Playable Mystery Prototype

Dog Detective

Playable Twine-based mystery prototype focused on suspect interrogation, conflicting testimony, evidence review, and final player deduction. The piece demonstrates interactive storytelling, character-driven dialogue, branching navigation, and mystery structure.

Play the Dog Detective Game

Entry

Summary

Dog Detective

Overview

In Dog Detective, the player takes the role of Detective Dog, Midnight City’s top police detective. After homeowner John Gorilla is found dead during a burglary gone wrong, the player must interview four suspects, review crime scene evidence, compare conflicting testimony, and determine who killed Mr. Gorilla.

Design Goals

Build a fair mystery where the correct answer can be deduced without guessing.
Give each suspect a distinct voice, motive, and alibi.
Use physical evidence and written reports to confirm, weaken, or complicate each suspect’s testimony.
Create a compact interactive story that allows the story to be played in any order.
Make incorrect accusations feel plausible while remaining debunkable.

Player Experience

The game’s core loop is:

Review evidence → question suspects → compare contradictions → eliminate red herrings → submit final report.

Rather than forcing a fixed interrogation order, the game lets the player move between suspects and evidence freely while still presenting a suggested order. This structure allows the player to complete the story in any order while still supporting deduction by allowing players to revisit suspects and compare information at any time.

Story Map and Writing Sample

Design Breakdown

Design Element	Explanation
Core evidence	The autopsy and crime scene report establish indisputable facts that the suspects will indirectly confirm, explain, or contradict.
Suspect testimony	Each suspect frames their testimony to benefit themselves, by giving partial truths, withholding information, or shifting blame.
Red herrings	Each suspect is given at least one red herring that must be debunked to safely remove them as a murder suspect.
True solution	The easiest way to deduce the murderer is to determine who had access to their body after the fight.
Player skills tested	Careful reading, contradiction tracking, evidence comparison, and fine judgement are required to solve the game without brute-forcing the answer.

Dog Detective Summary

Category:

Interactive / Playable Work
Type:

Playable Prototype
Genre:

Mystery, Detective / Noir
Design Focus:

Deduction-based mystery structure, suspect interrogation, conflicting testimony, evidence review, branching navigation, and multiple accusation outcomes.
Skills Demonstrated:

Game Writing, Narrative Design, Dialogue Writing, Character Design, NPC Writing, Interactive Storytelling, Systems Thinking, Player Experience, Documentation, Creative Writing

Dog Detective demonstrates my ability to design a playable interactive mystery around deduction, branching interrogation, conflicting testimony, and evidence-based player choice. It shows my ability to create a compact game structure with a clear hub, distinct suspects, multiple information sources, and meaningful final outcomes. It also demonstrates revision and implementation discipline. The piece has been refined toward clearer case logic, stronger suspect differentiation, and a more satisfying detective experience.
Player Role:

Detective Dog, a police detective assigned to solve an unresolved murder case in Midnight City.
Player Fantasy / Experience:

The player acts as the detective: reviewing reports, questioning unreliable suspects, comparing testimony against evidence, and deciding who to accuse based on reasoning rather than direct confirmation.
Original Project / Universe:

Dog Detective
IP Source Type:

Original IP
AI Assistance Used:

Yes
AI was used for character image generation only. The mystery structure, writing, suspect testimony, gameplay flow, Twine implementation, and design decisions are my work.

Contact Me

Have a world that needs words?

Eligible to work within US and EU.
Remote-friendly · Open to projects and full-time roles.
Willing to relocate.

Light the Signal Fire