What I liked
- Compelling writing. Even the red herrings or "irrelevant" entries with no clues gave us insights into Millhaven, as a community.
- Unique report format. I was so used to the drop-down menus from Golden Idol-esque deduction games that I didn't expect typed responses or multiple-choice questions.
- Automatic connection-matching. It does make things feel easier than other games that require explicitly placing strings on a conspiracy board to match two related pieces of evidence (A Hand With Many Fingers comes to mind). But personally, I like the instant validation that I chose relevant evidence.
- Just the right balance of revelation and implication. There was enough threads to piece it all together, without feeling either spoon-fed or doing blind guesswork.
What could be improved
- Linear, ungrouped evidence board UI. Even with the automatic connection-matching, I would have liked to be able to add color-coded tags to group evidence together. Either that, or to physically drag the evidence cards into a custom order, so I can see the related entries in one place.
- Overwhelming volume of obits. For pacing, I would have preferred starting with maybe 5 obits, then establishing 3 connections unlocks the next 5. But aside from practical considerations, I understand why it doesn't work that way, since the player is meant to be digitizing the physical entries. So there's no in-story reason for the later archives to be 'gatekept' from the very start. It's not like Lost Wiki: Kozlovka or The Ratline where an external client has hired you to do all this sleuthing.
Although that *might* be an interesting angle too: someone connected to the conspiracy has hired you to find patterns in the archives that you're digitizing. (One of Gordon Vance's daughters, possibly, contacting you using their married name?) - Might benefit from a looping piece of background music to set the mood. (But that's just my aesthetic preference, really.)