Before long, it becomes clear that it isn't just your own family's fate at stake. Someone is trying to put an end to the Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), which allows the dearly departed to "travel to the world of the living" one night of the year to reconnect with those who still hold their memories dear. This would be a "disaster for both worlds," so it's up to you to stop them. But "time is running out" and your decisions will lead to one of several endings in a story literally "about life and death."

Inspired, as you might have guessed, by the similarly Mexican-themed Grim Fandango and Coco, as well as the occult puzzler Strange Horticulture, Detective of the Dead is a third-spirit 3D adventure viewed from an overhead perspective, accompanied by a score reflecting both "currently popular and timeless regional Mexican music styles as well as old indigenous music repertoires." Playable either solo or in co-op mode, detective work here will involve both traditional and non-traditional investigation as you switch control between Alejandro and his canine companion Xolo, each with "special abilities that help [in] exploring the colorful underworld, solving puzzles, tracking suspects [and] finding missing items." The "semi-open world" of Mictlan promises to be "full of life (well, dead NPCs)," including 15 fully voiced characters integral to the main mystery and even more for optional side quests, all of them with their own unique stories to tell. Along the way you'll also get to partake in "authentic Mexican mini-games" such as "Piñatas shooting, Lotería (a bit of bingo), Papel picado" and more. 

Oh, and cooking! The other main gameplay component is helping out at the food stand of Alejandro's grandma Lupita, who "knows many things about Mexican food and tacos as well as the afterworld." The best way to a loosen a suspect's tongue is by making their mouth water, it seems, so you'll have to get behind the counter to "whip up traditional, delicious recipes for your customers." This is no mere Taco Bell, however, so you'll have to "find out which special taco recipes make your customers spill the beans" (refried or otherwise), then collect ingredients and start demonstrating your culinary prowess. Succeed in satisfying your hungry patrons' particular tastes and you'll be rewarded with new leads to follow and get paid for a job well done in "Calavera coins," the in-game currency that can be used for "buying things, bribing and more of those things a detective does." 

Detective of the Dead is due to launch on Steam for Windows PC and Steam Deck sometime later this year, with console versions to follow later. Every dish needs proper seasoning, however, so the game will debut exclusively in Early Access, giving players access to three levels set in the "Nearly Forgotten" quarter of the afterworld. The developers aim to release the full game within five months, adding "more cases, more content, more characters, more minigames and a bigger world." To that end, a Kickstarter campaign is due to start soon to help push production over the top.