无形之刃

As this is a commercial game, many Chinese reviews exist; you might want to check them out too.

Played at: n/a (self-DM)
4 players

Another novel-accompanying mini script by the author of 《桐花中路私立协济医院怪谈》, 《无形之刃》is similar in having very little text, yet a lot to analyse.

The structure and gameplay flow might feel familiar, too — though some twists are visible quite early, meaning that players might have to ‘play along’ to reach the intended false conclusion, before then overturning it.

While not as cleanly concise as 《桐花中路》, the script does manage to add some character and thematic depth, which I consider a fair trade-off. While not a must-play, it’s solid enough for play-at-home purposes. (I bought it off the official Taobao shop, and we self-DMed.)

Perhaps in a reflection of its novel-related origins, the final case explanation comes with additional reading and explanation of the thematic concerns. Much of it isn’t strictly necessary to understand the solution (which players would hopefully have arrived at themselves, anyway), but can be an interesting read for players who are thus inclined.

Try if you like: An incredibly friendly reading:solving ratio; a substantial case-solving experience in about four hours; close reading; a thematic focus on contemporary societal issues.

Not recommended for: Players who don’t enjoy having to analyse how their script was written.

Goodbye Carmen

As this is an English translation of a commercial game, many reviews exist for the Chinese version; you might want to check them out too.

Played at: StoryBoxed (on Discord, no DM)
4 players (4 male)

Goodbye Carmen is the English translation of《再见卡门》, a 2019 case that apparently was available online via the 推理大师 app. Criminal X/StoryBoxed is offering it for online play via Discord.

As a case from the early days of the industry, Goodbye Carmen has the basic two-round structure that was common then. But its actual content isn’t that basic; the case-solving is non-trivial, with some fun realisations to reach.

The case is tightly written, with clear threads of logic and evidence — indeed, as long as players pay attention to details, the murderer has no real chance to escape. This is unfortunate for the murderer, but does make it an encouraging case for beginners.

The logic is tight enough and the eventual truth cool enough that experienced players might still enjoy this — as long as they treat it as a breather from heavier cases. My group figured everything out in just over two hours, despite an estimated playtime of three to four hours.

The translation that we playtested was generally solid; there were some minor inconsistencies and places where the language could have been polished, but it didn’t affect overall playability.

Try if you like: The idea of a brief but non-trivial case; revelations with emotional weight.

Not recommended for: Experienced players looking for something with a longer playtime.

桐花中路私立协济医院怪谈

As this is a commercial game, many Chinese reviews exist; you might want to check them out too.

Played at: MoonJ (but with no DM)
4 players (2 female, 2 male)

《桐花中路私立协济医院怪谈》is a fascinating case, on several levels.

First, it’s an interesting example of a 随书附带衍生微型剧本杀 — mini jubensha included as free extras to mystery novels. Its author is the pioneer of this form of jubensha; the main publisher seems to be 雁北堂, with many affordable book+jubensha sets on Taobao. The jubensha are spinoffs from the novels, but require no prior knowledge and contain no spoilers.

Of course, an interesting industry model doesn’t mean that the cases themselves are remarkable. If《桐花中路私立协济医院怪谈》was a typical play-at-home case, jubensha shops wouldn’t offer it, and it wouldn’t have attracted the attention of jubensha reviewers.

The second and more important thing about《桐花中路私立协济医院怪谈》is that it’s a compact four-player case with just two A5 pages to read for each character, and two sheets of shared clues — yet proves complex enough for three to four hours of playtime.

The case is substantial, rigorous, multi-layered — and far from beginner-friendly. You really have to read carefully, be sensitive to details, and think about narrative logic.

Perhaps my only complaint is that the characters are paper-thin — but that’s unsurprising, given the narrative brevity.

I’d recommend this for veteran players who are taking a break from six-hour games but still want a satisfying case-solving time, or players who want a taste of 硬核 cases but aren’t ready for long ones.

Try if you like: An incredibly friendly reading:solving ratio; a substantial case-solving experience in under four hours; close reading.

Not recommended for: An entire group of beginners (possible with a mix of veterans and beginners, if the beginners read closely/the veterans prompt them).

一座城

As this is a commercial boxed game, many Chinese reviews exist; you might want to check them out too.

Played at: AK推理社
4 players (2 female, 2 male)

《一座城》is a rare four-person case — but not a light option. It feels as substantial as larger cases and takes perhaps 5 hours. This is in part due to its cooperative procedural (刑侦) gameplay: players can only gain evidence by figuring out exactly where to go, and may have to return to previous locations as the case develops.

Though the approach is open-ended, the seeding of clues results in a fairly linear structure, which can result in bottlenecks; my group often felt as if we were relying on the DM to prompt us (might just have been us, though some Chinese reviews also share this sense of needing to be pushed along).

Yet perhaps feeling frustrated and lost is part of the experience: there are no great detectives here, just ordinary people trying their best.《一座城》is known for its social realism and all-too-apt thematic concerns (立意), and it is these — more than the case-solving itself — which players may find themselves thinking about long after the game is over.

In its sombre depiction of societal issues, 《一座城》is reminiscent of《鲸落》. While perhaps not as polished or immediately engaging as the latter, 《一座城》is still a worthwhile case for players who are willing to get invested.

Try if you like: An emphasis on societal issues and philosophical themes; a police-procedural approach with open-ended evidence searching; human drama; 《鲸落》.

Not recommended for: Players who don’t immerse themselves in their characters or the narrative; players who don’t want a heavy/grim case.

豆大点事物语

As this is a commercial boxed game, many Chinese reviews exist; you might want to check them out too.

Played at: 梦回 Another Day
4 players (2 female, 2 male)

You might think that a four-player game doesn’t leave much room for analysis, but 《豆大点事物语》provides a surprisingly rigorous and substantial case-solving experience — while also being light-heartedly (欢乐) entertaining.

The central threads of reasoning are solid and non-trivial enough that some sites even give this the hardcore (硬核) tag (though I personally only use that tag for cases that leave you feeling exhausted).

Contributing to the sense of fun is the game’s surfeit of aha moments: you’re always discovering something new (and often amusing), with various sideplots and a bit of escape-room-esque cooperative puzzle-solving. I appreciated that the win condition wasn’t just finding a murderer, but uncovering parts of your own story.

Perhaps my only complaint is that non-truth considerations can affect an early round of case-solving. But players who enjoy politicking might actually like that — and in any case, unlike faction games, the truth does ultimately matter.

Despite the small player count and brief runtime, 《豆大点事物语》is a worthwhile experience — beginner friendly, yet entertaining and meaty enough even for experienced players. It’s a convenient option when sudden absences force you to scale down your game size, but I’d consider it worth playing in its own right too.

Try if you like: Substantial but non-overwhelming case-solving; Japanese references; somewhat silly humour; being able to finish a case in 4 hours without feeling disappointed.

Not recommended for: Player groups that may not be comfortable with occasional crude humour; players uninterested in silly humour.