The Game Maker

The Game Maker is a mouse-driven adventure about Carol, who takes a job investigating the disappearance of Daria, Dalton Johnson’s wife, to earn money for her vacation. Her search leads to an elusive video game designer with a hostile attitude toward Daria and a series of eccentric games in which the designer claims responsibility for three brutal murders. The victims were sedated, strangled and found in public places with their hands tied behind their backs.

Investigate the case

Carol meets a range of characters who help with her investigation, though some are less agreeable and it is not always clear whom to trust. She visits over 40 locations, accessible through the game map, and solves inventory-based puzzles as well as puzzles based on information gathered during the investigation. Solving puzzles advances the story, opens locations or reveals important information.

Explore and interact

The game presents its locations as a slideshow of over 2,000 real-life photographs. Basic icons let you look at, pick up and interact with objects. An opening tutorial demonstrates the available actions, and the interface is entirely mouse-driven.

You collect inventory items and can access and use them with a single mouse operation. Information about people of interest is recorded on a notice board accessible from the inventory. Carol’s journal, also kept in the inventory, contains a two-tiered hint system covering every possible action in the game.

Story and progress

The story takes place in Sweden and is entirely in English. You can save or load at any time, and the game also saves automatically when you exit. There are no quick-time events requiring fast reflexes, and Carol cannot die.