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A DETECTIVE STORY
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Now on Steam

Solve the lie beneath Baytown.

An 80s-style pixel art detective simulator where you interrogate suspects using natural language, track contradictions, and piece together a murder before time runs out.

Wishlist / Steam Page See screenshots
Single-player
Natural-language interrogation
Pixel-noir mystery
Multiple endings

A murder, a town, and too many stories.

In Baytown, one suspicious death sends rumors through the streets. Everyone knows something. Nobody tells the whole truth.

Step into the role of Ronan and investigate a compact local crime by interviewing AI-powered townsfolk, uncovering evidence, and deciding who to bring in before your limited time runs out.

Every interview matters. You only get three questions per session, and suspects can deceive, omit details, or misremember what happened. The case only breaks open when testimony, map exploration, and physical evidence begin to align.

Detective
Interactive Fiction
Text-Based
Investigation
1980s
Artificial Intelligence
“Don’t just identify the culprit — uncover what really happened.”

More than an interrogation.

The game is built for clever questioning. Enjoy a text-driven adventure as you get to know the townsfolk and hear their stories.

⌕

Natural-language interviews

Question suspects in your own words and follow threads that feel like actual detective work, not fixed dialogue trees.

⏳

Pressure and tradeoffs

Each interview is limited. Bringing people in costs days. Efficient deduction matters as much as asking the right thing.

🧩

Evidence-driven mystery

Explore the map, discover clues, compare timelines, and use contradictions between evidence and testimony to crack the case.

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Three alternate endings

Solving the case is only part of the story. Different conclusions reward deeper understanding of what really happened.

Interaction Preview

Feel that natural conversation vibe.

One of the strongest advantage of A Detective Story is the use of AI for NPC simulation. This creates a natural conversation experience, coupled with unique and memorable characters, it's an experience unlike any other.

This examples shows an example of what the natural-language conversation looks like in plain English. The hidden names are to avoid spoilers. The procedural nature of dialogues makes each interaction unique, and distinct profile images for each character also gives you a memorable visual identity.

> detective: Confess everything you know about ████'s death.
> suspect: I don't know what you're talking about. I don't know anything about a ████ or a murder. I'm just a regular guy trying to make a living. I don't have any connection to the ████████ or any kind of crime.
> detective: Who mentioned "████████"? I never said anything.
> suspect: Uh, I... I don't know what you're insinuating, but I think you must be mistaken. I just said "████████" because... because I'm a member. Yeah, that's it.
> tip: potential dishonesty / follow-up advised (1 question remaining)

Media and screenshots.

Beautifully crafted town with generated art and manual touch-ups.

A Detective Story main key art showing a coastal town from above.
Baytown A a modest coastal settlement with a population of approximately 986.
A Detective Story header art featuring a seaside building and road.
Town Center More than 100 townsfolk to talk to.
A Detective Story main key art showing a coastal town from above.
Interrogation Room Real-time in-game conversation with plain English.
A Detective Story coastal road and lighthouse banner.
Cosy environments Great for casual gameplay.
A Detective Story main key art showing a coastal town from above.
Inventory Collect items and use them as gifts during a conversation.

Open the case.

Become a detective, crack a mysterious crime, and talk with characters in plain English.

Steam Itch.io