Crime O'Clock

Release Date: July 21, 2023

Puzzle, hidden objects, point-and-click, 2D, adventure elements, indie games, time travel, singleplayer

7.3

OpenCritic

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A combination of an adventure, puzzle and hidden object game. Crime O'Clock puts us in the shoes of a time detective, examining different stages in search of clues and evidence to let us prevent crimes before they happen.

Plot
Mechanics
Technical aspects

Crime O'Clock is a combination of an adventure, puzzle and hidden object game. It was developed by an Italian indie studio Bad Seed and published by Just for Games.

Plot

Crime O'Clock puts us in the shoes of a time detective tasked with preventing crimes before they can occur. All the minor investigations we carry out turn out to be connected to a massive intrigue spanning centuries.

Mechanics

The gameplay of Crime O'Clocktakes place on large stages shown from the top-down perspective. In order to solve the forty-something available cases we must carefully examine the stages in search for anomalies to prevent crimes, ranging from burglaries and thefts to murders. The further we progress, the more we learn about the game's overarching intrigue.

The cases are set in five different eras - Steam (featuring automatons and steam-powered technology), Atlantean (dominated by a highly developed, peaceful civilization), Information (set in Milan), Lost (hiding staggering technological wonders) and Aeon (a futuristic sci-fi world). Curiously, our actions in one era affect the stages in different eras.

The work of a time detective is, as you can see, rather challenging and easy to get lost in. Fortunately the player can always count on EVE, an advanced AI providing them with clues and useful tools, helping them find clues and evidence. Progressing through the game slowly upgrades EVE with new abilities.

Technical aspects

The visuals of Crime O'Clock are simple and cartoonish. The stages are kept in a distinctive monochromatic color scheme, while the interface, highlighted objects and characters are brightly colored.

Videos and Screens

[1:10] Crime O'Clock trailer #2

[0:45] Crime O'Clock trailer #1

7.3

OpenCritic Rating

Game is Recomended by 56% of Critics. There are 30 Critic Reviews.

OpenCritic

CGMagazine: 6.5 / 10 by Steven Green

Crime O'Clock is best served for those looking to play a fancier rendition of Where's Waldo? as the gameplay loop doesn't do well outside of those mechanics and it really shines in its point-and-click, hidden object approach.

Full Review

Softpedia: 9 / 10 by Andrei Dumitrescu

Crime O'Clock offers a great time-traveling detective experience and shows what skilled developers can achieve while re-inventing a classic mechanic. All its five era locations are attractive, packed with interesting characters, tons of details, and some truly weird ideas. The black and white look and the colorful case touches complement each other well.

Full Review

Hey Poor Player: 3 / 5 by Heather Johnson Yu

Crime O’Clock’s unique spin on the hidden objects game genre is worthy of note and should be praised for its creativity; unfortunately, it delivery gets in the way of an otherwise mechanically fascinating experience. The first couple of levels will interest hidden objects fans, but the last few will lose them entirely. Had Crime O’Clock allowed its story to unfold naturally and ramp the difficulty up gradually, giving players the freedom to explore these full and vibrant worlds on their own, I suspect Crime O’Clock would have received higher marks. Alas, Crime O’Clock instead serves as a reminder that a great concept can be bogged down by itself if not allowed to flourish properly.

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