Every Shift A Test, Every Suspect A Liar.

Chief Halvorsen’s glare cuts deeper than the January wind as he slams a file in front of you. “Junior Detective,” he growls, the title dripping with disdain. “You’re here because the mayor’s nephew needed a favor. Don’t. Screw. This. Up.”

Your first case? A missing astrolabe. The file reeks of “busywork,” but the chief’s smirk says it all: Fail, and you’ll be writing parking tickets till retirement. The catch? Three suspects already sit in interrogation rooms downstairs— co-workers of the “victim”

Here’s the kicker: Halvorsen’s rules. Three questions per suspect. No more. Nail the liar, and maybe you’ll earn a badge that doesn’t say “trainee.” Fail? Enjoy your new career directing traffic.

Mystery Academy will feature short mysteries and puzzles.  We tried to recreate the magic of the Encyclopedia Brown series -- and we imagine it to be aimed at a YA audience, or probably younger.  These are the first three chapters of this mystery series, and we are very much looking for feedback.  It was built using the new story engine, Taleweaver++.  Don't just talk with NPCs - persuade them, threaten them, console them.  No more single moves with output from a brittle parser -- talk/type with multiple moves and commands -- all the while the objects in the story obey the laws of physics and reality.  

Notes on the Game

-- The AI-parser is pinging a live server, so sometimes there is a lag.  Apologies in advance.  We are very, very interested in getting your feedback.  Our number one goal is to make this game fun.  Please help us get there.

How to Play

A note on this type of parser game:  This is not your grandfather's parser game -- we've tried to harness the full power of the latest LLMs.  Rest assured -- the story is entirely human-created -- the parser/interpreter/translator is a specially trained LLM.   

How to Play:  Just start talking or typing, depending on how you access the game.  If you are new to the genre, welcome.  You are in for a metric ton of fun.  Just start exploring the room, the objects, especially the other characters, etc.  And feel free to use them how you like -- pick them up, throw them, combine them, taste them -- whatever strikes you as a way to solve the puzzle.  However, sometimes the order in which you do things matters, as does the tone you take when talking to game characters.  Proper grammar and spelling, on the other hand, rarely matter.  You are welcome to type in complete sentences -- or fragments -- or even grunts.  Just. Start. Talking.  

If you have played interactive fiction games/stories before, you will find that this new story engine, Taleweaver++, allows more freedom and unconstrained input.  Feel free to type in as many game moves as you like in a single command.  Examine six objects all at once. Use as many different verbs, nouns, and adjectives as you want.  The world should obey the laws of physics and reality, so many puzzles will have multiple solutions.  Your job is to JUST GET THE JOB DONE.  Creativity is rewarded.

About the AI/narrator:  The voice describing the room is simply a narrator – granted, a wise-cracking, slightly snarky narrator at times – but not an all-knowing one.  The narrator cannot give you hints, help you solve puzzles, act as a calculator or translator, or generally give you advice on how to advance your romantic life, extract meaning from Plutarch's scribbles, or even reliably help you tie your shoes.  If you are looking for pleasant conversations, please feel free to engage the other characters in the story – they will have much to tell you, if you can persuade them."

The Artwork On This Page

100% AI-generated -- we used OpenAI.