Give 'Em the Ol' Razzle Dazzle in The Ben Wander Murder Collection
Prepare to cut a rug
If you've ever bemoaned the fact that video games often neglect the roaring twenties, bemoan no more. The Ben Wander Murder Collection [official site] is a glitzy, glamorous, and oh-so-sinister murder mystery set in the age of The Great Gatsby.
The Murder Collection (a working title) stars a female detective in prohibition-era San Francisco who'll have to travel across the city to solve a number of different mysteries. The heroine must navigate seedy speakeasies and glamorous mansions to find clues and collect character statements.
Creator Ben Wander describes it as a mesh of 80 Days and Phoenix Wright, where players interact with objects and text on-screen to move the action forward. He also drew artistic inspiration from talent like Olly Moss (Firewatch), and famed American graphic designer and filmmaker Saul Bass.
Wander, interestingly enough, happens to be a former member of both BioWare and Visceral Games. Excited by the indie space, he has since jumped ship to travel southeast Asia while working on the Ben Wander Murder Collection.
If this game sounds like the bee's knees (the '20s! Get it?), you can try out an early 'veritical slice' demo of the game over on Itch.io. The story is mostly filler for testing purposes, but it'll give you an idea of how the game plays.