How to play
Open a case. Follow the evidence.
Start a case in your browser, read the evidence and test your explanation. Play solo or share one screen with a friend; both ways use the complete investigation.
- Read the evidence. Open each available record. Use Next to keep going.
- Test your theory. The game shows which records you need and what to try next.
- Reach your conclusion. Return to earlier evidence whenever you need it.
What do you need to play?
Play solo, or share one screen with another adult. Every clue is available to both of you; no separate roles or accounts are needed.
Use a phone, tablet or laptop with an internet connection. A larger screen can be easier to share. There is no app, printing, acting or host to organise.
When You Hear My Voice and Everything Went to Plan are available now at £9.99 per case. Both can be completed alone or with one other person sharing a screen.
Read. Compare. Make your case.
- Meet the case. Read the opening briefing and get to know the people involved. Open the available evidence and look at who produced each record, what it says and what it leaves uncertain.
- Compare your interpretations. Use Compare to view two records. Keep questions in your notebook under Notes & help. Earlier records remain available as the investigation develops.
- Support a conclusion. Work through the questions and build an account that fits the evidence. Discuss what would have to be true for another explanation to work before you commit to your conclusion.
You do not need separate accounts or assigned roles. Taking turns reading and controlling the screen is simply a way to give both people space to investigate.
How do the hints work?
In The Shortest Day, each act gives you records and something to work out: a claim to test, a moment to map, a ladder to inspect. Help offers hints or a direct explanation. In the last act, request supplementary records and write to Owen; you can leave a gap open and read the ending whenever you are ready.
Open Notes & help in the game to find hints. In The Shortest Day and When You Hear My Voice, hints become more specific as you reveal them. You choose how much help to read.
Before opening the next hint, try comparing an observation with the claim being made about it. They may be different. There is no enforced time limit, so you can leave a question open while you revisit the records.
Can you pause and come back?
When browser storage is available, progress and notes save in that browser on that device. Check the in-game save status before leaving. Then choose Continue playing on this website in the same browser.
For a paid mystery, choose Open case on the Continue playing page. If it does not open, select Need an access link? and enter your checkout email. Check your inbox and junk folder, then open the newest link within 20 minutes. Links work once; request another whenever needed during your 12-month access period.
An access email opens your purchased case; it does not move your progress. Saves are not backed up to an online account or synchronised between devices. Clearing website data can remove them. Use one active tab for each case. If the game warns that progress is not saving, keep the tab open; reloading or closing it may lose that session.
A few practical questions.
Can I solve a mystery on my own?
Yes. All three mysteries can be completed by one player. You have access to all the evidence and optional hints; there are no hidden player roles or clues that need a second person to reveal.
Can we take our time?
Yes. There is no enforced timer; how much time you spend reading, comparing and discussing is up to you. You can pause when your browser is successfully saving your progress.
Are the recordings voiced?
When You Hear My Voice presents its recordings as complete written transcripts. The evidence is presented as text, so you can read and compare it at your own pace.
What themes should we know about?
When You Hear My Voice includes murder, coercive control and intimate-partner abuse, without graphic descriptions or imagery. It is an original fictional story intended for adults.
Can we play from different places?
The two-player experience is designed around sharing one screen in the same room. It does not provide remote multiplayer or synchronised separate screens.
Which case should we look at first?
Begin with The Shortest Day, our complete free browser mystery. It has four acts and opens with email access. When You Hear My Voice is a murder mystery: a voice heard over the speakers and a death nobody saw coming. Read its premise and content note before choosing. For a mystery without violence, Everything Went to Plan follows a disappearance after a hotel heist. It includes theft, a past false accusation, gambling debt and mild peril.
Make an evening of it
The setup can be simple.
For suggestions on setting up your screen, comparing clues and working through disagreements, read our practical guide.
Plan a mystery date night