Most cases feel like a story where you have to work out how the puzzle pieces (the crime) fit in. This case is back to front, here you have a puzzle, (the crime) and you have to work out how the story fits in. You have no idea who the people are, what the motive might be or even if the witnesses are telling you the truth. The perfect ingredients for a good detective game.

Putting together notes, testing theories, and wrestling with specific details felt like real, methodical police work. I initially had a few reservations about having yet another directory to look through, but the Criminal Directory proved to be a highlight. Having the word lookup function made navigation smooth and accessible; without it, searching through records might have felt like a slog. Instead, it gave a fantastic "old-fashioned detective" feel without ever forcing you into a rigid chain of following one mechanical lead after another.

Having to make choices throughout the game was a lot of fun (even if my choices proved I’m probably way too soft-hearted to be a real detective! 😁). I really appreciated the design choice where mid-game decisions didn't punish you with dead ends; there’s no choice along the way that you can't bounce back from. The final choices at the end were particularly interesting and they tie up the story really well.

I spent around six hours working through this case, and I enjoyed every minute of it. It’s a highly engaging investigation that nails the investigative feeling from start to finish.

This was another excellent case from Annamária Kovács. It has a classic Agatha Christie feel, 15 suspects under one roof each of whom had the opportunity to pull off the murder, but who was where and when and who had a motive to kill?

Part of the case involves painstakingly piecing together a timeline from witness statements to figure out who was actually where and when, matching fingerprints, reading documents and then following up leads to discover who had a motive.

The writing and storyline were excellent, and assembling the timeline was a genuinely satisfying puzzle to untangle. There are lots of subtle clues to figure out as you would expect, but enough information is available so you don’t need to work out every clue to find the solution.

All in all this took me nearly 8 hours of intense deduction and deep thinking to crack, but it was well worth it. Highly recommended!

This well-written mystery hooks you with historical details, immersive music clips, and a well-crafted story. More than a simple introduction, this first case integrates the criminal history directory perfectly, making it central to the story and setting a high bar. I strongly recommend it.

This was a very entertaining case overall. I found the dynamic between the two sleuths to be one of the strongest points and hope to see both characters in future cases at some point. The way that the plot was split across the 2-day structure was handled well and the case had some fun twists and turns. The main thing that I felt this case could benefit from is having some questions and a scoring system at the end. Despite that, though, the case was challenging and satisfying to play.

Thinus' second case serves as a great tutorial for the marker system and eases you in to the fingerprint directory with an intriguing storyline that isn't too tricky, but enough of a puzzler to make it worth your time, whatever your experience level.

Excellent, well-crafted story. The new magic mechanic is a nice touch and I want to see more. The characters have real depth, and the investigation is compelling with several plot twists. Beautifully written. Highly recommended.

A really satisfying experience. It felt like travelling back in time. Having played the tutorial I'm now fully ready to immerse myself in the world of New York Noir.

I watch the play through of this case and loved it. I have also played all three of the collector series cases by myself and loved all the history and how much work you put in to a great job Anna

Joined for the playtest livestream. A solid conclusion to the trilogy. If you've enjoyed the previous cases, you'll be thrilled by this one. There were several points during this case where we were confident we understood what was going on only to have the rug pulled out from under us. Maybe it's a mistake to stress that part and risk setting expectations too high but I definitely believe it will be one of the most memorable parts of this experience for me. Tighter deadlines return but personally I might recommend not worrying too much about them if it risks you're enjoyment of all the historical/immersive detail that's gone into the case. Trying to come up with an optimal clue chain or path probably isn't what you should be focused on here. Enjoy getting to know all the characters.

Disclosure: I'm a fellow case author.

We played this live on youtube over the course of six sessions totaling over 26 hours. You can watch our full playthrough on youtube. What an incredible epic experience.

This is not a case for beginners, but I HIGHLY recommend this trilogy for experienced players. Truly something special.

There are a ton of things to love about the case, including lots of twists and turns and surprises, and some great mysteries to solve. But the things that stood out most to me were:

• The wonderful historical elements throughout.
• The pacing and structure of everything, including the investigation of multiple mysteries and the interleaved questions & answers.
• The deep role of psychology in understanding the characters involved.
• The rich and generous set of documents.

I really enjoyed playing this case and it's very well done. The writing is strong, keeping a steady level of intrigue and suspense from start to finish. The detailed descriptions and the amount of text provided for each lead do a great job of establishing the noir atmosphere, with a touch of humor. I totally recommend.

Joined for the livestream playtest. Starts with a long detailed description of crime scene that offers many different investigative routes to run down. The elements you liked from the first case return. The interesting blending of historical fact and fiction, the setting of the art world, and several of the characters from case 1 make appearances. If the time limit for case 1 felt too tight for you this case felt like it had a more lenient deadline. A fun audio element is also included to make the case more immersive. Fun case, looking forward to the end of the trilogy.

Disclosure: I'm a fellow case author.

We played this over 10 hours in two sessions on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/live/kB8zizmpahA and https://www.youtube.com/live/VSBqt15PXCI So much great stuff here from Anna, including the rich use of history and generous documents, which we have come to expect from her. But for me what really sings is the pitch-perfect noir fatalism and sadness in the story elements. I also thought the pacing and especially the ending Q&A were amazingly satisfying. Can't wait to see how different players end up with different campaign sheets after finishing the trilogy. I will share mine online and I'm so curious to see what kinds of decisions others make while playing.

Joined for the original playtest livestream and went back and replayed the case to get ready for the rest of the trilogy. A very tightly paced case. Some real tension trying to crack it before the deadline. Great world building and detail that make even purely fictional characters feel like they could be real historical people. Looking forward to the rest of the series.

Disclosure: I'm a fellow case author.

I printed this months ago when it was listed as a difficulty 1 case. I found it more difficult than that. As Jesse mentioned in his review, the writing was great; similar to a noir pulp fiction novel. Many leads and many people to talk to, all of whom felt like what you would expect when talking to a person in New York in the 30s.

Great case. Extremely fun, with many original mechanics. At times, it really made you feel like a detective, combing through New York’s neighborhoods—a very different experience compared to SHCD. The story was intriguing and creative, and the difficulty was well balanced. For my partner and me, this was the best of the published cases. Thank you very much!

This is not a game but a great tutorial for authors who want to write a case for New York Noir. It walks you gently through the entire process. Great stuff.

Really enjoyed this one.

The writing is great and the case is a lot of fun to investigate from start to finish. I especially liked the moral questions at the heart of the story. I also learned quite a bit about Hungarian culture, which gave the case a unique flavour.

The ending is very interesting and I would love to play something like this in a bigger group where we could discuss and vote for different resolutions.

I was an early playtester for this game, which obviously isn't the same as the full final experience, but I enjoyed it and I'm happy that others seem to as well! I also did some editing work on the final version, so you can blame me for any remaining errors. Glad to have helped contribute to the release version!

My first NY Noir game. Not difficult but a nice introduction to the wealth of information available.

It has a very unique style, and the mystery is very intriguing. We had a great time playing it!

It is worth trying this one. It helps if you are well versed in the genre, but if not just use the hints and don't feel bad...

A very good place to start your NY Noir journey.

I always enjoy playing NY Noir, but it was one of the memorable cases.

Agree with all of you, it is a very good case. I liked the style, the writing, the mystery.