I love a good detective game. I’m by no means an expert, and given the chance I’d likely just stumble around Sherlock’s mind palace or flit between Poirot’s little grey cells as I bang clues together like a chimp trying to create fire, but there’s beauty in translating the complexities of an investigation into video game format. The Seance of Blake Manor does just that, with an intricately told murder mystery that somehow never feels overly complicated, all wrapped up in a surprisingly spooky package.
You take up the role of Declan Ward, an investigator summoned to Blake Manor to take on the case of a missing woman named Evelyn Dean. Things clearly don’t feel quite right when you get there, and you end up embroiled in a series of large and small investigations, with the goal of finding Evelyn and learning more about the Grand Seance that Blake Manor is hosting.
You’re not alone, with an eclectic cast of characters all going about their daily routines over the weekend you’re there. They’re a diverse bunch, and while the game is set in Western Ireland during the late 1800’s, you’ll meet guests from all over the world and all walks of life. Many are there to take part in the Grand Seance, but equally you’ll find others wary of it or with their own ulterior motives. My personal favourite was Domhnall O’Finn, a giant of a man who also happens to be a druid, and one who I couldn’t help but like instantly.
As mentioned, everyone has their own routines and many have their own plots, relationships and backgrounds for you to uncover. Time only moves in Blake Manor when you’re investigating something, with other guests changing locations on the map as one hour ticks over to the next. That means you’ll need to plan your time effectively, and while rifling through the drawers in someone’s bedroom may only take a minute, sitting for dinner with some of your fellow guests to drill them for information may eat up most of the hour, so you’ll need to think carefully about your next step, especially as you reach the last 15 minutes of the hour.
Despite loving detective games, I can find some of them a bit overwhelming. Return of the Obra Dinn ticked all sorts of boxes in my head, but unfortunately years of Tiktok and lack of sleep have left my attention span a bit frazzled, and I never could quite keep up with it all. The Seance of Blake Manor does a fantastic job of keeping you engaged in the mysteries through a set of tools that make it easy to keep on top of everything at a glance.
The mindmap helpfully colour codes the links between pieces of evidence to indicate if there’s more to do or not. The mindmap itself is split across the main investigation into the Grand Seance and Evelyn Deane’s disappearance, but individual guests and staff members all have their own mindmaps too, helping you pick an area of investigation and follow it through. There’s a full timetable system for the two days too, with guests helpfully telling you their exact schedule hour by hour when you ask how they intend to spend the weekend, so if you want to sneak around someone’s room then you’ll know when they’re due to be attending an event in the drawing room, for example. Finally, a comprehensive map completes your investigatory tools, highlighting where each guest is so you can easily get to them (or avoid them).
Investigations are composed of a bunch of different elements, and it all feels freeform enough that you’ve got full control without being overwhelming. You could be rooting through luggage for clues, questioning guests over specific pieces of evidence, eavesdropping on conversations or simply giving them the old Sherlock Holmes up-and-down as you analyse their appearance for clues. Similarly though I found some investigatory threads completely organically – at one point I noticed multiple picture frames were askew as I was walking around the house, indicating someone carelessly running through the halls, which I then followed to earn more evidence about the case. It’s really smart stuff, and one of the best examples of the genre I’ve seen.
It’s all wrapped up in an absolutely gorgeous setting too. I was a huge fan of Ripley’s Believe it or Not as a kid, and The Seance of Blake Manor reminds me of those pulpy old horror comics, with their chunky outlines and flat colours. Characters look suitably sinister (even when they don’t have ulterior motives), and fireplaces crackle with comic book-style onomatopoeic written sound effects. It’s a genuinely unsettling place to wander around, made spookier by the restrained use of more traditional horror tropes: A screech as a bench behind you moves across the room, a ghostly skeletal being appears for just a second as you round a corner.
These occurrences are few and far between, but each reminds you that time is ticking away and the Grand Seance is growing closer. It’s backed up with some nice voice acting too, which well matches the diverse range of characters staying in Blake Manor. My only gripe here is that voice acting was a bit sporadic. I never quite knew whether I was going to hear a character’s voice or not, often you’ll just be reading through parts of the conversation and then voices will kick in at other times. A minor issue, but I found it a little jarring.
The Seance of Blake Manor is an essential game for fans of detective games, and I’d even recommend it to those who just enjoy horror games in general. It blends the complexity of the detective genre with some great investigation features to enable everyone to follow the multiple threads in its twisting tale, empowering you to chase leads, learn more about your fellow guests and crack the case.
