True crime fans can finally put their detective skills to work and solve murder mysteries with the Unsolved Case Files game.
The role of the armchair detective has become more and more popular as true crime shows pop up constantly on Netflix, but there’s a limit to how much we can get involved when we can only direct our suspicions to a TV screen.
Well, now the days of yelling angrily at 2D investigators are over, because Unsolved Case Files offers you the chance to get your hands on cold case murder files filled with clues needed to solve the crime.
Though the cases are fictional, the experience is made to feel real as the files come complete with documents, photographs, newspaper clippings, suspect details, finger prints and autopsy reports.
Unsolved Case Files garnered attention after YouTuber Griffin Arnlund shared a video in which she laid out everything she received in her file, which came sealed in a realistic-looking evidence bag.
Check out the video here:
Players are given three objectives to help move through the case and gather the evidence needed to convict the killer. The game requires access to the internet, through which you can get hints or visit the online answer key to prove you cracked the case.
There are currently four case files to choose from, namely Harmony Ashcroft, Jamie Banks, Max Cahill and Jane Doe, though there are two more under development.
Harmony’s case description reads:
On May 8th, 1998, the small Indiana town of Riverdale was shocked by the brutal murder of one of it’s [sic] most beloved citizens on the night before her own wedding. The victim, Harmony Ashcroft, was murdered in the parking lot behind a popular local restaurant.
Bones McBride, a local vagrant, was framed for the murder and has spent over 2 decades behind bars despite being 100% innocent!
The game is sold on Amazon, though its recent surge in popularity means it is currently sold out there. Just one case, Harmony Ashcroft, is still in stock on the Unsolved Case Files site, though the others are set to be restocked this month.
Hopefully it won’t be long before they’re all available again, though, because the game’s positive reviews suggest it’s not one to be missed.
One person described how he and his partner became ‘hooked’ on the game, explaining it ‘took over [their] lives’ until they cracked the case. Another commended the game for being ‘immersive and realistic’.
The game is the perfect accompaniment to a night in or a dinner party, and it’s certainly an intense step up from classic murder mystery games, where one of the players is given the role of the killer.
You can get your hands on the Harmony case file here, though you better be quick!
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.