Description

Curious Case is a generative crime story game set in the Roaring Twenties of Berlin. As a chief inspector of the homicide department, the player's goal is to solve numerous murder cases. The gameplay consists of investigating crime scenes, interrogating people, combining clues and traveling to various locations all across Berlin to eventually find enough evidence to identify and convict the murderer in a trial at court. Each crime case is taking place in Berlin during the time of the first German democracy. The political system has broken apart and on the streets armed forces of extremist left and right wing parties fight for superiority. The third largest city of the world is caught in between existential angst and the buzzing lights of the night. In the center of this intense and varied setting the player seeks to uncover a hidden web of entanglements and crimes. Taking a strong influence from David Lynch’s Twin Peaks, the player’s experience is riddled with mysterious characters and subtle supernatural happenings that infuse each crime case with a dark and in some places almost surreal tone.

History

July 1st 2016: Maschinen-Mensch has received a 80.000 EUR funding grant by Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg for the production of The Curious Case.

Features

• Generative Story - a system that creates an unlimited amount of unique and interesting murder cases by simulating the life stories of dozens of Berlin citizens.
• Dialogue Gameplay - utilize specific questions, statements and other options which creates an unusual dialogue experience similar a combat encounter.
• Procedural Dreams - experience surreal dream sequences that provide additional hints on how to solve a case.
• Investigation Gameplay - find evidence by traveling to locations and searching them, talking with characters and by combining existing knowledge.
• Trial - once a suspect is found, select which evidence to use to construct the argument against the suspect.