5 New Mystery Games & Demos - February 2025
From paranormal investigations to turn-based tactics battles
Happy Mystery Monday!
Today’s post will highlight 5 mystery games and demos released this month.
Additionally, today marks the start of 2025’s first Steam Next Fest.
All of the demos mentioned in today’s post are also featured in Steam Next Fest (probably not a coincidence).
But with so many interesting games featured in Next Fest, it’s just not possible to cover them all in one post.
So next week, I’ll take some time to point out the games I enjoyed most from Next Fest. Feel free to take some time this week and look yourself, too.
But for now: here are my top picks from February 2025:
Urban Myth Dissolution Center
Join forces with the psychic Director of the Urban Myth Dissolution Center and solve a variety of cases involving cursed relics, rental properties with shady histories, and dimensional anomalies. Monstrous oddities and otherworldly planes abound in this occult mystery adventure game!
A highly anticipated game for many people, it did not disappoint. I only played the demo this week, but I genuinely enjoyed every second of it. If I had more time, I could see myself playing the whole game start to finish.
The pixel art is detailed, stylized, and of high quality, and many scenes have custom animations that make it feel like you’re watching an anime. The soundtrack also absolutely fits the mood.
I was shocked at how much gameplay it has: 2D side-scrolling point-and-click investigation, menus with detailed case notes and profiles, and a fill-in-the-blank theorycrafting system. There’s also a social media research screen where you look for evidence of paranormal happenings — a unique blend of two popular subgenres.
Overall, the game combines many elements of modern mystery games into a single, unified experience, so it’s no wonder everyone has been talking about it.
of the Devil (Episode 1)
Immerse yourself in neon, smoke, and high-stakes legal gambles as a Defense Attorney with uniquely Killer insights in this episodic, diabolically stylish visual novel adventure game.
Created by the award-winning nth Circle Studios, this is an episodic game, where episode zero is free, episode one was released for $9.99, and more episodes are in development.
I finished episode zero in about two hours. The visuals are strikingly impressive, with investigations taking place in 3D environments, and with strong cinematography to match. The game also includes a poker-themed battle system to defend your clients.
Episode zero contains a solid, stand-alone mystery that actually requires some thought (as opposed to a simple tutorial case). Although the pacing starts a bit slow, it definitely picks up by the end.
As the developers are a small indie team, what they accomplished with this game is no easy feat. I’m looking forward to future episodes.
The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy- (Demo)
A new adventure from the creators of the Danganronpa and Zero Escape series! 15 students are tasked with defending a school from grotesque monsters for 100 days. Can they make it to the end? And will they survive long enough to uncover the truth?
Another highly anticipated game, its demo features multiple hours of content.
The demo looks practically identical to Danganronpa on a surface level, replacing the "death game" aspect with turn-based tactics battles (much to the disappointment of one of its characters). The visual style looks identical, the music sounds similar, and the story delights in parodying Danganronpa whenever it can.
At first, I was not entirely sure that this game even technically counted as a mystery game, especially since it even lacks the "mystery" tag on Steam. However, the nature of the battles and why these characters are involved is shrouded in mystery, and many mysterious events (and shocking twists) happen in between each battle. And by the end of the demo, I was left with way more questions than answers.
It’s almost to a point where the game might be just another Danganronpa with some turn-based battles tacked onto it. The demo mostly consisted of doing Danganronpa-like things (VN cutscenes, social links, and minigames) compared to the small bit of time actually spent in combat.
But maybe that will change post-demo, especially with the promise of multiple endings based on player choices. The demo only includes the first 7 out of 100 days, after all, so the game may still be able to carve out its own identity.
Would more Danganronpa be a good or bad thing? I guess that’s for you to decide.
Overall, the demo offers a promising glimpse, and with the twists and turns already presented, it’s anyone’s guess how the remainder of the game will pan out. It's a combination of two genres I really enjoy, so I hope they can pull it off.
Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping (Demo)
When spookiness strikes a luxury campsite, the one and only Duck Detective is summoned to quack the case. Inspect evidence, make de-duck-tions, and solve this no-murder mystery!
The demo for the second Duck Detective game was released this month.
It plays pretty much identically to the first game, where you freely roam around environments to look for clues and interrogate characters. "Deducktions" are made by filling in the blanks, similar to other mystery games Golden Idol and Obra Dinn.
Just like the first game, the demo is only 20-30 minutes long, and the full version will be 2 to 3 hours in length. If you liked the first Duck Detective game and want more, keep an eye on this one.
Amnea28: Two Eternities (Demo)
A group of university students is going to spend a week in the old hotel "Amnea". Within these seven days they have to find out what is hidden behind its facade and to unravel all the mysteries without losing their minds.
Although this demo has technically been out since 2023 on itchio — and that’s actually how I first discovered it — I just had to bring up its demo page, now on Steam.
An upcoming mystery visual novel with over 30 hours of content, beautiful artwork, and an atmospheric soundtrack. Its story and presentation really gave me an Umineko vibe. But unlike Umineko, this game has choices, routes, and over 30 endings.
That said, only the demo is out right now, with only the first couple hours of content available. But it definitely captured my interest, and I’m looking forward to its full release.
Disclaimer: Unless otherwise stated, we were not paid to promote any of the above games. Each game was selected based on its relevance to our readers, considering its release date, number of positive reviews, and store page description. We are not responsible for any issues arising from attempting to purchase, download, or play any game.
Thanks for reading!
If you want to learn how to make your own mystery game…
Or if you want to discover the best mystery games before anyone else…
Join our 300+ member Mystery Gamedev community today!
And please consider sharing our newsletter with a friend — we appreciate it!