Methods: The Illusion Murders

Puzzle· Interactive Fiction· Visual Novel· Female Protagonist

Released Apr 2024

Detective Red July must stop a serial killer who patterns his murders after optical illusions in this mystery visual novel set in the world of Methods.

85% positive · 101 reviews

Done

All announced content has been released

High confidence

Done

All announced content has been released

High confidence

Where to get it

Free on Steam

Steam Free

Evaluation

Methods: The Illusion Murders is a free standalone mystery visual novel set in the Methods universe. It launched on April 21, 2024. The game was announced on April 16, 2024 and confirmed live on April 22, 2024. There are no DLC listings, no post-launch update posts, and no developer communications indicating additional content is planned. The store description presents it as a complete, self-contained story — a prequel featuring detective Red July. With no roadmap, no announced future content, and no post-launch update history whatsoever, the game appears to have shipped as a finished product.

Evidence

Methods: The Illusion Murders launched as a free standalone visual novel on Steam.

news post · Apr 22, 2024 source content shipped

high

Developer announced the April 22nd launch date for the free prequel visual novel.

news post · Apr 16, 2024 source content shipped

medium

Media

Details

Developer

LockedOn Games

Publisher

Erabit

Achievements

Platform

Windows, macOS, Linux

Controller

—

Steam Deck

Playable

Players

Single-player

Interactive Fiction Visual Novel Puzzle Female Protagonist RPG Detective Text-Based LGBTQ+Story Rich Cartoony Stylized Mystery Anime Crime Investigation

About this game

Now available for free, discover a mystery story set in the world of Methods: The Detective Competition. Red July, an up-and-coming celebrity detective, is challenged by The Illusion Killer — a serial killer who patterns his murders after optical illusions. However, in the course of solving the murder, Red July's famous method — which lets her instantly solve any crime — stops working. Now the race is on to stop the killer before it's too late!

The game is a mystery visual novel that lets you examine evidence with a short interactive puzzle mini-game.

Featuring

Interactive game
Original soundtrack
Dynamic Storytelling
Distinctive Artwork
Immersive Game World
Unique DLC to Methods: The Detective Competition (100 detectives VS 100 Criminals)

Playing Methods: The Detective Competition first is highly recommended, but not required to understand the story.