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How to Play Murder Mystery
Here's what I love about Murder Mystery: it respects your time. Each case is a self-contained puzzle. You pick a scenario, investigate a crime scene, interrogate a small cast of suspects, collect evidence, and eventually make an accusation — location, suspect, weapon, motive. Solve it fast, score high. Solve it slow, the score drops. Skip the puzzle entirely and the case is still there for you to come back to.
I've always been drawn to whodunits. This game is my love letter to that genre. No graphics, no downloads, just you and your notebook (real or mental) working through testimony that conflicts, physical evidence that misleads, and suspects who lie for their own reasons.
Getting Started
On Alexa
Say: "Alexa, open murder mystery"
Alexa lists the available scenarios and drops you into the briefing once you pick one. Natural speech works — say "I want to look around" or just "look."
On the Web
Visit games.llitd.com and type commands in the input box. The web version gives you a visible clue list, suspect tracker, and scrollable history — extremely useful for a case with a lot of moving parts.
Key Differences
| Feature | Alexa | Web |
|---|---|---|
| Input | Voice commands | Text commands |
| Game state | Described verbally | Visual panels |
| History | Limited | Full scrollback |
| Chat/Social | Full support | Full support |
Same save data, same world — switch freely between platforms.
Before You Launch on Alexa
Heads up: Alexa routes your voice command to whichever enabled skill best matches what you said. If you've got an unrelated skill with a name close to "murder mystery," she may send you there instead. Two minutes of setup now saves that headache.
Enable the Right Skill
The official Murder Mystery skill is by Lincoln Cole. To enable it:
- Open the Alexa app on your phone.
- Tap More → Skills & Games.
- Search "Murder Mystery".
- Open the one by Lincoln Cole and tap Enable.
Disable Conflicting Skills
If the wrong skill launches when you say the invocation, that means another enabled skill has a similar-sounding name and Alexa routed there instead. Go to More → Skills & Games → Your Skills, find the unrelated skill, and tap Disable. You only need the Lincoln Cole version enabled.
Verify It's Working
Say "Alexa, open murder mystery." If the first words you hear welcome you to Murder Mystery, you're in the right place. If Alexa hesitates or opens the wrong thing, run through the enable/disable steps above.
Basic Commands
These work everywhere, regardless of which game you're in:
| Command | What It Does |
|---|---|
| help | Shows available commands for your current situation |
| continue | Resume where you left off |
| repeat | Hears the last message again (essential on Alexa when audio cuts off) |
| exit / quit | Save and exit |
| main menu | Return to the main menu |
| report bug | Submit a bug report directly from inside the game |
| submit feedback | Send feedback to the dev (that's me) |
How an Investigation Works
Every Murder Mystery scenario has the same rhythm:
- Arrive at the scene. You get the briefing — who's dead, where, and what's known so far.
- Explore zones. Each location is a small grid. Walk around, examine objects, search for clues.
- Interview NPCs. Every suspect has a conversation tree. Some branches unlock only after you find specific evidence.
- Collect clues. Six categories: physical, testimony, motive, timing, location, relationship.
- Confront suspects with evidence. When you have a clue that contradicts something an NPC said, confront them. Correct confrontations score +50. Wrong ones cost you -25.
- Make your accusation. Four choices in a row: where the crime happened, who did it, what weapon, what motive.
You don't need every clue to solve the case. You need enough clues to rule out everything else.
Investigation Commands
| Command | What It Does |
|---|---|
| look | Describe your current location — NPCs, clues, exits |
| search | Search the current location for clue hints |
| examine [object] | Look closer at a specific object or clue |
| go north / south / east / west | Move between grid squares |
| enter [zone name] | Enter a new zone or room |
| back | Return to the previous area |
Talking to Suspects
| Command | What It Does |
|---|---|
| talk to [NPC name] | Start a conversation with an NPC |
| [option number] | Pick a conversation option |
| go back | Step back up the conversation tree |
| exit conversation | Leave the conversation entirely |
| confront [NPC] with [clue] | Use a clue against an NPC's testimony |
Case File
| Command | What It Does |
|---|---|
| view clues | List every clue you've discovered |
| view suspects / NPCs met | Everyone you've spoken to so far |
| hint | Use an investigation badge for a random clue |
| leaderboard | Best scores for the current scenario |
Making an Accusation
When you're ready, say "accuse." The game walks you through four steps: location, suspect, weapon, motive. Each step lists the candidates you've discovered.
| Command | What It Does |
|---|---|
| accuse | Start the accusation flow |
| [option] | Choose the location, suspect, weapon, or motive |
| back | Exit the accusation without submitting |
If you get it right, the case closes and your score locks in on the leaderboard. If you get it wrong, you can keep investigating.
Tips and Tricks
1. Examine everything in a room before you leave. Clues are rarely highlighted. Say "search" once on every new square.
2. Talk to NPCs early, then come back with evidence. First conversations give you leads. Later conversations — after you've found a contradicting clue — unlock branches that weren't there before.
3. Use confrontations strategically. A correct confrontation is +50 points. A wrong one is -25. If you're not sure, investigate more before pulling the trigger.
4. Efficient play scores higher. The scoring system rewards solving the case in fewer moves and fewer conversations. You're not graded on exhaustive exploration — you're graded on focused deduction.
5. Don't rule out "hidden" motives. The motive menu lists everything you've uncovered. If none of the suspects had obvious reason to commit the crime, you probably haven't talked to the right NPC yet.
6. Each scenario is replayable. Your best score per scenario is saved independently. You can retry a case you already solved to beat your own time.
Murder Mystery is a free voice and web detective game by Lincoln Cole. Play on Alexa by saying "Alexa, open murder mystery" or at games.llitd.com/games/mystery/.
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