Inspector Douglas's Diary

Inspector Douglas's Diary is a free-form text adventure in which you play a middle-aged inspector investigating a serial killer in an isolated village. Set in Nevada in the summer of 1989, the story begins when heavy rain traps the inspector in Cycleton. He had followed a suspicious Ford there and planned to leave when the road reopened a month later, but then sees a dog carrying what appears to be a human bone. He remembers staying at the Morrison Inn, renting a first-floor room from Emily Morrison and noticing a strange smell upstairs, where it seemed to be raining.

Investigate the village

You search for the killer and uncover their motives. As you learn more, you may consider cooperating with them to achieve their goal of “killing time.” Your choices can take the investigation in unexpected directions: you might shout at a wild dog during a chase, neglect your duties to talk with the barmaid until a romance develops, or make a mistake that gets you killed by the killer at the start. You can also die by slipping in the bathroom.

Learn the residents’ routines

NPCs go about lives of their own, with habits you can discover as you explore. For example, if someone usually wakes at 9 AM, you can enter their room beforehand to look for hidden information. Another NPC might tell you that the person sleeps in when drunk, giving you the option to steal their bottle and make them wake early.