Why Don't Mystery Games Need Mechanics?

Mystery stories, detective fiction, whodunnits- they're all a part of a nebulous genre of narratives that involves deducing clues and figuring out abstract puzzles before it's too late. We've got great examples in literature, cinema and even TV, but where are all the great mystery videogames?

Well - they're actually already here! 2019 was a bumper crop of mystery-focused video games, but what did they do differently that made them stand out from the unremarkable sleuthing games we had already? Put on your deerstalker, grab a magnifying glass and join The Architect as they try to figure out the answer once and for all:

Check out Tom O' Regan:    / @tomoreganyt  

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You Saw:

The Maltese Falcon- 1941
Twin Peaks- 1990
Contradiction: Spot the Liar!- 2015
La Noire- 2011
Batman Arkham Asylum- 2009
Batman Arkham City- 2011
heavy Rain- 2009
Tangle Tower- 2019
Disco Elysium- 2019
Heaven's Vault- 2019
Outer Wilds- 2019
Telling Lies- 2019
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishment -2014
Phoenix Wright Trilogy- 2019
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter- 2014
Return of the Obra Dinn- 2018
Fight Club- 1999
What's New Scooby Do? - 2002
Hypnospace Outlaw- 2019
Her Story- 2015
Halo: Master Chief Collection- 2019
Yooka Laylee and the Impossible Lair- 2019