The Sexy Brutale

The Sexy Brutale is a murder mystery puzzle game set within a casino mansion. But this isn't just any ordinary big house: the staff are murdering the guests and you must put a stop to it. You take on the role of Lafcardio Boone, a priest who is trying to piece together the happenings of the house and save its victims from their inevitable fate.

Amidst the glut of blockbusters at the start of 2017, The Sexy Brutale stands out as one of the most enjoyable and well-realised titles out there. Successfully evoking the feel of a classic adventure and combining it with a distinctive art style and beautiful music, it deserves to reach a wide audience. Its 8 hour playtime is consistently entertaining and full of intrigue and the final narrative payoff is satisfying. All in all, The Sexy Brutale is a perfect indie game to fill the gaps between the many sprawling epics that are demanding our gaming attention this year.

Despite this minor frustration, I was utterly enthralled by The Sexy Brutale. The exaggerated characters and isometric art breathes a kind of life into point and click mysteries that leaves other members of the same genre feeling listless and two dimensional. Puzzles prove themselves to be entirely accessible for newcomers, and the script is just fantastic. Take a gamble. Try The Sexy Brutale and if the house wins, just go back and try again.

Stop a series of grisly murders in this stylish time-loop adventure game.

I enjoyed the process of solving every murder in The Sexy Brutale, and by the time the enjoyably twisted ending came along I was really only disappointed to not have more murders to prevent. Every murder The Sexy Brutale includes is uniquely fascinating to investigate, with the central loop of searching for clues and executing a plan to alter time continually engaging. I found Boone’s quest so fascinating, the Brutale’s secrets so alluring, and its world so charming that I rewound the clock just to spend a few more days in Lafcadio’s beautiful nightmare.

And that, in a nutshell, is what really sells this game. Rewarding as it is to finally crack the game’s puzzles, which are taxing but rarely frustrating, it’s The Sexy Brutale‘s intricate, winding narrative that makes it all worth it. The game hints at what’s really going on, to the point where you’re micro-analysing each line of dialogue. Loaded with chilling and surprising moments, The Sexy Brutale‘s foreshadowing is nevertheless so subtle that you’ll be kept guessing right until the end. True, it may not be the most replayable title ever and I didn’t feel the urge to go back, despite the pr...

Though The Sexy Brutale fumbles a few times — especially near the end when it rushes toward a narrative payoff — it never hurts the experience. Uncovering the mansion’s secrets and the twisted plot that dooms its guests is exciting. Compared to almost any other puzzle game, The Sexy Brutale‘s dark tone and inspired art stand out from the crowd. Solving murder might not be the most cheerful work, but it’s one hell of a good time.

An inspired mix of graphic adventure and Majora’s Mask style time travel, that offers some of the year’s most inspired puzzle-solving.

I like smart level design. For all of the hype open world games have had over the last few years, they still fail to compare to a sharp, concise and succinct world to play in. The Sexy Brutale understands this, and so everything you interact with in the titular mansion is important for some reason, everything you do has an effect on some AI behavior somewhere. It might not be obvious at first, but all the gears click into place. The Sexy Brutale is an excellent example of smart game design – though, it’s not without its faults.

The Sexy Brutale is an occasionally muddled sci-fi story with just enough macabre charm and attention to detail to make it stand out.

The Sexy Brutale is both sexy and brutal.

The Sexy Brutale is a stately English mansion that has been converted into a casino for the richest and most eccentric personalities in the world. If you’re lucky, you can walk away from your visit with newfound riches and tales of daring. If you’re unlucky, The Sexy Brutale’s staff murders you. Unfortunately for most guests, the house usually wins.