Case Solved: The London Files Review Summary

A beautiful logic puzzle with lovely art and music, but too short, overpriced, with poor translation and a bugged third case.

Brilliant logic puzzle core: Players consistently praise the core logic puzzle mechanics, which are based on Einstein's riddle and rely on pure deduction without randomness or trial and error.

Beautiful art style praised: The art direction receives widespread acclaim for being beautiful, polished, and minimalist, with hand-drawn elements and a cozy noir style that players love.

Pleasant and fitting music: The music and soundtrack are frequently highlighted as pleasant, relaxing, and fitting the noir atmosphere, with particular praise for the jazz and noir styles.

Rewarding secret files content: The secret files and extra hidden puzzles are a standout feature, providing additional challenging content that rewards exploration and adds replay value.

Immersive noir atmosphere: The cozy noir atmosphere of 1960s London, combined with rainy settings and jazz music, is highly appreciated for immersing players in the detective theme.

Too short and overpriced: The main cases can be completed in about 1.5 hours, which players find too short for the price. Multiple reviews mention the game is overpriced given its length.

Poor translation quality: Translations in multiple languages (Russian, Korean, Turkish, French) are poor, with strange phrasing, misleading terms, and errors that break immersion and understanding.

Third case is bugged: The third case contains gamebreaking bugs, such as clues linked to the wrong category, impossible clue errors, and a broken clock puzzle. These make the case unsolvable.

Tedious and monotonous gameplay: The gameplay is monotonous, repetitive, and tedious, requiring excessive clicking on objects and talking to NPCs before each puzzle. It feels like the same pattern throughout, becoming boring and unappealing.

Content locked behind codes: A significant portion of the game content is locked behind codes that players must find externally, causing frustration and making the game feel incomplete or like a treasure hunt.

Core deduction puzzles: The game centers on deduction puzzles, often compared to Einstein's riddle, requiring logical reasoning without randomness. Players solve puzzles by reading clues and deducing answers, with many noting the purely logic-based answers.

Point-and-click investigation: The game features point-and-click mechanics involving clicking on objects and characters for dialogue and evidence collection. Players combine evidence in case files, creating a slow-paced detective investigation.

Hidden code secret content: Extra content, including secret cases and a confidential mode with harder challenges, is hidden behind codes found through code hunting. This adds replayability and depth for dedicated players.

Short main cases: The campaign includes 3 main cases that are relatively short, but secret cases offer additional playtime and unlockable content. This structure provides a quick core experience with optional extensions.

Noir detective theme: The game is set in a noir mystery theme, centered around detective cases. This atmospheric setting appeals to fans of detective fiction.

Steam Deck menu crash: Players report that the menu crashes frequently on Steam Deck, preventing them from navigating or starting the game. This issue severely impacts usability on the platform.

Freeze on code case opening: The game freezes when players open cases using a code, indicating a specific bug in the case-opening interface. This disrupts the gameplay flow and access to items.

Recommended for puzzle fans: The game is recommended for specific audiences who enjoy relaxed, slow-paced mystery puzzles, logical challenges, and detective stories, especially newcomers.

General positive recommendation: Multiple players gave straightforward positive recommendations without specific caveats, indicating general satisfaction with the game.

Poor value for money: Several reviews advise against purchasing due to high price, short length, bugs, and limited content, suggesting the game offers poor value.

Appeals to logic puzzle fans: Fans of Einstein's Riddle and similar logic puzzles will find the game enjoyable, with a confidential mode offering harder challenges for veterans.

Bugs and translation issues: Reviews mention bugs and translation issues that detract from the experience, leading some to withhold recommendation until fixes are applied.

Story completion: 1.5h.

Chill Logic Seeker: Methodical and relaxed, often using external paper for harder puzzles. Motivation: Relaxation through logical puzzles. Stance: buy.

Torn Puzzle Fan: Systematic, requiring external notes; careful and detail-oriented. Motivation: Solving puzzles but hindered by lack of quality-of-life features. Stance: sale.