Developer: Wise Monkey Entertainment Ltd.
Platform: PC (Reviewed)
Genre: Adventure
Publisher: Wise Monkey Entertainment Ltd.
No Stone Unturned is a refreshing mystery game that has been developed and published by Wise Monkey Entertainment Ltd. This quirky detective adventure blends suspense, comedy, charm and creativity into quite an experience. Even in early access, the first case, Murder of Fowl, already feels packed with personality, delivering a mystery full of ridiculous humour and lovable weirdos.
You play as Detective Cox, a detective who wakes up after an accident with gaps in his memory and immediately gets dragged into investigating the suspicious death of a chicken who is believed to be a rooster. This game has absurd humour, but that’s what makes it so interesting.
The story itself is structured really well. The case unfolded naturally as Detective Cox interviews suspects, searches locations, gathers evidence, breaks out of windows and slowly pieces together what really happened. The mystery itself is not necessarily difficult, but it’s engaging because of the world and characters surrounding it. Every interaction feels lively, and there’s this cosy, playful energy throughout the entire experience.
The writing leans into bad humour and cheesy puns, but in the best way possible. Detective Cox constantly breaks the fourth wall, whether he’s directly telling the player how to complete a minigame or casually mentioning which button to press next. Instead of feeling immersion-breaking, it somehow adds even more charm to his character. He honestly gives off strong Pink Panther-style detective vibes, confident, goofy, though lovable.
What surprised me most was how much personality every character has. You meet all kinds of eccentric individuals throughout the investigation, and while some designs are intentionally strange-looking, their voices and mannerisms fit them perfectly. The game never feels dull because every conversation introduces another quirky personality.
No Stone Unturned almost plays like a narrative-driven detective game mixed with exploration and small interactive minigames. You will spend most of your time moving between locations, speaking with characters, and collecting clues. The controls themselves are straightforward and easy to understand, which works perfectly for the style of the game. Nothing feels overly complicated, and the mini-games were manageable to complete.
The deduction system in the game is quite different. After gathering clues, the game presents adorable doodles in a journal where you trace important evidence to connect ideas together. It’s a really creative presentation choice. I do wish there were a bit more that could be added to those journals for more deductions to be performed by the player, and not just Detective Cox’s narration. The X-ray Vision mechanic was another fun touch, making clue hunting feel interactive without becoming frustrating.
That being said, I do think the detective elements could be pushed a little further. While collecting clues is enjoyable, the game often hands out evidence quite easily, meaning the player does not really need to do much deep thinking to solve the case. The deductions look great visually, but there is less actual ‘putting the pieces together’ than I expected.
There is also one frustrating issue near the end of the case. Before revealing the truth, Detective Cox gives you the option to continue exploring in case you missed anything. However, certain buildings that were previously accessible have become locked off. I ended up missing a collectable stone inside the mansion and could not re-enter the area. This may just be a case of re-running the case to miss out on objects the first time around. Though, considering the game is currently in early-access, these issues feel more like areas of improvement than major flaws.
The pixel art is stunning, packed with detail and personality. Every environment feels carefully built, and the sprites blend together beautifully to create a world that feels cosy yet expressive. But what really elevates the presentation is the transition during the conversation. When characters speak, the game switches from pixel visuals to sketch-like hand-drawn portraits filled with exaggerated facial expressions. It creates such a strong contrast stylistically.
The expressions themselves are hilarious. Detective Cox’s overly confident ‘chad face’ whenever he’s acting bold is too good. The visual comedy adds so much to the dialogue, especially combined with the voice acting. The voice acting itself deserves praise. Fully voiced dialogue in indie games can sometimes feel inconsistent, but here it is fantastic. Every character sounds distinct, energetic, and perfectly matched to their looks. The variety of accents is entertaining to watch. There honestly was not a single moment where I wanted to skip dialogue because hearing the characters speak was part of the fun.
The first case took me around two and a half hours to complete, which felt like the perfect length. It never dragged and was straight to the point, introducing new mini-games at every instance. I also loved the ending cliffhanger teasing Detective Cox’s next case. It left me excited to see where the story goes next.
If you are looking for a cosy mystery game filled with charm, humour, and quirky characters, then No Stone Unturned is well worth checking out. With fantastic voice acting, expressive visuals, and fun mini-games, the first case delivers an entertaining experience. Despite a few early access flaws, Detective Cox’s chaotic personality and playful mystery are definitely worth the fun!
Overall: 7.5/10
This is S & S. We are world game explorers. We play games. We have played over 10,000+ games! We travel, we write reviews AND we play more games!!!!
