Murder by Numbers

When Murder By Numbers was announced, I was excited for a game that fused Ace Attorney and Picross with style. I’m pleased to not be let down by my cascading hype as it turns out that Mediatonic has a firm grasp on the distinctive appeal of Ace Attorney’s world and characters, putting together a flashy and bright ‘90s world that wouldn’t feel out of place if it was actually across town from Phoenix and the gang. Throw in the well-executed Picross puzzles and you have yourself one of the best surprises of 2020. Here’s hoping we can see more of this enjoyable cast of characters and welcome visual novel twist.

Murder by Numbers is a weird and wonderful recipe that successfully merges nanogram puzzles with some light detective mechanics and an entertaining murder mystery-style visual novel. The end result is a truly original experience and one that takes an otherwise straightforward puzzle-type and moves it in an exciting and surprising new direction.

Murder by Numbers is an exquisite detective puzzler with wonderful writing, gorgeous graphics, and masterful music.

Murder By Numbers puts you into the heart of a detective drama with fun characters to hook you into the story and puzzles that give your brain a decent workout.

Murder by Numbers is a winning blend of two genres never previously mixed. [Issue #49 – November/December 2020, p. 21]

Despite a few missing features, Murder by Numbers is still a delightful twist on a classic puzzle game. Fans of Ace Attorney or Picross will not want to let this one fly under their radar. This is a universe begging for a sequel.

Offering challenging puzzles and a funny dialogue, the overall experience playing through Murder by Numbers is a highly positive one. With an endearing cast of characters and the right amount of humour, there’s never a dull moment in the game. The nonograms are challenging even for an enthusiast such as myself, which is great for those who have tried pixel puzzles before. Unfortunately while it could be difficult for newcomers, I would still recommend learning it through Murder by Numbers, because solving one feels incredibly rewarding, especially if it involves unraveling a murder mystery.

Murder by Numbers successfully blends a Phoenix Wright-style visual novel with a Picross-style puzzle game by making each aspect great in its own right. It may not be the game to dethrone Jupiter from its Picross pedestal, and its somewhat overly linear detective story doesn’t quite reach as high as its Ace Attorney inspiration, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a mystery worth solving. Honor and SCOUT are a wonderful duo to watch grow, and their detective adventures are a heartwarming and undoubtedly fun time.

Murder by Numbers has all the logic of picross with the look and feel of your favorite childhood cartoon.

Murder By Numbers successfully manages to combine an entertainingly wacky series of whodunnit mysteries starring a properly entertaining cast of characters with some excellent puzzling that'll keep Picross fans happy for a good long while. There's an engaging, funny narrative at the centre of proceedings, and you'll find yourself rooting for Honor and SCOUT as they make friends and alienate people on their way to solving murders and finding out the truth behind SCOUT's mysterious past. This one's an easy recommendation and a genuinely delightful surprise.

Murder By Numbers puts a narrative-heavy spin on the Picross experience and accompanies it with enough difficulty setting that even a mathematically challenged fool like me to get engrossed in the grid-filling action for hours on end. Unfortunately, so much of the story is tainted by unlikeable characters and a constant barrage of eye-rolling references that take away from the otherwise unique style of the world. I was still engaged enough with the mystery and addictive soundtrack to see the game through, but the number of times I had to pause the game and walk away after reading another miserable 90s reference soured the experience.

While it ties its narrative strands neatly enough to work as a standalone story, Mizrahi and Scout would be well worth a sequel. [Issue#344, p.114]

Murder by Numbers is a very interesting idea, that brings the Picross puzzles and the narrative adventures together. It has a slow start, but it’s once you’re in, you won’t be able to get out.

It's less of a binge-watch kind of game, and more one you may want to pace yourself with; but that takes nothing away from it ultimately being a successful fusion of punchy interrogations, well-written narrative twists, and brain-itching puzzling.

With Murder by Numbers, Mediatonic has managed to mix various elements from visual novel games with nonograms. The gameplay lacks of variety but the overall setting is sufficiently engaging, thanks to its characters, to make sure the player will stay until the very end.