Crime
Or Punishment

Crime Or Punishment is a detective brain game where rather than solving the crime, you must cover it up and frame an innocent suspect. You tamper with the crime scene and plant evidence, using suspects' files to make it look like someone other than the real killer is guilty. It's unusual because rather than using clues to gain information, you start with all the information you need and use it to plant fake clues and lead people astray.

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You play a corrupt detective in a 1920s-inspired city, who uses his influence to help the mob get away with their crimes. When an assistant to the mayor is killed by the mob, you're hired to ensure the killer goes free. With four suspects being held, one of them the true killer, you must look through their files and plant evidence to create a false paper trail. Succeed, and you'll be handsomely rewarded; fail, and you won't live to tell the tale.

Play involves moving about the crime scene and interacting with evidence at the scene of the crime. You must choose one of the three innocent suspects to frame, and by carefully looking through their profile, you gradually get to know them. You can then tailor your tampering to make it look like a crime they committed, playing into their specific character traits. The fun lies in uncovering the ways the items at your disposal can be used, and the differences in how you go about the game depending on who you choose to frame.

The result is a game that challenges the typical detective formula of gathering clues to come to a conclusion. Instead, you work to determine the outcome by planting clues in the right way. Getting under the skin of each suspect to learn the best way to frame them is an unusual yet deviously enjoyable task.

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Our examiner, Ben Kendall, first checked Crime Or Punishment 3 weeks ago. It was re-examined by Jo Robertson and updated 2 weeks ago.