[PREVIEW] Obsidian Moon – Slow-Burning Noir Mystery That Demands Patience

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Obsidian Moon by Lost Cabinet Games is a text-based noir-inspired narrative detective game that blends classic 1930s crime fiction with elements of cosmic and psychological horror. It follows Sam Carter, a disgraced homicide detective drawn back into police work to investigate a series of ritualistic murders. What begins as a grounded criminal case slowly unfolds into something far more disturbing, involving cult activity, ancient mythology, and forces that challenge both logic and sanity.

From its premise alone, Obsidian Moon positions itself as a slow-burning mystery that prioritizes atmosphere, writing, and player deduction over action. However, I was slightly disappointed that the demo only offered a surface-level glimpse of the cosmic themes without delving deeper into them. Given that the game is entirely text-based, it requires a significant amount of patience for deduction and investigation. If you don’t enjoy analyzing documents and connecting clues, you likely won’t find this engaging, as the gameplay consists almost entirely of filing through and interpreting records.

Not For Those Who Don’t Like Reading

In general, you collect clues, analyze evidence, interrogate suspects, and piece together fragmented information to advance the case. Evidence and leads are handled through mechanics that resemble card-based or tabletop-inspired interactions. The investigative process is quite demanding as the game does not rush to conclusions or hand out easy answers. Instead, it asks you to pay close attention to details, manage limited resources, and accept that mistakes can have lasting consequences. The gameplay is pretty simple, you just click on a document and decide what to do with it. That said, there are a few cool ideas here, like using your gun to intimidate people or actually getting to stalk your suspects.

Actions cost time and mental energy, reinforcing the feeling that every decision matters and that progress often comes at a personal price for the protagonist. You will need to pay the bills, take care of your sanity, if you fail to properly conduct the investigation you will end up being fined, and you generally have to be sure you have everything right before ending the case. The structure also allows the story to be viewed from different perspectives at certain points, offering insight into how various characters perceive the unfolding events and adding depth to the narrative without undermining the central mystery.

However, I already have a few issues with the game. First, the UI is quite clunky; when you open a file, it’s so large that it often gets stuck behind the clock, forcing you to move it around just to close it. I also found some of the logic confusing. For instance, I encountered a language, a mix of Dutch and German, that I couldn’t decipher. Despite the suspect’s clear connection to it, the game wouldn’t let me send it to a lab or analyze it, which felt weird that we didn’t have connections to get help for some one to translate it.

Furthermore, the investigation felt unnecessarily confusing. I was forced to use a gun to intimidate a suspect for the truth when a simple confrontation should have sufficed because I already have the motive on the paper. Even after a confession, I had to manually find the murder weapon rather than just pressuring the suspect for its location. I’m not entirely sure if I missed a key detail, or if the mechanic simply didn’t function as intended.

The writing is quite good, and you can tell everything was properly thought out. Even if you miss an initial clue, the game lets you go back and find what you need, and the journal is a lifesaver when you’re trying to deduce what’s going on. In the end, its greatest strength is its confidence and it’s unapologetically slow and unsettling. It asks you to actually think rather than just click through. If you love noir, narrative-driven mysteries, and atmospheric horror, this is a great foundation. I can’t wait to see how the final version turns out.