Murder mysteries come in varying shapes and sizes but when I first had the opportunity to play the demo of The Posthumous Investigation, it drew me in immediately. If the name sounds familiar, that’s possibly because you’ve seen us cover this for our October 2025 Demo Disc. There’s something refreshing about the black and white, film noir vibe set in 1930s Brazil compared to the bright vivid murder mysteries I usually play. No hate to those, I love them too, but every once in a while you want something different. This feels like it.
The Posthumous Investigation is also quite different in its inspiration. These characters come from the literary works of Machado de Assis. Assis is highly regarded as one of Brazil’s greatest authors and it is evident in the characters that appear in this game. So much so that after completing the game, I quickly ordered the Penguin Classics translation of “The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas.” It isn’t often that a game makes you want to grab a book to spend more time with the characters but this game succeeded. Not only does The Posthumous Investigation provide a fun gameplay loop, it also provides a look into Brazilian literature. Quite a double feat!
“My reader may not believe me, and yet this is the truth.”
The Posthumous Investigation at its core is a narrative point and click adventure. You are a P.I. who is hired to investigate the death of one Brás Cubas. Oddly enough, your client is also the deceased Cubas. How could one send a letter after his death? Did he know this was coming? No matter, you are a private investigator with a job to do. Head out of your office and begin investigating by questioning characters such as Sabina, his sister or the man of faith Padre Cabral at the church. You quickly learn quite a bit about the residents of the area and those who circled the life of Brás Cubas. Unfortunately, not everyone is as honest as you’d like them to be.
The testimonies of suspects are not the only ones you’ll have to question. As the clock strikes midnight you’ll find yourself in a room with the deceased Brás Cubas. Not only has he hired you to investigate his murder, he’ll help you out a bit along the way. At the end of each night you’ll find yourself speaking with him to either review any new information you learned or even ask for a hint if you find yourself stuck on your next steps. Even I found myself referring back to this every once in a while when I found myself at a loss. The hints are given in a way that does not tell you everything you need to do, but just enough to set you on the right track.
While Brás will always point you in the right direction, some of his flavor text hints that he may not always be telling you a full truth. So be mindful of this. Especially as you get closer to discovering who the culprit is and why. The good news is that you’ll be repeating the same day over and over until you solve the murder. So even if he gives you some questionable information or guidance, you’ll have time to revisit those decisions. This isn’t exactly Groundhog Day but you definitely aren’t seeing the day after tomorrow until you solve this case.
As you return each day with more information you’ll get to use what you’ve learned. You’ll also quickly learn that the characters in this case are very intertwined. The pharmacist knows more and is more involved than he may initially seem. Who is Sabina arguing with on the streets so violently? When it comes to the life and times of Brás Cubas there is much to unravel.
“My delirium was beginning.”
As a point and click adventure, much of what you will do in terms of gameplay is of course click around. You’ll also have narrative points where you must make certain decisions. Interestingly enough, there are times where you’ll have to make the “wrong” decision in order to progress the story along. Using the term wrong loosely here as it does allow you to get a different perspective on what is happening. Don’t worry though, you are actively repeating the same day over and over again so your bad decisions won’t hurt you. However the knowledge you gain from those decisions will help you progress.
The word and narrative puzzles are not enough to make you fully delirious but you will need to figure out what your next step is in a timely manner. For some suspects you may need to follow them for an entire day. For other suspects you may question them a few times and make sure you select the right choices. If you don’t, you may find yourself locked up. The game is also very much time based for the given day. So if a suspect has somewhere to be at a certain time, they will cut you off and leave. So you do have to be very focused on how you complete your investigation. Thank goodness you’ll be reliving the same day over and over in case you make a mistake or lose track of a suspect.
Thankfully, this game also doesn’t require that you write down a whole bunch of notes outside of the game. This detective is very good at keeping his own notes well organized for you to refer back to. You can look through the suspects, the clues, and items to show to various characters. Keep in mind, you may need to use certain items more than once and with a few different characters. This is important to know as I may have forgotten this once or twice.
For those who like minigames to break up the narrative, you won’t find it here. The Posthumous Investigation doesn’t have many minigames that you’ll play. However to me, this was absolutely fine. It’s a very neatly packed 8-10 hour experience that doesn’t require bloating out. There is a moment where you pick the most beautiful flowers and one where you must create a concoction of medication. Otherwise you are really focused on the narrative and how it ends.
Art & Music
Alright, truth be told I have not read enough of the book just yet to give this section a fun quote from the book. So let’s just cover the art and music. The art of The Posthumous Investigation really stands out on its own. The noir vibe with the classic monochrome coloring brings the characters and setting to life in a way I have not seen often. This could just as easily been a classic film starring Humphrey Bogart as it is a point and click visual novel with a compelling story to tell.
When you’re investigating a suspect and you’ve basically cornered them into telling you their involvement in the situation, the lighting changes. They are on the spot and they must tell you what they know. Visually you can see that you are now doubling down on your interrogation of them and you’ll be visiting with Brás soon to discuss what you’ve learned. With everything being in black and white, it truly is up to the art itself to speak volumes and it does. Whether it is Sophia with her eyes closed and hand on her face or her eyes darting away from the investigator, the art sets the tone the words are trying to convey.
When you are reliving an hour of Brás’ last day on earth, it also feels like you’re watching old camera footage. A great touch to see his last day through the eyes of an unreliable narrator talking about himself in third person. These small touches bring the story to life in a way that juxtaposes itself with Brás’ death.
The music and sometimes lack of music sets the stage as you uncover some not so pretty truths of his final day. It isn’t loud and out there but it brings you back to a different time. It just so happens that you are reliving that time over and over. Since there is minimal voice acting in the game, the music also isn’t overshadowed by any voices. The music stands on its own without feeling overly done or too repetitive. Perhaps if the game takes you longer than 10 hours you may find yourself longing for a new tune but I found myself enjoying it and even humming it a bit to myself.
“I will lay out the case for you in brief. Judge for yourself.”
Brás Cubas is a complex, flawed, and yet intriguing dead man. That’s what really makes The Posthumous Investigation so enticing. How did this happen to such a powerful well connected man? Why did he surround himself with such a cast of characters? It’s this that kept me coming back to the game for just one more day of investigation. There is nothing flashy or over the top in this game except perhaps for Bras’ personality. The gameplay loop is simple with the investigation being just challenging enough to keep you thinking.
For those looking for a shorter, narrative driven game to dive into, I highly recommend The Posthumous Investigation. It’s an intriguing character study that keeps you guessing and makes you wonder, who truly was the culprit and why? What in the human condition made this man both so loved and hated? You’ll have to play to find out.
Then, if you find yourself like me wanting more of the characters, then dive into the novels as well. Machado de Assis had lots to write about with these characters and others that appear in his other works. There’s more to explore if you’re feeling adventurous. Don’t take my word for it, judge for yourself.
The Posthumous Investigation released March 31, 2026 on Steam. Gamer Social Club would like to thank the developers at Mother Gaia Studio and publishers at CriticalLeap and Infini Fun for the review code.
The game was reviewed on PC via Steam.
