Expelled!

With exceptional writing, beautiful art, a compelling environment, and a captivating central gameplay mechanic, Expelled! is a video game work of art. If you have any interest in visual novels, adventure games, whodunits, or time loops, I can’t recommend it enough. Believe me, you will want to play this one again and again!

Expelled! might be built on the bones of Overboard! but it manages to improve on it both mechanically and in terms of story. Verity is a great protagonist, and the many mysteries linked to the characters and the school itself are a pleasure to unravel. A run can end in 15 minutes and in utter failure but still feel like progress. The idea that turning more towards evil opens up new options is a good one but simply choosing the red option to get results sometimes feels artificial. And the characters are strong enough that I wanted to interact with more of them. Expelled! doesn’t innovate mechanically but the narrative is engrossing and fun, with a great heroine at its core.

Expelled is a wicked good time, with each playthrough of the game building on the one before it. However, even though you will be replaying that fateful day repeatedly, it doesn’t feel tedious or exhausting. Inkle constantly builds upon events, opening up opportunities and new outcomes for Verity. It’s a delightful story that encourages you to experiment and be bad.

What begins with a potential murder, then, may end with the deconstruction of a way of seeing the world. [Issue#409, p.114]

Overboard's more complex follow-up is another great evil detective game.