What is a murder mystery without a grand reveal? A Poirot novel always culminates with the detective explaining why the killer did it, a Law & Order case isn’t complete without a confession, and a game of Clue only ends by declaring a suspect, location, and weapon.

Murder by Numbers, by contrast, caters to a quieter type of sleuth. Where other mystery games focus on courtroom objections and alleyway shootouts, this 2020 indie gem juxtaposes thrills with something decidedly more serene: Nonograms.

You play as Honor Mizrahi, a television actress with a knack for puzzles. One day, Honor finds herself in the lurch when her boss fires her from a primetime detective show—and then winds up dead. Now considered a suspect, Honor must channel her acting prowess within the real world to crack the case.

What begins as a single mystery evolves into a larger conspiracy spanning four cases. Together with her partner, S.C.O.U.T., Honor must interview witnesses, question suspects, and collect evidence. Yet where traditional mystery games like the Ace Attorney series might prompt players to explore a physical crime scene, Murder by Numbers instead hides its clues behind nonogram puzzles.

If you’ve played Picross, you’re familiar with the flow. Each row or column has a set number of black tiles, denoted by a series of numbers like “6 2 1”. In the prior example, the given row/column has a set of six black tiles, a set of two, and one lone tile, with some amount of blank spaces in between each set. With the right logic, you can deduce where to place these tiles. When the puzzle is completely filled in, it reveals an image—in the case of Murder by Numbers, an image of a new clue to examine.

It’s an addictive flow that becomes downright meditative once you’re in the thick of it. Puzzles take anywhere from five to 15 minutes, scratching a cerebral itch between the game’s more cinematic dialogue sequences. Add the ability to save at any time—even mid-puzzle—and Murder by Numbers is a game you can enjoy in both short sprints and longer marathons.

If you’re worried Murder by Numbers sacrifices storytelling depth for its brainteasers, don’t be. Beyond the terrific puzzles, the game offers complex characters. Honor wishes to follow in the footsteps of her late father. S.C.O.U.T. is a robot who longs to understand what it’s like to be human. And there’s Gerry Cross, a hard-nosed detective with a short temper. Each packs plenty of pep, with expressive animations and snarky one-liners.

Tying it all together is a soundtrack composed by Masakazu Sugimori, who also worked on the original Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (among other games). As in the Ace Attorney games, Sugimori gives each character a distinct theme, from the frenetic “SCOUT’s On The Case!” to the schmaltzy “Detective Cross - Justice Takes Time.” A standard Murder by Numbers playthrough takes about 20 hours, but Sugimori’s music never grows old.

Whether you’re looking for a creative story or just enjoy a good logic puzzle, Murder by Numbers promises to work the cranium—and then some. Grab it today on the Epic Games Store.