The Painscreek Killings Reviews

I'll start by saying I did not finish this game. I ended up playing for the 12-ish hours and then looking up a Let's Play to find out what's up with the full plot. BUT, those first 10 hours up before I gave up? Very enjoyable. I grew up with Point & Click mystery games, so exploring the same areas over and over for missed items *mostly* just filled me with nostalgia. The music definitely helps, the soundtrack is so lovely. I do recommend this game for any mystery game fan. The atmosphere is spot on, the music is great, the controls are good. I also liked the story, and slowly piecing it together from all the clues. Definitely in my Top 3 mystery games.

Painscreek Killings is one of those rare games that refuses to hold your hand. From the opening moments, it expects you to have a keen eye for detail, the ability to read subtext, to be able to create theories (GAME THEORIES), and a pad/ pencil for notes. I'm not gonna lie, this game is hard but so rewarding as you unravel it's secrets. The story itself is rooted in people simply being people (don't worry, no spoilers), for better and for worse. I love this game but it does have two flaws. The most annoying is the music loop is maybe 45 seconds, it gets old pretty fast. The other is 2 of the puzzles are worded pretty badly (a quick Google search solved them though). For convenience, the puzzles were the darts score desk combo and reception's hidden panel puzzles. I don't think either of them will stop someone from figuring beating the game, but would hamper a completionist run.

Great mystery game, enjoyed piecing together the truth of the many interconnected characters and events. Atmosphere was surprisingly unsettling but I think that added to the overall mystery and satisfaction of solving it.

This game is extremely enjoyable and works very well as a mystery, in my opinion. For the record, I'm very into open-world/no hint style mysteries such as Outer Wilds and Return of the Obra Dinn, so this game was right up my alley. The way TPK presents its mystery gives you a sense of accomplishment when you figure a part of the puzzle out. It also leaves clues around that reward you for exploring the abandoned town, rewarding a keen-eyed player for taking notes of seemingly innocuous things you'll find. This game also builds dread and paranoia VERY well. I felt on edge the entire time I played this game, very fitting for such a grim town! It's recommended by the devs that you play this game without hints or looking things up, and for the most part I agree. There were a few parts of the game I found myself frustrated and looked things up, but that was almost always because I missed a key that was right in front of my face at one point and didn't know where to find it after I had moved on. For the record, there is no puzzle in this game that is SO obtuse that you have no hope of solving it without a guide. This game is by no means flawless, though. There's jank in some areas such as the darts puzzle (IYKYK), and one of the final keys you need to find being hidden in an area where the shadows make it VERY difficult to realize the interactable object is even there. The final 5 minutes of the true end are also a major slap in the face in terms of gameplay, but that doesn't ruin the game for me at all. Overall, this game is very entertaining with a compelling story. I wish there were more mystery games that presented themselves this way. I give it an 8/10.

I really loved this game!! The storyline was honestly really interesting and it definitely wasn't an obvious ending. I couldn't have predicted that at alllll. I liked this one a lot more than scene investigators! It really puts your mind to the test with deduction and snooping without it hurting your brain. I never felt lost while playing. However it did have some elements that were a little meh to me, like the supernatural part towards the end. That wasn't really my cup of tea considering the game didn't have that vibe at all until the climax. Take that with a grain of salt. Overall, this was superrrr fun, I need a lot more investigative games like this in the future!

Outer Wilds is the best game I've ever played, the Painscreek Killings is one in a very small list of games that scratch the same itch. Very well designed story, immersive atmosphere, and the amazing feeling of uncovering deep secrets.

this game had no direction so you were lost for most of it, nothing happened throughout until the end, not even suspenseful. Running back and forth is 60% of this game and the other 40 is reading. Love the drama tho story was great but the gameplay was boring because there was none

Truly enjoyed this game. Very immersive, lots of things to search for and find. Challenging but not so hard it gets frustrating. A great game if you're into murder mysteries. Lots of small side mysteries to discover. I would love if they came out with another game just as detailed with a different plot and mystery. Can't recommend enough.

Captivating story and gorgeous graphics & perfect atmosphere. It really was fun for about the first half of the game, with intriguing mystery and discoveries at your own pace. The game then somewhat loses balance when the clue/puzzle becomes a bit too obscure (i.e., if you miss one - you get stuck) and the resolution of mystery is a bit too obvious/literal, leaving little room for imagination or guessing. Ultimately, I enjoyed playing it - but it didn't quite achieve the level of satisfaction Obra-Dinn, Golden Idol games, or Outer Wilds achieved.

The eerie feeling this game gives is very unique and perfectly fit the vibe of the mystery. It really feels like wandering through a ghost town, solving a years-old mystery, piece-by-piece. Minimal, but in a cool and interesting way.