The Painscreek Killings

The Painscreek Killings is a game that will require you to make notes and diagrams if you want to get the whole story. It really puts you in the shoes of an journalist finding a story and throws out the training wheels. I couldn't get into it. The game has a charm that lovers of the genre will love. You can see that reflected on the "Very Positive" reviews it has (as of Aug 2025) but its not for me. It requires a commitment and a focus that I couldn't give. If you are into investigation, note taking and puzzles this is for you. If you want something that you can play after a long day at work in which you want to relax this might not be your game.

Painscreek Killings is an excellent game, i had a very nice time finishing it, the exploration is wonderful, although you explore a town on your own it's like all the other characters described in the notes you find are there and their motive is crystal clear from their point of view. As the story unfolds you can feel a dark secret coming to light and it gets very intense to the point where you cannot leave the game until you find out what really happened. I didn't need to take much notes as i could memorize the places quite easily but anyone finding the need to feel free to do it, it only adds to the detective feeling the game gives. I recommend this game to everyone who likes hardboiled detective mysteries as this game does not hold your hand you are free to discover the world on your own. The only downside to the whole game is the lack of replayability as the true ending is only one so once you get to it the next time you are going to play it is going to feel already spoiled. Nevert...

This game really disappointed me. It tells you to take notes, but gives you so much stuff it becomes impossible to shuffle through them. It doesn't understand how number passwords are usually handled, leading to a lot of confusion in moments where you have the right answer. It doesnt provide enough contrast with some of the story elements, leaving you walking around like a headless chicken looking for the thing you're searching. So much of the gameplay is opening doors and finding nothing, which would be okay if the game was like 2 hours shorter imo I enjoyed a lot of the puzzle solving, but after a certain point it became tedious to move around the city any time something new came up. By far its worse sin is its resolution. It loses any degree of class or elegance and becomes extremely tacky. The final section of the game is by far the worst dip in quality I have ever seen in a game. I don't regret playing it, but I do regret staying up late finishing it. If you're looking for a...

Yeah, this game's awesome. Shoutout to Vote 4 Holt for introducing it to me via his video series on it. But wow, this'll really stick with you. The characters and the story and the setting. Try to play it as raw as you can, you can only experience this once, and no other game really compares gameplay-wise.

I rarely write any reviews since I most games don't really need them other than complaining about bugs or poor development, but with this game its a tricky case. Let me elaborate: [h1] -- What is this game exactly? [/h1] Well I'm not really sure I can call this a game, because most of the gameplay is reading and going around the place picking up stuff, piecing clues together in your head, or on a piece of paper. What I can definitely say is that this game is an experience that leaves you wanting more, currently I'm searching for similar titles because the experience was just too captivating. However if you want a game with tons of action (or basically any action at all since only like 1% of the game is "intense") this is definitely not for you. [h2] -- What can this experience offer? [/h2] 1. First of all an amazing story with an excellent mystery. 2. Once you get the hang of it the game flows extremely well (for the most part...) there are some parts which I will mention in the "prob...

Yeah... I sat for 12 hrs straight. Couldn't leave my desk. It was glorious. Get the game!

This game is a complete masterpiece, it's just not for everyone. It's not a relaxing game. You need to be in a mood for reading, puzzles, piecing together tids and bits of info you find scattered across the city, etc. The game is eerie and tense, but doesn't have any wild jumpscares ( just 1-2 very minor ones ) , however the tension builds up as you learn what was going on in this ghost town. The story telling is just that good. The writers and game designers knocked it out the park with a very compelling way of letting the player learn about the events that took place on Painscreek. Can't recommend it enough. 10/10

Would've appreciated if it's entirely investigative without the psychological horror elements (which was the key reason I didn't complete the game).

Really not the deduction based detective game it presents itself as, while you can gather clues freely you are somewhat funnelled into accessing specific areas in a specific order. You are unable to really action anything based on your hunches and need to hoop jump to get anywhere. Character journals litter the game and often are sometimes written in a cringey exposition sort of way. Some puzzles rely on you using the american date format which makes sense based on the setting but still annoying to the rest of the world. Speaking of which the setting and assets don't seem to match, the town looks more adjacent to an English or European village with some objects and buildings ( The mansion ) feeling a bit disjointed and out of place. grab it on sale I guess

I had so much fun taking notes and screenshots and creating a mind map of what had happened in this town. I loved putting in the extra effort and following this story. Then the last 3 minutes of the game totally soured it for me by attempting to be a totally different game. Spoilers for the ending: [spoiler] You literally listen to the answers of the mystery on a recording, a health bar appears on the screen, and then you are chased by the murderer with an axe through a linear portion of the map. Then it asks you who the murderer was and what weapon did they use? [/spoiler] I'm very excited to try their next game, but I'm just so bummed out and surprised by how this ended.