Detective Butler is Back!

Experience a thrilling character-driven murder mystery visual novel.Detective Butler and the King of Hearts is currently in development.Don't miss out on Detective Butler's next big adventure!

Mystery. Romance. Adventure.

Three years after the events of the Maiden Voyage Murder, Gilligan Golder was suddenly thrust into the role of CEO at his late father's life insurance company, G.G. Inc. At the same time, Gilligan has been attending classes at the prestigious Diamond University, again only because of his late father's influence.

His company's investors have great expectations for what he will become after graduation. But poor old Gilligan struggles to maintain a decent work-life balance. He used writing to process the trauma of his father's death, and eventually grew to enjoy the hobby. Now he spends most of class writing stories for Butler to solve instead of taking lecture notes.Speaking of Butler, he works for Gilligan's company as a life insurance fraud investigator. The work is a bit too dull for him, but it pays well enough. He derives more pleasure from solving the mysteries that Gilligan writes for him.

One day, Gilligan and Butler learn about a Detection Club at the university. Both intrigued, they decide to go there and become members themselves.

At the same time, a series of murders have been taking place on the Diamond University campus. Young college-age women are found dead, always with the heart ripped out from a gaping wound. None of the hearts have been found, evidently stolen from the girls by the killer. Thus, the killer has been nicknamed "The King of Hearts."Tensions have grown on campus as the female students fear becoming the next victim, and the male students fear being falsely accused as the killer. In the midst of all this, Gilligan falls in love with one of the girls, but lacks the confidence to pursue her.

Eventually, a new victim is discovered: a member of the Detection Club.And the prime suspect? Detective Butler.Gilligan refuses to believe it. With Butler as the brains and Gilligan doing the legwork, they work together to pursue the truth and catch the true killer.The other members of the Detection Club all have secrets they want to remain hidden. Will Gilligan come to regret the truth he ends up discovering?What are the consequences of telling comforting lies over the harsh truth?And what are the consequences of believing them?

It's more than just a murder mystery.
It's a story about the people who solve them.

A Binge-Worthy Visual Novel

Inspired by modern serialized television, we're aiming for each chapter in the game to be roughly one hour long.The dialogue is written in the style of a TV script, and we plan for full voice acting in the final game.Our story also contains themes that are relevant to modern audiences and will leave a positive impact.You'll be on the edge of your seat as you experience this suspenseful character drama.

An Epic Story Like None Other

  • Estimated 100,000 to 200,000 words of reading in the final game

  • A unique, hand-drawn art style with animated sprites and backgrounds

  • 50+ characters in a big world

  • A compelling narrative focused on more than just the mystery

  • A fantastic original soundtrack

Become an Amateur Sleuth

  • Countless mysteries to solve as you read the story

  • Case Notes to refresh your memory on important info

  • Lecture Notes to teach you how to think like a detective

  • Choices to personalize your experience and test your skills

FAQ

When will the game be ready?
Likely 2024, but we'll be releasing demos throughout 2023 as we build the game.Will the game be free to play?
No, it will be sold commercially on Steam.What's the age group for this game?
Due to mature topics and themes in the story, we recommend this game only for teens and older.Why so many characters?
When making murder mysteries, you need to kill off characters and suspect others in order to create the puzzle. And we have lots of puzzles for you to solve!What other works of fiction inspired this project?
Umineko When They Cry, Kindaichi Case Files, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Breaking Bad / Better Call Saul, Crime and Punishment, the works of John Dickson Carr and G.K. Chesterton, and all Disney movies released during the '90s.

Be among the first to play the demo!

Our previous game Detective Butler: Maiden Voyage Murder has nearly 200 positive reviews on Steam (81%) and over 50,000 downloads across all storefronts.Don't miss out on Detective Butler's next big adventure!

© Goldbar Games LLC. All rights reserved.

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You'll be the first to play the demo when it's out!