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In this game, the player can take on the role of a detective tasked with solving an alleged murder case. By exploring rooms and participating in mini-games, the player must collect as many clues as possible within a limited time to aid in identifying the guilty person.

This game project is the practical part of my bachelor's thesis.
Presentation of the game (with spoilers):
In the project, the player assumes the role of a detective, solving a murder mystery. The goal is to uncover the identity of the criminal.

The game begins with the main menu, which includes help information ("To get help, select H") and three buttons: start the game, exit the program, and handle the sound (turning the music on and off). After selecting the start option, the player is shown a video made up of three recordings. The first serves as a disclaimer about the fictional nature of the events, while the other two introduce the plot as part of a police report. These videos can be paused.

The first decision to be made is whether to undertake the investigation. The game does not push the player toward any specific action. One option is to follow the shortest path, leading to the conviction of the initial suspect, which results in the game's neutral ending. From any ending screen, the player can return to the main menu. If the player chooses to proceed with the investigation, they are taken to the main gameplay, which occurs in a three-dimensional environment. Here, the player must collect clues that point to specific events and suspects. How many clues the player notices and collects depends on their attentiveness. While the investigation is time-limited, the player can decide to end it early if they believe they have enough information or are unable to complete a particular section. They can choose an early ending button at any time.

Whether the player selects the early ending or time runs out, they will eventually face the choice of who the perpetrator is. Only one answer is correct, and depending on the player's choice, they will be informed if it was right or wrong. For instance, accusing an innocent person results in a negative ending.

One interesting technical note from the developer is that both the initial report and the final screen were created within a single scene, with what is displayed being determined by keys stored in PlayerPrefs.

The game can be divided into three segments: the main section and two mini-games. In the main part, the mechanics for moving the character and camera have been implemented. The player can move the character using the WSAD keys or arrow keys, while holding left shift to sprint. Pressing the 1 and 2 keys allows the player to switch views, holding the right mouse button while moving the mouse expands the view, which is useful for inspecting rooms that contain visual clues. The player can learn about these functions through the help window, accessed with the H key, as noted in the main menu.

The videos do not run in the background and are paused when closed. Another important mechanic is interacting with objects and NPCs (non-playable characters), though not all interactions are available immediately. Sometimes one object must be used to unlock another, or one conversation must be completed with specific dialogue choices to unlock interactions with another character. The game also includes a couple of puzzles.

One of the puzzles involves a PIN pad, which requires the player to guess the PIN for the victim's husband's mailbox. Clues to the PIN can be found based on a photo of the victim on the fridge, which also reveals she wasn't wearing a wedding ring, confirmed by the ring's presence on the counter. The PIN pad functions like an on-screen keyboard. The player selects the numeric buttons, which appear in the display. They can delete the last digit or confirm the code. If the code is incorrect, it simply clears. The player cannot enter more than four digits. They can exit the puzzle screen if they haven't yet solved it. If the correct sequence is entered, an email is displayed with further clues, including a photo. Every graphic in the game ties back to the plot, such as the email revealing details about a harmful relationship the victim’s husband’s friend knew about.

After this, the player moves to a second location, where correct dialogue choices reveal details about the victim's marriage, or lead to a card-based mini-game. This game of chance ties into the victim's husband’s friend’s superstition and, if won, rewards the player with the address of the husband's lover. A help option ("H") explains how to play this mini-game, and the ability to pause is available in every segment of the game.

The card game is a variation of rock-paper-scissors. The player selects their card by hovering over it and clicking with the left mouse button, while the opponent’s card is randomly selected using the Random class. Regardless of the outcome, which lasts up to three rounds, the player can return to the first location by pressing the "X" button. A loss prompts the player to try again, while winning allows access to the third location: the lover's house. There, the player finds a visual clue linking the crime scene to the lover, who has a pharmacy diploma. The player can also engage in a dialogue that requires them to provide the nickname of the victim's husband. If the player does not know the password, they can return to the first location. At the first location, starting the computer will reveal a button leading to a two-dimensional platformer mini-game, where the player can earn the password. A help window is available to explain how this mini-game works. In the platformer, the player moves using WSAD or the arrow keys and must avoid dangerous objects like spikes. The player can jump and chain jumps repeatedly. A timer in the upper left corner resets the multi-jump ability, allowing five consecutive jumps. Power-ups help the player reach the end of the level. The first power-up is a teleporter, the second is a multi-jump booster, and the last one is the exit item, which provides the password. This mini-game references Greek mythology, where the gods were often depicted as unfaithful. Once the player has the password, they can return to the lover’s house to obtain the final, crucial clue: that she had access to the victim’s house.

The game is non-linear, meaning the player does not have to collect all the clues or explore locations in a particular order. Scenes communicate with each other based on PlayerPrefs keys, ensuring that when the countdown reaches zero, the player is taken to the final decision of identifying the perpetrator.