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!

Oct 022023
 

October is upon us, and that means it’s time for Celebrating All Things Spooky 2023!

Celebrating All Things Spooky is a month-long event where we spend October looking at anything that falls under the umbrella of “spooky” – whether it’s a classic survival horror game or a cute Halloween story.

It also means another contest and sale, so let’s dig into the details!

Celebrating All Things Spooky 2023 Contest

You could win a horror game or another great prize this October, and all you need to do is join in the conversation. Every comment you make gives you a point toward your overall score, and the top three point earners get to choose a prize at the end!

Contest Rules

  • No purchase is necessary.
  • Only comments made between October 2, 2023 at 12:00 PM EST and October 31, 2023 at 11:59 PM EST will be counted.
  • 1 non-spam comment with a means of contacting you (see below) on any Celebrating All Things Spooky blog post = 1 point. This includes replies.
  • You must use an email address or website URL (or include another way of contacting you) while commenting so I can contact you if you win. This won’t be visible to other users, if you wish to stay anonymous.
  • 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. If tied winners choose the same prize, duplicate prizes will be possible. A tie for third place will allow for more than 3 winners.
  • The winner will be contacted by November 2, 2023.

Prizes

  • Not It: Spookiest Edition (gift sent through Steam)
  • Onimusha: Warlords (gift sent through Steam)
  • Silent Hill 4: The Room (gift sent through GOG)
  • Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo
  • Dead Age (Steam code)
  • Five Nights at Freddy’s: Sister Location (Steam code)
  • Lakeview Cabin Collection (Steam code)
  • eBook copy of The Book at Dernier
  • eBook copy of It Came Back
  • $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 November.

I’m actually still playing the game that was selected for me after May’s contest, but I intend to finish that up soon, so there should be no conflict there.

Sale

Cover art for The Book at Dernier, The Zombie Mishap, and It Came Back

Celebrating All Things Spooky also means a sale on my work! My comedy novella The Zombie Mishap, which follows two scientists who accidentally revive a zombie and set out to stop their creation, will be on sale this weekend only. From October 6 through October 8, the ebook copy of The Zombie Mishap will be on sale for only 99 cents!

Further sales may come throughout the month, so be sure to keep your eyes on my horror novellas The Book at Dernier and It Came Back as well.

And while it’s not currently on sale, you can also check out the horror visual novel Not It: Spookiest Edition that I wrote the script for during a game jam a few years back. There’s plenty of spooky content for everyone!

Celebrating All Things Spooky 2023 Begins!

That’s all you need to know ahead of this month’s celebration, so let’s get ready for Celebrating All Things Spooky 2023! I’ll leave open the possibility of having a non-themed post once a week in case anything earth-shattering is announced, but aside from that, we’re focused on spookiness for the rest of the month.

Happy October!

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!