Murder by Numbers makes a good first impression

The animated intro welcomes you to Los Angeles, 1996

Don’t let anyone undersell you on the value of animated intros for video games. I won’t hear it!

When done right, animated intros can fire up your imagination and establish the tone for the rest of the experience. Even before that point, they’re a novel way to help draw in casual observers.

I wasn’t following Murder by Numbers – not up-close – but now I am. It’s a ’90s-set Los Angeles detective adventure with Picross-style puzzles, a soundtrack by Masakazu Sugimori (Ace Attorney, Ghost Trick), and direction and character design from Ed Fear and Hato Moa (Hatoful Boyfriend).

The intro is nice and breezy, setting up several key players including protagonist Honor Mizrahi, a detective-show-actress-turned-murder-suspect, and SCOUT, an emoji-faced “reconnaissance robot.”

If this seems like your sorta jam, it’s not far off. Murder by Numbers is releasing on Nintendo Switch and PC (Steam) on March 5 and March 6, respectively, for $14.99. I admire its whole vibe.