10 Steps To Make Your First Mystery Game

A guide to help complete beginners get started with Mystery Gamedev!

Welcome to our first post from Mystery Gamedev!

Over 100 members have already joined our Discord community, and it's clear there's a lot of interest in learning to make your own Mystery Games!

So today, we're going to briefly go over all the steps necessary to create your first one!

1. Decide Your Subgenre

You've decided to make a Mystery Game, but they come in many flavors.

Will it be a linear visual novel, like Umineko?

Will it be a courtroom point-and-click, like Ace Attorney?

Will it be a death game with 3D movement, like Danganronpa?

This decision will significantly influence other decisions later on.

You should definitely pick a genre you love playing the most.

But for your first game, remember to also pick something very simple.

You'll have plenty of time to make more complicated games later on.

2. Decide Your Game Engine

With your subgenre decided, it's a lot easier to decide your game engine, too.

For a basic visual novel, Ren'Py will work just fine.

For slightly more complex gameplay, you could use Game Maker or Godot.

If you need very complex systems and/or 3D, you should use Unity or Unreal.

Aside from the game’s requirements, the choice of engine is your own preference.

3. Create Your Game Design Document

Your GDD is a single document that explains everything necessary to build your game.

Think of it like a blueprint for building a house.

It should briefly summarize the gameplay, the story, art designs, puzzle designs, monetization strategy, and so on.

If you decide to make changes to your game, you should update the GDD accordingly.

At the very least, you will want your GDD as a point of reference, either for yourself or other members of your team.

This is also when you’ll need to think deeply about your mystery and puzzles.

If you create a solid outline now and stick to it, you'll have an easier time later on.

Speaking from experience: I've had to rewrite tens of thousands of words because of small changes in the story — but I could’ve avoided that trouble if I had planned things out better from the start!

4. Find a Team (If You Want)

Now with a solid vision for your game, you can pitch the idea to other people to see who is interested in helping you.

Some of you might prefer working alone, which is totally fine too.

But be aware that it will take you a significantly longer amount of time.

So, where can you find team members?

Traditionally, you could go to visual novel communities, or RPG Maker communities, or gamedev communities on Reddit...

But now, the perfect place to find teammates is right here at Mystery Gamedev!

We really couldn't find a community solely dedicated to the creation of mystery games, so we made one ourselves.

If you find someone from our community, you'll know they're as passionate about mystery games as you.

And passion makes all the difference!

5. Build A Prototype

Always begin by creating a small prototype of your game.

The prototype should clearly demonstrate the core gameplay mechanic.

It shouldn't take more than a few weeks to build.

Your goal is to determine if this mechanic is actually fun.

Make any modifications to your GDD immediately, so that you don't build a huge game around a mechanic that isn't any fun.

Building a prototype also helps you keep your scope small.

If the prototype is too difficult to make, try an easier idea instead.

6. Start Marketing

Marketing is an enormous subject that would take many posts to cover.

But with a solid GDD and prototype, you can (and should) begin marketing your game!

Every time you make progress, share it with someone on social media.

Create a landing page (i.e. "yourgame.com") and include a form for e-mail addresses.

You'll want to track all your customers and let them know when your game is finished.

You should also keep them updated on your game's progress periodically.

But don't annoy them — only send them e-mails with genuinely meaningful content.

And don't worry too much if they unsubscribe — it happens to all of us!

7. Get Feedback On Your Demo

Don't make the mistake of building in complete isolation.

You should always be showing your progress so you can receive constructive criticism.

A public demo is the perfect way to get feedback!

When I created Detective Butler: Maiden Voyage Murder, I released two demos: one at Chapter 2, and one at Chapter 4.

Each time, I learned a lot about what people liked and didn't like about the game.

And the resulting game received hundreds of positive reviews on Steam.

If your game can be played for 30-60 minutes, you have enough content for a demo.

Get the player invested, and end on a cliffhanger so they stay excited for the full game!

8. Release Your Game

Once you've finished your game, you'll need to release it on an online store.

You can release a game for free on itch.io, or on Steam after paying a $100 fee.

Itch.io lacks the features of Steam, but it is significantly easier to upload your game.

There are also other storefronts, and you are usually free to release your game on as many as you would like.

Don't forget to do a bunch of marketing leading up to launch day!

Let people know about your game and get excited for it!

9. Support Your Game After Launch

Congratulations! You've released your first mystery game!

But the work doesn't end here.

There will be bugs you never caught, and there will be players who encounter them.

There will be players who get stuck on your difficult puzzles and need to ask for help.

And there will be players who loved it so much, they just want more stuff right now!

Be sure to stick around and invest in your community by providing them with updates even after the game is out.

10. Get Help Along The Way

Last but not least, if you are struggling with any of these issues while making your game, you shouldn't be afraid to reach out for help!

Mystery Gamedev is the perfect community to create your own mystery games.

You can learn from other, more experienced creators in our Discord server.

And that’s it!

So, those are the 10 steps to making your first mystery game!

It might seem like a lot at first, but the more you do it, the easier it gets.

In future articles, we'll dive deeper into these topics, one by one.

So if you're interested in learning more, look forward to new articles every week!

Thank you so much for reading, and have a super day!