Cyberpunk Sleuth

In TALES OF THE NEON SEA: Chapter 1-3, the future is puzzling.

- Malindy Hetfeld

Point-and-click adventures have had a bit of a renaissance over the last few years. Increasingly the genre has cast aside its penchant for pun-filled mischief, and instead focused on being a great vehicle for investigative narratives. Tales of the Neon Sea borrows from well-known cyberpunk sources but, alongside its brighter aesthetic, it takes a deeper look at the technical aspects of cyberpunk, rather than the moral ones.

The plot itself is conventional. One day the alcoholic augmented P.I. Mr Mist stumbles onto the corpse of his elderly neighbour, well-known for her hate of androids. At first the case seems clear: the household android must have done it. But the evidence you uncover paints a much more gruesome picture. Weirdly enough, you’re not so much interested in the killer as you are in the Android and what could have driven it to become a possible accomplice. And so you dive into the underworld to find out more, aided by the helping paw of Mr Mist’s stray cat friend William. The influence of organised gangs of cats in our future is underrepresented.