Confidential Killings Review — Fill In The Gap

Confidential Killings is a point-and-click puzzle game with an iconic detective flair. Set in the sex, drugs, and crime-filled world of late nineteen-seventies Hollywood and presented with a pulpy comic book style, players are challenged through a series of standalone crime-themed puzzles to uncover the mystery surrounding a set of seemingly unconnected murders and to discover who is truly pulling the strings behind each one.

Before anything else, you are likely to notice the unique visual style presented in Confidential Killings. As previously mentioned, the game uses a hand-drawn two-dimensional look that imitates the graphic novels and pulp comics of the eighties and nineties. This visual style, heavy in shadows and dark colors, not only pays homage to classic detective fiction but also does an excellent job of depicting the gritty and morally corrupt world that the game presents to players in each level. From smoke-filled back rooms to glamorous yet sinister Hollywood offices, every scene feels steeped in atmosphere.

The game also does an impressive job of capturing its setting. In no small part due to the fantastic art direction, Confidential Killings immersed me in a pulpy detective story set on the cusp of the nineteen eighties. Character and set designs are distinct and memorable, often communicating tone and personality at a glance. I found myself particularly drawn to the exaggerated noir aesthetics. That being said, I did occasionally wish the game took more time to explore who these characters really were beyond their surface-level traits.

Even so, for characters who only appear in a single case, the game manages to convey a surprising amount of personality and backstory through environmental storytelling. While this does not replace deeper narrative development, it does provide a satisfying layer of context that rewards careful observation, especially considering how briefly many of these characters are involved in the overall story or at least the current crime or puzzle you’re working on.

Fans of gritty detective fiction and true crime will be pleased to know that Confidential Killings does not shy away from mature subject matter. The story, set in the affluent world of actors, producers, and Hollywood elites, explores themes of sex, drug use, trafficking, exploitation, and corruption. These topics are not included merely for shock value, but rather as natural extensions of the genre and setting. After all, you are playing as a homicide detective, and the crimes you investigate are murders that often involve disturbing twists and deeply unsavory individuals. The game treats these themes with a sense of seriousness that reinforces its noir identity.

There are quite a few ways a game like Confidential Killings could translate its detective theme into puzzle mechanics, and the direction the developers chose is both simple and creative. In classic point-and-click fashion, each crime is presented as a self-contained level made up of several different scenes. Within each scene, various elements of the environment can be interacted with by clicking on them. These interactions allow the player to uncover clues, inspect objects, and learn more about the circumstances surrounding the case.

However, the game adds an interesting twist to this familiar structure. Rather than simply collecting items or reading descriptions, players must also collect individual words from the environment. These words are then used to complete a fill-in-the-blank summary that explains exactly what happened in the case. In essence, solving a crime means constructing the correct narrative from the pieces you have discovered, using both logical deduction and careful observation.

This system may sound confusing when described, but in practice, it is surprisingly intuitive. Any player, regardless of prior experience with puzzle games, should be able to grasp how it works within the first few cases or two. The interface is clean and straightforward, and the act of slotting words into place feels satisfying in a way that reinforces the feeling of putting a mystery together piece by piece.

While this approach may not be the most immersive or cinematic way to simulate detective work, I found it to be both engaging and thematically appropriate. The developers are clever in how they conceal key information, such as the identities of victims or suspects, forcing the player to search environments thoroughly and think critically about what each clue actually implies. You are not simply matching shapes or solving abstract riddles, but actively reconstructing events based on the evidence at hand. It is a unique system that challenges your puzzle-solving skills while still feeling rooted in the investigative process.

There isn’t too much more to say about Confidential Killings in terms of mechanics, but that is not necessarily a criticism. It is a focused puzzle game that knows what it wants to be. The core mechanic is simple in execution but can be surprisingly challenging, requiring you to pay close attention to details and apply deductive reasoning rather than brute force trial and error. Successfully completing a case delivers a strong sense of satisfaction, as though you have genuinely unraveled a mystery rather than merely solved a game puzzle.

It is important to understand, however, what Confidential Killings is not. This is not a huge narrative adventure in the vein of L.A. Noire, nor is it a role-playing game built around immersive detective simulation. The detective theme functions primarily as a narrative framework and presentation tool rather than as a fully realized gameplay experience. Players expecting extensive dialogue choices, moral decision-making, or detailed interrogations may find the experience more limited than anticipated.

That said, understanding the game’s scope is key to appreciating what it offers. For what it sets out to be, Confidential Killings succeeds admirably. While I would have welcomed more narrative depth and greater exploration of its characters, the game remains an exceptional puzzle experience with a strong thematic identity.

Try Hard Guides was provided a Steam code for this PC review of Confidential Killings. Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles on our Game Reviews page! Confidential Killings is available on Steam.