Murder on 39th Street is a unique murder mystery made for the Ludum Dare 39, that progresses time in the game world as the physical Laptop or mobile device you play it on runs out of power.
Murder on 39th Street is meant to be experienced on a device that has a limited battery charge. Ideally you should start the game on 100%, fully charged phone, tablet or laptop. This will make a big difference in your experience of the game. You play as the spirit of ‘Heather’ who was the first to be murdered on this street and must attempt to find the culprit.
Various characters and shops line 39th Street, most of which you can click on to review the thoughts of the characters or what signs say. All of these things will serve as clues to help you find who killed you. Tapping or clicking on people will reveal conversations they are having or thoughts they think about what is going on. Tapping or clicking on signs will read them to you, to help you get a feel of the street and why these people are around the businesses they hang around.
As time progresses, the charge in your battery will go down. This will trigger new days within the game, as well as a passing of seasons. The world continues on as your battery life shortens – and you can use it to your advantage when it comes to seeing how people react to your death and the new murders that happen throughout the year. Once your battery is down to 10%, you’ll be able to use all the information you’ve gathered to accuse your murderer (if you’re still not sure or have missed any clues you can just plug in a charger to top up your battery and travel back in time).
The actual gameplay is fairly simple, but Murder on 39th Street uses the Ludum Dare 39 Theme ‘Running out of Power’ in a very imaginative way, and as such creates one of the most unique games we’ve come across. Using your dying battery to try and solve your death is a very novel experience that’s well worth checking out. Just make sure you’ve got a charger handy for afterwards!
Note: We highly recommend playing on a mobile battery powered device to get the most from the game, but if you have to play it on a desktop computer you can find the debug version here (press ‘Y’ to bring up debug menu and change battery level)
Tip: Make sure you pay attention to the profile pics of all the characters you meet – you’ll be clicking on their image to accuse them of your murder (it doesn’t show their name).
Check Out the Murder on 39th Street Ludum Dare Page Here
Follow The Development of Murder on 39th Street Here
Play Murder on 39th Street Here (Battery Powered Device Required)