Operation Backlog Completion 2025
May 012024
 

May is here, and that means a return of Celebrating All Things Mysterious, our new annual event where we celebrate mysteries.

However, this year it’s going to be a little different.

Much like with the shortened Celebrating All Things Romantic event earlier this year, this event comes at a time when I’m drowning in games to play. Not only that, but February’s contest resulted in a tie for first place in which both winners picked a game for me to review.

As a result, I’m still finishing up those games on top of everything else, and solid mystery games tend to run on the longer side. So! Instead of a new mystery game review with each post like in the past, this year’s Celebrating All Things Mysterious event will feature one mystery game review each week.

This more relaxed pace should make it easier to balance this year’s event while letting me take the time to savor these games as they deserve.

With that important change out of the way, let’s get into the event details!

Promotions

Drops of Death, the murder mystery romance game where any of the love interests can be the killer (it’s randomized at the start of each playthrough) is currently planned for an October 2025 release date! A new trailer will premiere tomorrow, so be sure to check that out!

Meanwhile, don’t forget that two of my pulp fiction stories star The Domino Lady, the masked vigilante from classic pulp fiction. In “The Domino Lady Takes the Case,” part of Domino Lady Volume 3, the Domino Lady embarks on a murder investigation after suspecting the truth of the case is being covered up. Then in “The Domino Lady Deceived,” found in Domino Lady Volume 4, a thwarted heist brings her into conflict with a thief wily and determined enough to be her match.

Contest

And yes, even though new posts will only be weekly, you can still comment on any Celebrating All Things Mysterious post to participate in this month’s contest!

Contest Rules

  • No purchase is necessary.
  • Only comments made between May 1, 2024 at 12:00 PM EST and May 31, 2024 at 11:59 PM EST will be counted.
  • Each non-spam, non-anonymous comment on any Celebrating All Things Mysterious blog post, including replies to other comments, earns you 1 point.
  • You must use an email address or website URL (or include another way of contacting you) in your comment so I can contact you if you win.
  • The top 3 point earners will win prizes.
  • The person with the most points will get their first pick of the prizes. The person with the second most points will pick second, and the person with the third most points will pick third.
  • In the event of a tie, tied winners will be contacted at the same time. A tie for third place will allow for more than 3 winners. If tied winners choose the same prize, duplicate prizes will be possible.
  • The winner will be contacted by June 3, 2024.

Prizes

  • Domino Lady Volume 3 (ebook)
  • Domino Lady Volume 4 (ebook)
  • Phoenix Wright Trilogy (gift sent through Steam)
  • The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles (gift sent through Steam)
  • Apollo Justice Trilogy (gift sent through Steam)
  • $35 Nintendo eShop gift card to use for either Famicom Detective Club game
  • $15 sent through PayPal
  • You pick a game for me to review!
  • …and possibly more prizes to be added throughout May!

If you choose the review option, your chosen game must be something I either own or is easily obtainable, which you can discuss with me beforehand. It must be a single game, not a collection (although the chosen game can be part of a collection). I will start playing it in June.

An event like this is an easy way for me to encourage myself to play some of the mystery games I’ve gathered over the years. So let’s find some great new mystery games and discuss them in Celebrating All Things Mysterious 2024!

Sep 222023
 

While TGS is still going (with the exciting news yesterday that the Apollo Justice Trilogy will be out on January 25, because of course it is), it’s time to take a break from our video game discussions for some writing news instead!

A new pulp fiction collection starring the classic character Professor Challenger is now available from Airship 27. The Challenger Chronicles Volume One contains four short stories that send the professor and his allies on all-new adventures.

In mine, “The Unseen Star,” Professor Challenger calls upon Edward Malone and Lord John Roxton to help him face off against a fanatical group of researchers who hope to make contact with a threat from far beyond the stars.

It’s joined here in this collection by stories from Gordon Dymowski, Barbara Doran, and Michael Panush. Each of us has written our own addition to the Professor Challenger adventures.

Professor Challenger is a character originally created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, now in the public domain. Unlike the more famous Sherlock Holmes, Challenger is aggressive and hotheaded, which made him a lot of fun to write about. I had a fantastic time writing “The Unseen Star,” and I hope you’ll enjoy it too.

The Challenger Chronicles Volume One is available now in print from Amazon for $16.99, and ebook copies should become available soon.

May 012023
 

Last year, we celebrated May Mystery Game Madness for the first time, and now it’s back!

(Under the name “Celebrating All Things Mysterious,” since that title format seems more popular for our romance-themed month, so I wanted to test it here.)

Once again, May will be devoted to mystery games and related works. As with the past few contests, one day a week will be reserved for non-themed news if something especially exciting comes up.

Promotions

While there are no special sales this month to correspond with the celebration, you can find my short murder mystery “The Domino Lady Takes the Case” in the pulp fiction collection Domino Lady Volume 3, as well as my crime story “The Domino Lady Deceived” in Domino Lady Volume 4. Both are anthologies starring the classic pulp fiction heroine known as the Domino Lady.

Work is continuing on Drops of Death, as well, so I look forward to the day when I’ll be able to promote that.

Contest

Are you ready for a contest? All month long, you can earn points just by joining in the conversation!

The available prizes are:

  • Domino Lady Volume 3 (ebook)
  • Domino Lady Volume 4 (ebook)
  • Phoenix Wright Trilogy (gift sent through Steam)
  • The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles (gift sent through Steam)
  • The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story (gift sent through Steam)
  • AI: The Somnium Files (gift sent through Steam)
  • $15 sent through PayPal
  • You pick a game for me to review!

If you choose the review option, your chosen game must be something I either own or is easily obtainable, which you can discuss with me beforehand. It must be a single game, not a collection (although the chosen game can be part of a collection). I will start playing it in June.

Contest Rules:

  • No purchase is necessary.
  • Only comments made between May 1, 2023 at 1:00 PM EST and May 31, 2023 at 11:59 PM EST will be counted.
  • Each non-spam, non-anonymous comment on any Celebrating All Things Mysterious blog post earns you 1 point.
  • Retweeting any Celebrating All Things Mysterious tweet from me also earns you 1 point.
  • You must use an email address or website URL (or include another way of contacting you) in your comment so I can contact you if you win.
  • The top 3 point earners will win prizes.
  • The person with the most points will get their first pick of the prizes. The person with the second most points will pick second, and the person with the third most points will pick third.
  • In the event of a tie, tied winners will be contacted at the same time. A tie for third place will allow for more than 3 winners. If tied winners choose the same prize, duplicate prizes will be possible.
  • The winner will be contacted by June 2, 2023.

I love mystery stories, especially murder mysteries, and last year we discovered several great games through the May mystery game celebration. So let’s get ready to discuss mystery games and see what this month-long celebration has in store for us!