App Army Assemble: Overboard – Is this unique spin on detective games an enjoyable experience? | Articles

Overboard is an intriguing take on the whodunnit scenario that sees you playing as the murderer looking to get away with the crime. It’s a fun concept and one that our reviewer Cathy Ng Dellosa enjoyed immensely. So, we decided to hand the game over to our App Army to see what they made of it and if they were adept at getting away with murder.

Here’s what they said:

Michael Purdy

This game had my attention immediately. The art style, the music choices and the kinetic way the dialogue is presented is extremely well done. That said, the gameplay is rather simple, consisting mostly of picking options for what to do or say. As a visual novel, though it is very engrossing and well made.

Adam Rowe

A new game from Inkle, makers of the Sorcery! series and 80 Days, is an exciting moment and their newest game, Overboard, lives up to their pedigree. Unlike their other game in which you play the hero, this time around you are playing as the villain, and I am here for it! In Overboard, you play the part of Veronica, a high society socialite whose fortunes have taken a downturn and decides to push her husband overboard during a cross Atlantic voyage.

This premise leads to some significant tension as you quickly realize all the places you might have been seen from and the clues you might have accidentally left behind. The SS Hook is filled with nosey passengers who have questions and motivations of their own. Each conversation forces you to think and strategize in a fascinating way.

The writing and voice acting are both fantastic. The presentation and graphics are beautiful. And the “Dynamic Narrative Clockwork”, in which you have 8 hours (the game clock moves after each decision) to pin the crime on another passenger before arriving in New York, forces you to d

ecide between possible strategies quickly as the end of the journey and the coming authorities approach.
Overboard is a beautiful, well-written, and clever game that forces you to roleplay as the villain. I often didn’t like Veronica, but I was determined to try and help her get away with murder and live out my new life in New York. If any of that sounds fun, or at least pleasantly stressful, give this game a try!


Matt King

An interesting murder based choose your own adventure type game. The main takeaway for me is that I’m not cut out for murder. So far I have tried to use sleep as an excuse, flirt with everyone and kill most of the passengers and crew. All three resulted in my arrest. The graphics are time appropriate and there are multiple branches and hints to help you the more times you try. The only downside is it can be a bit slow although the developer has added fast forward to alleviate this. Recommended if you like whodunits or 80 days.

Mark Abukoff

From the developer of the excellent 80 Days, this is a fun reverse whodunnit, trying to divert suspicion away from yourself as the murderer on a ship bound for America. The graphics are quaint and pleasant, as is the music and sounds. There are a few interesting characters and stories going on that I felt I could probably exploit to divert suspicion away from myself. On the first try, I found that going by the choices of dialogue they gave you, you don’t always really know where that’s going to lead you.

A challenging but necessary result of the dialogue trees you have to follow. Not complaining about that at all because it’s a clever and decent little game in a small package that I found entertaining. And while there has been an apt comparison to Agatha Christie, I went in thinking of how the murderer always tries and fails to outwit Columbo. Of course, I failed on the first attempt, but I enjoyed it enough that I’ll go back and try again. It’s fun and clever enough for me to recommend.


Massimo Saraconi

Well, I’m a great fan of Christie’s works since I was a teen, so welcomed the release of this game with great enthusiasm… its stylish graphics, jazzy tunes and 30s background are almost perfect for a detective-esque game, and in the standards of all other Inkle games (i really loved 80 Days), but sadly the gameplay itself, and mostly the playable area, are too limited for my tastes, each run gets boring very soon, and though characters are well adapted, they are too few to me, maybe a bigger and little bit more crowded ship would have been more compelling. Overall it is a good game, a really good job by Inkle, like always.

Robert Maines

Overboard is a charming adventure where you play as Veronica, who has just murdered her husband on a cruise ship and you have to try and stop her from getting thrown in jail when the ship arrives at its destination. Animation is limited but the cartoon graphics ( with speech bubbles) and SFX are very appealing. As you move around the ship and interact with the other people onboard time passes. You will probably fail at first, but through multiple rewinds, you slowly learn more about your fellow passengers and use that info to help Veronica escape jail. I could have done with more voice audio and the playable area and other characters is limited. Still, I had a lot of fun playing Overboard, well worth a purchase.

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