Overboard! Review

Developer: inkle Ltd

Platforms: Android, iOS, macOS, PC (Reviewed), Switch

Genre: Adventure

Publisher: inkle Ltd

Overboard! is a narrative-driven investigation game. Overboard! was developed and published by inkie Ltd. Instead of playing the detective, as you would in many games, you actually get the chance to play the murder. Making the game more interesting and worthwhile. The review was done on Windows, but the game is also available for Switch, Android, iOS, and macOS.

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In Overboard! You play as a woman who has just murdered her husband by pushing him off a boat (quite literally overboard!). The game plays out as a simple plan where you need to cover the murder up, avoid any suspicion, and possibly shift the blame onto someone else. Every action and everything you say changes the course of the entire game. My favourite thing about this game is that it felt so real. The game had several timestamps that you could easily look back at, and that made you feel like you were a real detective. Each supporting character had their own stories and secrets that all ended up intertwining together.

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Overboard! has a unique and vibrant art style. The game is able to embody a retro, vibrant, and olden setting. The characters perfectly complement the game with their detailed expressions and personality. The expressive portraits match well with how one would depict a character’s look. All sorts of unique personalities fill the boat that you can encounter through engaging dialogues. The colours used for each character are contrasted with the dark atmosphere. The art style is vintage and has the feel of a classic crime novel, making it extremely engaging and playful. The music in Overboard is delightful jazz and other compositions that enhance the game’s 1930s experience. The soundtrack is able to transport you to the olden times and captures the essence of the mysterious cruise setting that keeps players engaged.

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Unlike most other detective games that get the player to uncover the mystery and find a murderer, here you get to play the role of a murderer and do your best to keep suspicion off of you. The main play style of the game is for you to interact with characters through dialogues to which you can choose responses. The game also has an in-game time system, which works in a way that gets characters at different locations at different times. Before reaching the 3 pm deadline, it is up to you to plant evidence and carry out ridiculous plans to keep the blame away from yourself. I really enjoyed this text-based adventure as you could be fully immersed in comical dialogues that make up for an interesting ending. The game also provides various objectives for you to complete so you do not have to go into a run completely blind.

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One of the most impressive aspects of Overboard! is its high replay value. The game is created to be played multiple times due to the different routes that can be followed. Revealing new strategies and secrets throughout. There are several hidden events that players can discover, which always gets players intrigued for a new run. This encourages players to continue to play the game, as there can be many different outcomes at the end. Each character reacts differently with every play, making it feel new each time. These secrets that are uncovered throughout allow for each game to get more enjoyable and easier to manipulate people. Runs are fairly quick to complete, amounting to roughly 20 minutes, and there even is a fast-forward option that lets you jump to a specific point of the game.

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Overboard! is an exceptional narrative-driven game that flips the whole genre of murder mystery. With its stunning art style, engaging storytelling, easy controls and replayability, it offers a new genre that is hard to find, making it extremely unique. Overboard! Came out in 2021, and recently, the developers released a game with similar mechanics but a different story called Expelled! If this type of game intrigues you, be sure to check out Overboard!

Overall: 9/10