Murder Club - Honkaku Mystery Adventure (Japan)

In Murder Club - Honkaku Mystery Adventure for the NES, players step into the shoes of a skilled detective tasked with solving a series of enigmatic and intricate murder cases. The game falls under the adventure puzzle genre, strongly emphasizing its narrative and the player's deductive reasoning abilities.

Gameplay primarily revolves around crime scene investigation. Players will need to meticulously examine every nook and cranny to search for crucial clues, evidence, and any signs that might reveal the truth. After gathering sufficient information at the scene, players will proceed to interrogate witnesses and suspects.

The interrogation process is a core part of the game, where you must wisely choose your questions to extract information, detect lies, or find contradictions in testimonies. Each decision in dialogue can lead to different reactions from characters, affecting the progress of your investigation. Clues and testimonies will be recorded, helping players synthesize information to form their judgments.

Once you feel you have collected enough evidence and have a solid basis to identify the culprit, you will need to present your arguments. This is when you must piece all the fragments together, pinpoint the murderer, and explain their motive and method of the crime. The "Honkaku Mystery" (authentic mystery) aspect of the game ensures that all necessary clues to solve the case are fairly provided to the player, allowing them to deduce the solution on their own without unexpected twists or unfairly hidden information. The game's graphics feature the characteristic NES pixel art style, with static images illustrating crime scenes and characters, while most information is conveyed through text, creating a deep reading and deduction experience.