Release notes, v1.0.0

PLAY INQUEST went live on the web with v1.0.0, built solo by one developer who wanted a detective game that actually required detective work. The idea was simple to state and harder to build: give the player every clue the killer would need to be caught, then make them find the one lie that breaks the alibi. No hidden information, no twist pulled out of nowhere at the end, just a case file, a set of suspects, and a contradiction waiting to be found.

Getting there took longer than expected, because a case only works if the solution is airtight. Every clue has to be placed somewhere reachable, every alibi has to fit into a single shared timeline, and the confession at the end has to point back to real evidence rather than a hunch. Building that meant writing and re-checking each case by hand for this first release, rather than leaving anything to chance.

What shipped in v1.0.0

Out now on web, with Android to follow.

• 10+ mystery cases, each a self-contained whodunit, free to play.
• Two-player co-op. Solve a case with a friend, then make the call.
• Start with the Daily Dossier. Today's case can be opened without an account; sign in with Google to access the handcrafted casebook and sync progress across devices.
• Your progress follows you across devices once you sign in.

What a case actually looks like

Each case opens with a dossier: the victim, the scene, and a short list of suspects. From there you walk the scenes yourself, searching for physical evidence, then sit down with each suspect and put what you found in front of them. Their answers only open up as you find more, a question that goes nowhere on your first pass through the dossier might crack wide open once you have the one clue that makes it worth asking. Somewhere in the pile of statements, one alibi does not line up with the others. Find it, and you have found your killer. Get it wrong, and the case closes anyway. There is no second attempt, which is the entire point.

Why co-op shipped in v1, not later

Two-player co-op was part of the plan from the start, not bolted on afterward. A murder mystery gets more interesting the moment two people can disagree about it, so the case format was built around a shared dossier and independent accusations from day one, rather than retrofitted onto a solo-only game later. You and a partner read the same file, split up the questioning, argue about who is lying, and each make your own final call, which means it is entirely possible for one of you to walk away with the case solved and the other to walk away wrong.

What's next

More cases are already in progress, and the plan from here is to keep the casebook growing while the core promise stays exactly the same: every witness lies, every clue matters, and you only get one accusation.

Play today's case. The game is free to play, with no purchase or paywall.