Critical Reflex and developer Hey Bird! have revealed a new trailer for their occult detective adventure game Inkblood, as well as announcing a new Steam playtest. The playtest will get you started as an Inquisitor into the mysteries of this dark and treacherous world. You can hit the “Request Access” button on the game’s Steam page to dive into the playtest.
The playtest features two bizarre ritualistic murders to solve. The world of Inkblood, inspired by 19th-century Eastern Europe, is home to eerie mental institutions, secret societies, uncanny masked carnivals, and even mushroomfolk in human form. Your job is somehow to keep it all in check by solving the most peculiar crimes and upholding the rule of the Inquisition.
Coming to Steam later this year, Inkblood tasks players as the Inquisitor, who must investigate a case of wicked sorcery that is rotting the minds of people and the very fabric of reality itself. Besides your wit, keen eye, and intuition, you’ll be making use of your carriage, which provides you with some “advanced” tools. Inspect the clues, take photos of everything important, compile a case file and dial your overseer once you have a strong theory.
Inkblood challenges you to solve 10 unique cases, each more mind-boggling than the last, inspired by games like The Case of the Golden Idol, Strange Horticulture, and Return of the Obra Dinn. Explore the past and present, travel the small open world in search of answers, investigate both outside and inside your carriage, and seek further insight through mushroom-induced hallucinations. But be warned: both this land and the Inquisition itself harbor secrets that are better left unsolved.