During the Second Wind Games Showcase, publisher CRITICAL REFLEX and developer Hey Bird! unveiled a brand-new trailer for their upcoming occult detective game Inkblood. Alongside the reveal, players can now jump into a fresh Steam playtest that offers an early look at the game’s mysterious world and investigative gameplay.
The new playtest lets players step into the role of an Inquisitor tasked with solving two strange ritualistic murders. Set in a hand-animated world inspired by 19th-century Eastern Europe, Inkblood throws players into a land filled with unsettling institutions, secret societies, masked carnivals, and even mushroomfolk disguised as humans. Your job is to investigate bizarre crimes and enforce the rule of the Inquisition—at least while your objectives remain aligned.
A Dark Mystery Beneath the Surface
In Inkblood, sorcery is corrupting both the people and the fabric of reality itself. As an Inquisitor, you’ll need to uncover the truth behind a growing conspiracy before an ominous comet arrives and seals the fate of the entire land.
The game features ten unique cases to solve, each becoming more complex and unsettling as the story unfolds. Inspired by investigative titles like The Case of the Golden Idol, Strange Horticulture, and Return of the Obra Dinn, players will gather clues, analyze scenes, and connect the dots across both past and present events.
Exploration plays a major role as well. You’ll travel between strange locations across a small open world, using your carriage as both transportation and a base of operations. Along the way, supernatural tools—including a mysterious magnifying glass capable of revealing the past—may help uncover hidden truths. But some secrets may be better left buried.
Key Features
- Uncover the Truth
Use deduction, observation, intuition, and supernatural tools provided by the Inquisition to unravel a cultist conspiracy. - Home Away From Home
Your carriage acts as a mobile headquarters during investigations—but rumors suggest it may hold secrets of its own. - Explore the Land
Travel between bizarre and hidden locations as your investigation leads you deeper into a conspiracy threatening the realm. - Eradicate the Occult
What begins as isolated incidents gradually reveals a larger plot involving cultists, forbidden rituals, and powerful forces. - Gaze Into the Past
A supernatural magnifying glass allows you to glimpse what once happened at a location—but not every truth should be uncovered.
Play It Now
Inkblood is scheduled to launch later this year, but players can get an early taste of the mystery right now through the Steam playtest.
If you’re interested in stepping into the role of an occult investigator, you can join the playtest and wishlist the game today on Steam.