A Case of Fraud

A Case of Fraud is a short and engaging detective puzzle game inspired heavily by titles like The Roottrees Are Dead and Return of the Obra Dinn. Players fill out an organizational chart of a tech startup's employees and their pets by analyzing various office documents, messages, and clues. The game features a corporate intrigue storyline with murder, extramarital affairs, and humor sprinkled throughout. It offers a satisfying balance of challenge and accessibility, with no handholding after the tutorial.

While the game excels in its core deduction mechanics and evidence presentation, many players noted its brevity—typically 2 to 4 hours of playtime—as a downside. The story and characters are well-written but somewhat predictable, and the ending can feel anticlimactic or fiddly. The art style is simple but charming, especially the inclusion of animals. Overall, it is highly recommended for fans of the genre seeking a bite-sized mystery experience, though some wish for more content and polish.

Highlights

Players praised the game's well-designed deduction puzzles and satisfying gameplay loop of filling out the company org chart. The variety of evidence types and the inclusion of pets added charm and depth. The story was engaging with corporate drama and humor, and the writing felt natural and immersive. Many appreciated the lack of handholding and the game's ability to make players feel like real detectives. The balanced difficulty was noted, with clues being accessible yet requiring thoughtful analysis. The game’s pacing and staggered evidence delivery helped maintain engagement throughout.

Criticisms

Common criticisms include the game's short length, leaving players wanting more cases or extended content. Some felt the story was predictable and anticlimactic, with underused animal-themed elements. The ending was described as a difficulty spike with fiddly logic, reducing satisfaction. Several reviews mentioned that the game is a shallow clone of The Roottrees Are Dead, lacking innovation and polish. The UI and art style received mixed feedback for inconsistency. A few players found the abundance of clues sometimes redundant, lessening the thrill of deduction. Price-to-value ratio was questioned given the short playtime.