Thanks to their simple controls and puzzle-centric gameplay, point-and-click adventure games have acquired firm footing on mobile, making up some of the best games on Android. Adventure games also benefit from magnificent versatility in terms of theming, and a great example of this is detective games. The genre is not necessarily bound to point-and-click adventuring, but the ideas and mechanics of a whodunnit fit nicely with a substantial amount of mechanics point-and-click adventure fans will be familiar with. And since AP loves a good mystery, we’d like to share our favorite detective games, so make sure to bring your favorite Android phone if you like to explore these intellectual challenges.
1 Layton: Curious Village in HD
It is unlikely that you haven’t heard of the Layton series, but if you are new, here’s a rundown. Professor Layton is a puzzle adventure series following the titular professor Layton, a former archeologist and private investigator traveling with his apprentice Luke. Their adventures span several titles, and Layton: Curious Village in HD is a remaster of the first game. You arrive in a town to uncover the truth about a mysterious murder and a hidden treasure, a problem to which puzzle-solving is the only solution. The remaster provides the charming visual style and soundtrack of the original, along with the compelling and fun characters and even some unique cutscenes made specifically for it. Everything that made the original game an excellent pickup has translated well to the mobile platform; longtime fans will certainly get a nostalgia trip as well as a challenge. You better not sleep on this one; it’s well worth a try.
2 Duskwood – Detective Story
Duskwood – Detective Story is an interactive crime narrative centered around locating a missing girl. The initial presentation is reminiscent of The Healing, a game that uses similar immersive gameplay of impersonating a real group chat app, ala Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp. Characters are added to the chat in a scripted fashion, and you are given choices as to what your contribution to the conversation will be, the story adapting to your answers. While unsettling, thanks to its effective immersion, games like Duskwood – Detective Story are unquestionably unique, creepy, and more than worth a try.
3 Escape Game – The Psycho Room
Escape Game – The Psycho Room starts off far less intense than its title would suggest, placing you in front of a locked door armed with nothing but the simple task of finding out how to open it. To accomplish this, you must search the room for inventory items, code combinations, and code breakers, all while figuring out how a conveniently placed small robot works. While it is pretty bare bones in terms of presentation and function, Escape Game – The Psycho Room does everything required by the detective formula. You are provided a room to escape by deducing how this can be done. Nice and simple, and most importantly, fun.
4 I am innocent
I am Innocent kicks off with a far more intense chat simulator exchange with no explanation or context. Marked unique qualities include a TellTales The Walking dead style prompt to indicate whether a relationship is improving or not, as well as multiple one-on-one conversations (as opposed to group chats). This does mean that there’s a lot more exposition in very long strings, so make sure you enjoy reading because this game assumes you do. Yes, your dialogue choices affect the way characters interact with you and with each other, giving a ton of replay value to see how things can and will turn out differently. This style of game shows great promise from the amount of tension it can effortlessly build. Recommended.
5 Ace Attorney Trilogy
Ace Attorney Trilogy is a compilation release of the first three games in the iconic series. You take control of Phoenix Wright, a rookie lawyer tasked with defending his clients in court while compiling evidence in pursuit of the truth. To say this series is unique would be an understatement, combining criminal trials, a usually dry and boring affair, with dramatic anime-style flair with engaging gameplay to keep you on your toes. Said gameplay boils down to answering questions correctly and reacting to developments in the trial quickly and wisely. The tutorial is very amusing, showing off these gameplay mechanics through questions asked of Phoenix in court while incredibly nervous and constantly panicking. Going in as a fan of the best anime games will help, and if you embrace the silliness on display, this world and its characters and fun gameplay will really suck you in. Nothing objectionable here.
6 White Night
White Night is a puzzle-adventure game with themes of isolation and creeping paranoia, in which you explore a pitch-black abandoned house with nothing but a lighter. This game evokes that classic noir detective feel, combined with a striking black-and-white art style and constant narration, creating a tense, unnerving atmosphere straight away. Getting into gameplay, the slightly janky movement controls and fixed camera angles reminded me starkly of the early Resident Evil’s, as does searching environments for inventory items that enable progress, all with a creeping paranoia that you aren’t really alone. Classic survival horror stuff that takes advantage of the fear of darkness to really give you the creeps.
7 Detective Max: Mystery Games
Detective Max: Mystery Games places you into a deserted high school with the task of uncovering a murder. The initial loneliness of the environment is quite unnerving, a usually communal area completely empty except for you. This game is admittedly slow to start, but once things get going, you’ll find that it does not hold back on deduction mechanics. The puzzles are complex and require a great deal of thought to solve. Randomly tapping on things won’t get you through this one. That fact does make Detective Max: Mystery Games’ enjoyment factor a bit subjective, but if you want a detective game that doesn’t hold your hand, this is for you.
8 Nobodies: Murder Cleaner
Nobodies: Murder Cleaner is a deductive point-and-click adventure but from the perspective of someone attempting to clean a crime scene up before the cops arrive. You play as an employee of a secret anti-terrorist organization, tasked with leaving areas as you found them, clean, innocent, and as non-murdery as possible. It’s a unique and effective bit of context that adds a great incentive to be as thorough as possible in your cleaning endeavors. However, despite the more sinister details and end goal of the game’s puzzles, the basic gameplay is classic point-and-click, albeit tense, with the added spice of not explicitly being the good guy. The puzzles themselves are challenging enough, and veterans will find them tricky but enjoyable. The game looks great and keeps the tension going until the end. This one cleans up nicely.
Reach your aha! moment with the best detective games on Android
This closes the case on our roundup of the best detective games on Android… for now. Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments down below, and we’ll take a look. It’s always fun and engaging to take a good brain-teaser for a spin on the best Android tablets and liven up those boring commutes with an intellectual challenge. But if you’re still up for some quality puzzle-based gameplay, check out our roundup of the best adventure games on Android. So until the next update, stay vigilant!
