Mystery Gamedev Coaching

Mystery games are a combination of story and puzzle where the story is a puzzle to be solved.

They're fun to play because they encourage players to think critically and scrutinize the story.

However, this also means plot holes and logic errors are much more likely to be noticed by players, and each one will greatly diminish their experience.

Some major problems you can encounter include:

1. The characters make unrealistic or inconsistent decisions
2. The setting is not accurately or consistently depicted
3. The player gives up because the puzzles are too frustrating
4. The player gives up because the puzzles are too boring
5. The mystery's solution feels disappointing
6. The mystery's solution feels unfair
7. The mystery is not actually solvable
8. Nobody thinks the mystery is worth solving
9. You never end up finishing the game
10. You never even finish the outline

These problems often go ignored or unnoticed until the end of development, when it is too expensive or time-consuming to make any major changes -- assuming they don't prevent you from finishing the game in the first place.

Even when you try to resolve these issues, you can easily find yourself solving one problem only to find a different one has popped up in its place.

That's right -- these are the problems that turn a few months of development into a few years.

They are also extremely hard to detect without someone working with you to analyze your story.

And developers hesitate to get others involved, whether it's because they don't want to spoil the story for their friends, or because they don't want to share their secrets with strangers.

Lucky for you, the experts at Mystery Gamedev don't mind spoilers, you can trust them with your secrets, and you don't have to wait months or years to get the results you need right now!

Who will be your coach?

Kinjo Goldbar is the founder of Mystery Gamedev. After years of making his own mystery games, he wants to leverage his knowledge and experience to help others achieve their own success.

Kinjo first taught himself how to make games at 12 years old. Ten years later, he graduated university with a computer science degree while running his company Goldbar Games on the side.

With Kinjo's help, you can avoid the costly mistakes he's made over the past 15+ years.

Although he's made many games of a wide variety, below are his three most notable works, all of them being in the detective-themed locked-room murder mystery genre:

When the Seacats Cry (7/10 on VNDB). Kinjo started out by making four complete games, each with multiple locked-room mysteries, by using existing characters in creative ways. Kinjo will treat your game's characters with the same respect while helping you craft the story you want to tell. Kinjo's first Seacats fangame was made in 60 days, and the second one was made in just 30 days.

Detective Butler: Maiden Voyage Murder (80% positive on Steam). Kinjo created his own original setting and characters, and learned how to direct artists to bring a creative vision to life. He also learned how to effectively use placeholder assets to convey a vision for a compelling demo. Detective Butler's first two chapters, which were included in the first demo, were fully playable (using placeholders) in 30 days.

Reaplaced (90% positive on Steam and 3rd place Spooktober 2023 winner). Kinjo reviewed the writer's outline and drafts, catching logic errors and inconsistencies early on. Combined with the writer's fast yet quality speed, this allowed the team to focus on polishing other aspects of the game -- such as programming, art, and music -- to deliver an award-winning experience within 30 days.

You might have noticed that all three of Kinjo's best games had a playable demo completed within a 30-day timeframe. (To be honest, he didn't even realize that until he was typing it out just now!)

So, if you thought it couldn't be done -- rest assured, it can!

Kinjo has experience with a variety of game engines, including Game Maker, RPG Maker, ONscripter, Ren'Py, Unity, Unreal, and he even made his own engine in C++. He will help you choose the right game engine for your project, based on your level of experience and game idea requirements.

Kinjo also has experience with web development, having coded the Mystery Gamedev website (among many other projects). He can answer any questions regarding your game's website.

Outside of his own experience, Kinjo is always finding new mystery games and studying how they achieve success so that you can learn from the best and do the same.

Last but not least, Kinjo is known for having high standards, and will be brutally honest with you.

Don't fear constructive criticism. Embrace the truth, level up, and become a Mystery Gamedev.

Who is this for?

Anyone currently making a mystery game and wants to take their gamedev career seriously.

Maybe you need some help clarifying your ideas. Or maybe you have an outline, or even a demo, but would like the advice of a mystery expert to transform it into something better.

But before getting too excited, please keep in mind the following requirements:

• You must be age of majority in your country.
• You must be able to speak and understand English.
• You must know how to write in English at a high school level.
• You must be serious about achieving your goals.

Clarify Your Mystery Ideas With a Coaching Call

You want to make a mystery game, but don't know where to start.

Maybe you have several ideas and need help deciding what to do.

Or maybe you've already chosen one idea, but need help fleshing it out.

Schedule a coaching call to help you clarify your mystery ideas.

Hop on a private and confidential Discord call (or text chat).

Kinjo will help you plan your mystery, brainstorm your ideas, and clarify your thoughts.

Concerned about your mystery's solvability, originality, game mechanics, or logic errors?

Don't worry, your spoilers and secrets will never be shared outside of our coaching sessions.

Topics for discussion include:

• Brainstorming, planning, and clarifying ideas for your mystery
• How to turn your ideas into a useful mystery outline you can follow
• How to make your characters' actions consistent with their motivations
• How to make sure your setting is consistently and accurately depicted
• How to make your specific solution solvable by following fair-play rules
• How to foreshadow clues so your mystery is neither too easy nor too hard
• How to make your solution really stand out and resonate with the story's themes
• Pointing out any logic errors and how to resolve them
• How to use gameplay to enhance your story
• Anything else within reasonable scope of mystery game design

BONUS: If requested, our call will be recorded and sent only to you for your records.

Come prepared with questions for best results.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is this for? Anyone making a mystery game, or anyone who wants to learn how.

Do I need previous gamedev experience? No, developers of all skill levels may apply.

Do I need to credit you in my game? Not at all, but of course it would be appreciated.

Do I need a team? No, all you need is a passion for mystery, plus a computer to write and code.

I'm on a team. Can others join the call? Yes, you may invite up to three team members to join our meeting. But your team must decide which person will be responsible for booking and payment.

What is your refund policy? All sales are final. This service is for people who want to take their gamedev career seriously. It is tailored to each individual's situation, and makes use of Kinjo's unique gamedev secrets and strategies derived from his own years of trial and error. Once you learn them, you cannot go back. If you are not sure, or if you can't afford it, then please hold on to your money.