Confidential Killings Preview: Shadowy Situations

Coming soon to PC, developed by BRANE and Lorenzo Boni and published by BRANE, comes the point-and-click detective game Confidential Killings. In this Noir-ish title, you have to investigate a series of mysterious deaths and accidents to uncover who is really behind the killings. Collect words from evidence and then reconstruct a summary of the events that led to the incident. This is not the first detective game I’ve reviewed or previewed on this site. But this is the most serious thus far.

As I’ll explain in the preview, Confidential Killings is a very different kind of point-and-click game. As in parts, from a gameplay point of view, it feels closer to a text adventure game. More so than some of its contemporaries. And I have to say that I am very impressed by everything I have seen and played thus far. With only a few issues here and there holding it back for me. 

Confidential Killings is coming soon to PC. It can be wishlisted on Steam, where a demo can be found.

Story – Detective Fiction

Confidential Killings takes place in the 1970s, with the story having a flair of Neo-Noir about it; it is a story of melancholy monologues in dimly lit rooms, whilst you investigate the darker underbelly of high-class society. Uncovering deep secrets and shady goings-on. First off, you are called in to investigate a car crash where there is more than meets the eye. And then you have to investigate a death at a theatre producer’s home. Both of these stories are well written. With plenty of material for you to dig your teeth into to help you uncover what is going on.

Due to a glitch, I had to play this on a small monitor. Which made it harder to read.

My two biggest issues that came up during my preview playthrough for the story and writing side of Confidential Killings thus far are that it can be hard to see what text is clickable, and the second case just starts without context. The first issue is one I’ll elaborate on more in the next section, but it can be hard to see what pieces of text are relevant to your puzzle and which are just part of the story. The other issue is one that I feel won’t be a problem come the release of the full title. But as it stands, the second case you need to investigate just starts without any backstory to it. Unlike the first one. Regardless, these are two minor issues that I’m sure will be rectified in due course.

Gameplay – Word On The Street

As mentioned, Confidential Killings is a point-and-click detective game. Here, you must investigate various crime scenes, read hidden notes, and look at available evidence. All the while clicking on highlighted words. These are then added to your notebook, where they are used to fill gaps in a collection of sentences to try and solve the case. It is a simple idea that helps to expand the typical point-and-click formula. It asks you to pay very close attention to what has happened.

You might not always find words. But background information helps.

You aren’t just clicking on things, waiting for the next event in the story (at least for the most part). And the puzzle tasks you to recall everything that you have learnt so far, so that you can try and solve the case at hand. Some are easier than others; one just gives away that the killer was a woman, and given there are only two women in that story, it is a good 50/50. But I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t like the combination of the two aspects. The puzzle section is especially fun, and is a highlight for me. Though I do wish that the interrogation system from the developer’s Let Sleeping Dogs Lie game was here too. But I feel there are bigger issues here.

A Stab in the Dark

Regrettably for me, Confidential Killings has a habit of falling down the path that most point-and-click games have, which is that after a certain point, you are left to randomly tap on objects and hope for the best. Here, this is due to the prior mentioned issue of it being hard at times to figure out which words can be clicked on to unlock a word needed for the puzzle. Which can cause progress to come to a screeching halt as you try to find the word “Car” to indicate that there had been a car crash. Only to find it written on one specific line on a piece of paper you couldn’t find due to it not being clear that it was clickable.

This is Confidential Killings’ best feature.

This isn’t helped by the fact that I was forced to preview Confidential Killings on the wrong monitor; it is a drawing tablet and isn’t meant for gaming. And with no options to select what monitor to play on or a way to drag the window onto another screen, it felt like I was straining to read much of it. These are issues easily remedied. And I hope that they are. Honestly, I enjoyed what I’ve played of the game so far. It holds a lot of promise, and I hope that it can stick the landing.

Graphics & Audio

I’ll be honest, I can’t see the soundtrack or art style of Confidentially Killings changing that much between the preview and the final release. I don’t say that as a negative. Because it is all competently made. And so much of the preview build feels like a classic demo rather than a proof of concept. But I will say that I’m not the biggest fan of the art style, as it feels rather typical for games of this tone and nature. This isn’t to say that it isn’t good. And I’m willing to put that down as a “Different strokes” kind of deal more than anything else.

Soundtrack-wise wise it is fantastic. I’d hate to just leave it at that. But this is another one of those situations where the developer just nails the music selection with this one. It gives a dark, moody, and mysterious flavour to the game. One that is sinister and very much of the moment. Or rather, the sub-genre of film this is seeking to replicate. It adds so much to the game and helps to sell the mood of the moment brilliantly. And has serious darkness and melancholy that fits the tone of the game.

Confidential Killings was previewed on PC.