Launches Today on Steam (Deck Verified), PS5 and Nintendo Switch

Dear Villagers :

Montpellier, France - November 14, 2024. Dear Villagers and solo developer Andre Gareis are proud to announce that non-linear “whodunnit” detective game Mindcop (trailer, website) is Out Today on Steam (Steam Deck verified), PS5 and Nintendo Switch at a price of 14,99 USD | EUR.


Find the murderer in this adventure that has been in development for 6 years, during which Gareis has poured his passion for classics of the detective game genre. The creator innovates in different aspects, from the investigation mechanics, with time cost management to introducing real-time puzzles! Mindcop supports English, German, French, Spanish, and also in Simplified and Traditional Chinese. 


KEY FEATURES

WHODUNNIT DETECTIVE GAME 
Use your Mindcop capabilities to uncover secrets and unravel people’s lies to find the true suspect of this town’s murder.

MINDSURF
As the Mindcop you can attempt to sneak into the mind of one of the suspects. This plays out as real-time puzzle game. Complete it and explore their « Sea of Thoughts » to get clues and topics to use in conversation.

TIME
You have 5 days to solve this murder and every action comes with a time cost. As the Mindcop, make tough decisions on what is worth your time and what will lead you to dead ends. Choose well and discover two different endings.


THE MINDSURF MECHANICS

While interrogating suspects, players will have to use their Mindcop capabilities to Mindsurf them to uncover secrets and unravel people’s lies to find the true suspect of the town’s murder. The Mindcop can attempt to sneak into the mind of one of the suspects, this plays out as a real-time puzzle game.


The mindsurf mechanic consists of a timed match-3 game in which you have to cross the screen and reach a finish line with a surf. You gain time by matching different type of bullet going into the suspect’s brain to gain time. Once you have 0 seconds left or crossed the finish line, the mini game ends. Once the mini-game is won, you’ll be facing 3 different doors: Lie, Uncertainty and Truth. These doors showcase the suspect’s psyche in different light with short dialogues in specific environments. These informations will be useful in your investigation.


"After many years of development, I’m proud to say that this project is now complete. I made the game I wanted to make, with hardly any compromises along the way—a rare achievement in game development, and one I’m very grateful for. As a longtime fan of mystery stories, creating Mindcop allowed me to explore the genre from a whole new angle. This game was also my first real venture into narrative writing, and it became a deeply personal journey. Dedicating myself to a single project for so many years has been challenging but incredibly rewarding. I hope Mindcop finds its audience, as it’s something very special to me." - Andre Gareis, Developer.

Links of Interest:

ABOUT ANDRE GAREISMindcop is created by German game developer Andre Gareis (he/him). Andre Gareis has been working as a solo-developer on Mindcop for 6 years and full time starting 2022.


ABOUT DEAR VILLAGERSBased in the South of France, in sunny Montpellier, we are a boutique publishing label composed of a team of twenty people. Open-minded and versatile, Dear Villagers offers handcrafted marketing and production guidance. Our mission: We tell memorable stories through memorable games. We love pixels, but we believe in people.