Why Choose Ink & Clues? What Makes Our Murder Mystery Games Different

If you've discovered Ink & Clues while searching for a murder mystery game, cold case investigation or something similar to Unsolved Case Files, you may be wondering what kind of experience our games actually offer.

Ink & Clues creates investigation-style murder mysteries where you take the role of the investigator. Rather than dressing up as a suspect or following a scripted character, you receive the material from a fictional criminal investigation and have to determine what actually happened.

That means reading interviews, examining evidence, comparing timelines and deciding which details matter. The solution isn't simply presented through a sequence of puzzles. You have to build the case yourself.

Here's what you can expect when you play an Ink & Clues mystery.

You investigate the crime rather than play a character

“Murder mystery game” can describe several very different types of experiences.

Traditional murder mystery parties usually give every participant a character to portray. Someone plays the victim's spouse, someone else becomes a suspicious business partner, and the evening revolves around roleplay and interaction between the guests.

Ink & Clues takes a different approach.

You remain yourself and take the role of an investigator examining a fictional case. There are no costumes to prepare, characters to perform or scripts to read aloud.

Instead, the challenge comes from understanding the evidence.

That makes the games particularly suitable for people who like the idea of solving a murder but aren't looking for a traditional murder mystery party.

The case is built around evidence and deduction

When you begin an Ink & Clues investigation, you don't know which pieces of information will eventually prove important.

The case can contain police reports, suspect interviews, witness statements, photographs, messages, maps and other documents connected to the investigation.

Some information helps establish the timeline. Other details reveal relationships between the people involved. A statement may appear perfectly reasonable until you compare it with another piece of evidence and realize that something doesn't fit.

Your job is to separate useful evidence from irrelevant information, test the suspects' stories and gradually build a theory that explains the crime.

The aim is to make you feel like you're conducting the investigation rather than simply following a predetermined story.

The crimes are fictional, but designed to feel like investigations

Ink & Clues games aren't based on real murders.

The victims, suspects and events are fictional, but the presentation is designed around the kinds of documents and information you might expect to encounter when reviewing a criminal investigation.

That distinction is important.

You get the experience of examining evidence, questioning alibis and trying to understand motives without turning the circumstances of real victims into a game.

For players who enjoy crime fiction, detective novels and true crime because of the investigative element, this can provide a way to actively participate in a case rather than simply watch or read about one.

You need to work out which information actually matters

Ink & Clues isn't designed around giving you an obvious puzzle every few minutes.

Instead, much of the challenge comes from interpretation.

A particular time in a witness statement may matter because it conflicts with a receipt. A photograph may reveal something about where a person was standing. Someone may have a convincing motive but an alibi that appears impossible to break.

Not every suspicious person is the murderer, and not every lie necessarily concerns the murder.

This means you have to form theories, challenge them and sometimes abandon an idea that initially seemed convincing.

The satisfying moment comes when enough of the evidence fits together for you to explain what happened.

No game master is required

You don't need one person to sit out and organize the investigation for everyone else.

Players can investigate the case together, which means everyone gets to participate in solving the mystery.

You also don't need anyone in the group to know the solution beforehand. The answer remains hidden until you're ready to check your theory.

That makes it easier to organize an evening around a case without assigning someone the less appealing job of running the game for everyone else.

Play alone, as a couple or with friends

Ink & Clues investigations are designed for 1–6 players.

If you enjoy working through a difficult problem quietly, you can investigate an entire case by yourself. With two players, you can examine the same evidence and discuss competing theories. In a small group, you can divide documents between you and compare what everyone discovers.

The underlying investigation remains the same. What changes is how you approach it.

This flexibility makes the games suitable for solo evenings, date nights and game nights with friends without requiring a different version of the case for each situation.

Print the case or investigate on screen

Ink & Clues games are delivered digitally, so you don't need to wait for a physical box to arrive.

If you prefer a traditional tabletop experience, you can print the documents and spread the evidence across the table. If you'd rather avoid printing, you can examine the material digitally.

You can also combine the two approaches, keeping some documents on screen while printing the material you expect to reference frequently.

Digital delivery also means you can purchase a case and begin investigating the same day.

A typical case takes around 1.5–2 hours

Most Ink & Clues investigations are designed to provide a complete evening activity rather than a short collection of puzzles.

An individual case generally takes around 1.5–2 hours, although the actual playing time depends on how quickly you read the material, how much your group discusses different theories and how thoroughly you investigate.

Some groups move quickly once they identify a promising theory. Others examine every document several times before they're willing to make an accusation.

There's no timer forcing you to finish.

The solution should come from the evidence

One of the most important parts of an investigation game is the relationship between the clues and the final solution.

A mystery becomes frustrating if the murderer can only be identified through information the player was never given. Equally, simply guessing the most suspicious character isn't particularly satisfying.

Our aim is for the information needed to understand the case to exist within the investigation itself.

You still have to interpret that information correctly. You may overlook something, misunderstand a clue or spend far too long investigating the wrong suspect, but the objective is to let you reach the solution through the material available to you.

Created as complete cases, not isolated puzzles

The individual documents aren't intended to exist independently.

A suspect interview might connect to a photograph, which changes how you interpret a timeline, which in turn raises a question about another person's statement.

Writing a case therefore involves more than creating a murderer and hiding a few clues. The characters, motives, chronology, evidence and final explanation all have to work together.

That interconnected structure is a central part of how Ink & Clues approaches its investigations.

Independent recognition

It's easy for any company to say that its own games are good, so independent recognition provides another useful point of reference.

In 2025, the Ink & Clues collection was ranked #1 Best Print & Play by UKBG Review Circle.

Importantly, that recognition applied to the Ink & Clues collection as a whole rather than to one particular case.

Independent reviews and customer feedback can also be useful when deciding whether an unfamiliar mystery game is right for you. We always recommend looking beyond a company's own product description when comparing games online.

A real company behind the games

Ink & Clues is operated by Ink & Clues AB, a Swedish company.

That may sound like a small detail, but knowing who you're purchasing from matters when buying digital products online. You should be able to identify the business behind a product and know where to turn if you have a problem with an order or download.

We provide company and contact information through our official website and customer support for purchases made through our official channels.

Is Ink & Clues similar to Unsolved Case Files?

There are similarities in the broad concept.

Both belong to a category of games where players examine information connected to a crime and try to determine what happened. If what attracts you to Unsolved Case Files is the idea of sitting down with evidence and solving a case yourself, Ink & Clues may appeal for the same reason.

However, you shouldn't assume that every case-file mystery works in exactly the same way. Different creators structure their investigations, clues, objectives and progression differently.

If you're comparing several brands, look beyond the basic premise and consider the type of investigation you want, whether you prefer physical or digital delivery, the recommended player count, playing time and how much the game focuses on puzzles versus evidence and deduction.

Who are Ink & Clues games for?

The games are primarily suited to people who enjoy figuring things out.

You might already enjoy detective novels, crime fiction, true crime documentaries, escape-room games or other forms of logical problem-solving. What matters most is that you're willing to read carefully, question what people tell you and change your theory when the evidence points somewhere else.

You don't need any knowledge of real police work or forensic science. Everything required to solve the fictional case should come from the investigation itself.

And because there is no required roleplay, you don't need to be comfortable performing in front of other players either.

Which Ink & Clues game should you start with?

If you're new to investigation games, starting with a single case is an easy way to see whether you enjoy the format.

Choose an investigation based on its premise and difficulty rather than worrying too much about finding the “correct” first game. The basic idea remains the same: examine the case, understand the suspects and use the evidence to reach your conclusion.

If you already know that this is your kind of game, the Complete Game Bundle includes multiple investigations plus an exclusive bonus. Together, the games provide around 12–15 hours of total playtime and can be printed or played from screen.

Become the investigator

The easiest way to understand what makes Ink & Clues different is to stop thinking of the experience as a traditional board game or murder mystery party.

You're given a case.

You're given the evidence.

Nobody tells you which details matter.

From there, the investigation is yours.

You can explore the current cases directly at Ink & Clues.