The Curious Case Of...

What you do

The Curious Case Of... is a cozy mystery game set in a small animal village where something curious happens every day. A slice of prize pie vanishes at the summer fair, the old bell in the tower rings at midnight, and every garden gnome on Primrose Lane turns to face the wall. You are the village detective. Four villagers were nearby, and each has a line to say about every topic, from the pie dish to the weather. Tap a villager, tap a topic, and read what they say: a notable answer pins a clue in your notebook, and some answers bring up a new topic to ask about. Each new question takes a sip from your cup of cocoa, so think about who to ask. When you know who did it, name them and show up to three clues that prove it. Nobody is ever in trouble: every case ends with a warm reveal of why it happened. Everyone gets the same case each day, and every case in the case book can be solved for practice.

• 10 hand-written cases in ten village places, from the summer fair to the bubbling fountain in the square, with 12 animal villagers.
• Every answer is written by hand and every case is checked to be fair: the clues in each one prove who did it.
• A cup of cocoa for 24 questions, a notebook that pins clues as you find them, and up to three magnifying glasses for each case.
• A daily case that is the same for everyone, plus a case book where every case can be solved again for practice.
• Type your own questions while the typing option is on: an AI reader matches each one to a topic, and the villager gives the same hand-written answer.

How to play

1. Press Start today's case on the title card, or open the Case book and pick a case. The bubble at the top tells you what happened.
2. Tap a villager to turn to them, then tap a topic to ask them about it. Their answer appears in the bubble.
3. Each new question takes one sip from your cup of cocoa. Asking the same villager the same thing again is free.
4. Notable answers pin a clue in your notebook, and some answers bring up a new topic to ask about. A line under the topics says how many are still to find.
5. When you know who did it, press I know who did it! Pick the villager, then up to three clues from your notebook that prove it, and press Reveal. If it was someone else, the case stays open and you can look again.
6. You earn one magnifying glass for naming who did it, one for showing every key clue, and one for a quick solve: 16 questions or fewer, no wrong guess and at least one key clue shown. When the cocoa runs out, it is time to decide.
7. While the typing option is on, you can also type a question for the villager you are facing. An AI reader only matches it to a topic, which can turn up one you have not found yet, and a question that fits no topic takes no cocoa.

Controls

• Touch or mouse: tap a villager, then a topic. The Notebook button opens your clues, and I know who did it! opens the reveal.
• Keyboard: 1 to 4 turn to a villager, Tab reaches every topic and button, Enter or Space asks, and Escape closes the notebook or the reveal.
• Toolbar: pause, help, restart (back to the village, with your case kept), optional sound and fullscreen.

Tips worth knowing

• Ask everyone about the same thing: answers that do not quite match are worth a closer look.
• Watch for new topics after a surprising answer. They often lead straight to the key clue.
• Look at the villagers too. A clue in your notebook sometimes shows up on someone's paws or tail.

Accessibility

• Everything can be played with a keyboard: number keys turn to a villager, and every topic and button is reachable with Tab.
• Every answer, every new clue and every new topic is announced to screen readers, and the notebook lists the clues as text.
• Topics carry their names as words beside their pictures, so pictures are never the only cue.
• There is no timer. Reduced motion turns off the bounces and sparkles, and sound is optional.

Guides and roundups

• Cozy AI Games: Type a Wish, a Spell or a Question