Dark Alley

Dark Alley is a cinematic detective adventure set in Kyoto in 2012. British detective Edward Hale has vanished, and London sends Detective Thomas Bennett to investigate. What seems like a straightforward missing-person case leads through a city where people know more than they let on; the Yakuza are involved, but they are not the whole story.

The investigation

You explore, observe and gather evidence, examining objects, questioning witnesses, taking notes and returning to earlier evidence. Progress depends on noticing details and connecting clues. Conversations and environmental puzzles move the investigation from one discovery to the next.

Kyoto

Bennett follows the case through locations inspired by modern Japan, including Gion's lantern-lit streets, Nishiki Market, quiet temples, narrow backstreets, hidden clubs, bamboo forests and traditional ryokans. Stormy alliances, suspects and other characters each have their own motivations, and Bennett must decide who deserves his trust.

A self-contained mystery

The story is designed as a complete mystery, paced to be finished in a single adventure. Bennett investigates by watching, listening and asking uncomfortable questions rather than kicking down doors.