Among the general styles of puzzlers I tend to enjoy the most, mystery games are near the top. If nothing else, the last generation has proven that there’s no set template for how to make a decent one, as we’ve seen them ranging from traditional, to cozy, to gritty, to even more casual. If you’re a fan of putting on your thinking cap, and working through a pile of odd clues to work out whodunnit, the eShop likely has a few decent options to choose from. Now we have The London Files to add to the mix, and once again I’d say it feels like it has its own distinctive approach, though it won’t likely be for everyone.

While some titles in the genre employ the use of famous detectives from literature or a sense of humor to help give them more flavor, there’s no doubt that in this case the developers have opted for a more streamlined approach. That isn’t to say it’s humorless, as your detective will crack some jokes, but since your interactions with suspects and evidence are very structured and brief, there are some limits to the game’s sense of personality, for sure. This feels like it has been geared to a more no-nonsense casual approach, focused on letting people jump in, work the case as much or as little as they like at a time, and then get out without it being a big deal. You’ll talk to each suspect in each phase, try to locate the pieces of evidence they may reference, and then work through what you’ve learned to deduce what happened.

While I could see how this wouldn’t make it a great match for people who’ve played quite a lot of these games over the years, and who’ll have higher expectations across the board, that isn’t to say it doesn’t seem to have an audience. What it does incredibly well, mainly by keeping things so streamlined and simple, is to help people walk through and learn the deductive process. Working through a list of logical statements based on the evidence, your primary task will be to fill in the multiple blanks for each suspect, then using each new assumption you’ve learned to drive filling in the rest. What’s great is that if you happen to get anything wrong, the interface will even let you know that, removing what can sometimes be the frustrating process of making your conclusions match what the game has in mind. Here there’s no ambiguity, and for more casual or less seasoned mystery fans that may be just what they’re looking for.