Summary

No Stone Unturned is a comedy detective adventure starring Detective Cox, an amnesiac squirrel investigating a murder that quickly spirals into a much larger mystery. Players explore a charming open village, question suspects, gather evidence, solve puzzles, and piece together clues while uncovering the truth behind a series of bizarre events.

Plotline

In this game, you play as a fairly eccentric (and silly, à la Detective Gadget minus the gadgets) city detective called Detective Cox… but you don’t know that, at least at the beginning, because you’ve just got hit in the head and suffered from temporary amnesia.

However, a little amnesia isn’t going to stop you from investigating who murdered the dead chicken by the road. As you progress, not only will you learn more about the world and town this game is set in, you’ll also meet a host of equally unique characters, unravel mysteries, and perhaps eventually realize there is more going on behind the scenes.

The storytelling here is peppered with humor (a blend of British humor and occasionally breaking the 4th wall) and mini-games. There are also dialogues with some being choice-based, though your choice doesn’t seem to matter much here since the story is linear.

As evident in its massive cliffhanger at the end of its first case as well, the game’s story isn’t complete yet. By purchasing the early access title, you ensure that you’ll have access to all subsequent cases that the game will eventually have to round out the story.

Gameplay

Similar to other open-world-like point-and-click adventures, No Stone Unturned has gameplay where players are free to explore - within certain boundaries, of course - the town of Orchard Under Hill, while investigating the mysterious murder of a chicken. In fact, the game rewards exploration with a light collectathon aspect, where players can find and collect various stones. Best to check every nook and cranny then!

Of course, being a detective game, you’ll also need to solve a crime. The crime here is the murder of a chicken by the roadside, which begets the question… “Why did the chicken cross the road?” There are clear indicators around the world, especially in key areas, that highlight possible clues or evidence. When interacted with, Detective Cox will whip out his magnifying glass and, apparently, X-ray vision to examine the scene much more meticulously. This is where you can collect evidence and gather clues about what to do next.

Sometimes, instead of examining something, you’ll be interrogating someone. Here, dialogues are pretty much cutscenes requiring little input from you. Yes, there may be times when you’re presented with dialogue options, but it doesn’t seem like your choice will cause the story to branch off – the story seems pretty linear, after all – nor will it close out the other dialogue options... most of the time anyway.

To spice things up a bit, the game interspersed its narrative-heavy parts with some fun, often challenging mini-games. There is a wide variety here, from the staring contest, which basically is a rhythm mini-game, to the lockpicking mini-game, to even a stealth segment where you need to be careful not to knock over any of the large and incredibly fragile vases that the suspect apparently likes to place all over his house and workplace.

Failing a mini-game here just meant you’ll need to repeat the same mini-game. This is super helpful since the stealth parts can be quite tricky to get right and may require a couple of attempts. I should probably point out as well that the mini-games are compulsory, and you can’t just skip them. That said, I suspect the game will give you a pass if you failed the same mini-game too many times - though I haven’t tested this myself.

Once you have everything you need to make a deduction, the game will then prompt you to do so by pressing any key. The deduction phase involves linking up what you know by literally drawing out the conclusions. Unlike some detective games where your suspects will just fess up once confronted with accusations, the devs here added “prove me wrong” mechanics where the suspect will try to deny everything. Then, it’s up to you to rummage through your inventory to find and match the evidence collected with the correct accusation to back it up.

As fun as the game is, however, I do find that some of the game’s humor fell short for me. The bit where the game forced me to play a fairly tedious platformer-style mini-game twice annoyed me more than it made me laugh. That said, I did like the other parts, especially when Detective Cox broke the 4th wall when making a joke.

Graphics/ Sound

No Stone Unturned features a richly detailed 2D pixel art style inspired by classic point-and-click adventures and retro RPGs. Set in the picturesque village of Orchard-Under-Hill, the game combines vibrant countryside environments with expressive anthropomorphic animal characters, creating a world that feels both cozy and full of personality.

The audio design is a major highlight of No Stone Unturned. Complete with original soundtracks, the game features full English voice acting, allowing its eccentric cast of animal characters to deliver witty dialogue, emotional moments, and comedic exchanges with plenty of charm. There’s even a song composed and sung just for the game!

Conclusion

All in all, No Stone Unturned delivers a delightful blend of classic detective gameplay, charming pixel art, and humor that can sometimes be, at least for me, a hit or a miss. The game’s colorful cast, complete with voice acting, brings life to the story and the village. Whether you're searching for clues, solving quirky puzzles, or uncovering the village's many secrets, the game offers a detective adventure that's equal parts cozy, clever, and entertaining.

As mentioned before, the game is still in early access and isn’t fully developed yet. Only the first case is currently available. That said, once purchased, the game should give you access to all subsequent cases up until the final ending.