'Boodunnit' A Quirky Free Adventure Worth Your Time (Image: Korper Studio)
Boodunnit by Studio Koprol is a delightfully quirky murder mystery game with a twist – you’re the one who got murdered! Compelled by an Earthly will to solve your own murder, you play Julia Lawson who leaves the afterlife to solve her own murder. Through out the game’s town Boonkle, you’ll meet a thoughtful cast of characters, all who were affected by the young girl’s mysterious death.
Boodunnit sounds like it would be dreary or even depressing, but through the game’s great art-style and soothing music Boodunnit is a unique meditation on death, and more often than not, a very fun game.
Julia, or now ‘Boo-lia’ bounces around Boonkle with a scarf and flower in search of five clues that will reveal her murderer. You can float through walls, levitate objects and possess people and animals in order to get around the town of Boonkle. Soon after ‘Boo-lia’ returns to Earth, she meets her mourning sister Emmie who is the Watson to your Sherlock. Emmie, still upset after losing her sister, gets to go one one last sibling adventure which is incredibly touching.
Boonkle is a fun and well-made playground to mess around with Boo-lia’s various powers. All the while, the game’s soothing and reflective soundtrack strummed me into serenity. Boodunnit confronts death in a very fun and digestible way and and Boonkle’s residents are impressively savvy to the pain of grief.
Boodunnit was made by a very small team and it’s free, so the game’s few bugs and glitches did not bother me at all. Platforming can be a little finicky, and the camera sometimes doesn’t go where you want it to, but the game’s minor flaws are out-shined by its massive heart, and it’s $0 price tag doesn’t hurt either.
If I have one hope for Boodunnit‘s future, I would much rather play the game on a controller. The build I played from Itch.io had support for the left stick of my controller, but nothing else. Also, I really wish the NPCs gave a few more hints about clue locations. Emmie gives a good lead as the beginning of the game, but after that I felt like I was on my own.
One more element that frustrated me a bit is that I never guessed clues would be back in the cemetery next to Boonkle. Two of the games clues are hidden in the cemetery, which I guessed was just an intro-zone. Once again, if NPCs gave hints about each of the clues, I wouldn’t have had as many issues.
Boodunnit is incredibly touching and ripe for expanding. The team at Studio Koprol are uniquely talented and I am beyond excited to see what they will make in the future. I unabashedly recommend Boodunnit to anyone with a few hours and a heart.
Boodunnit is available today on Steam, Itch.io and Gamejolt.com
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