Mysteries of Old Tokyo News

[h2]Demo 2.0 released with all-new gameplay, locations and puzzles[/h2][p]After the rush of October and the first demo, I've been hard at work overhauling the gameplay and implementing feedback. I'm really excited for you to play this new version and I look forward to hearing your thoughts.[/p][p]Try the demo![/p][p][/p][p]The biggest change in this demo is an all-new gameplay loop. Instead of being stuck in your office filling in data, you now get to go out and collect information yourself! You'll have to visit each location, take a photograph, and collect evidence to bring back to the office.[/p][p]The all-new location list now includes:[/p]

• [p]Ginza Street, the most representative shopping street[/p]
• [p]Kabuki-za Theater, Kobikicho, Kyobashi[/p]
• [p]Hibiya Park[/p]
• [p]The Takarazuka Theatre[/p]
• [p]Senso-ji Temple dedicated to a Goddess of Mercy, Asakusa[/p]
• [p]Kameido Tenjin Shrine[/p]

[p]At the same time, as you explore these new locations, you'll encounter familiar spirits and get the opportunity to uncover their stories - if you like. The spirit report is now optional, so feel free to skip it if you want to see more locations.[/p][p][/p][p]There's also visual and audio changes. There's a new CRT Filter which can be toggled using the side menu. Plus, you can sink your ears into a Tokyo soundscape with new ambient audio based on real recordings.[/p][p]This demo is almost completely different with new puzzles and locations, so if you enjoyed the first demo, I think you'll love the new stuff in 2.0.[/p][p]Please note: Because of the new gameplay, if you have a saved game from the old demo, it unfortunately will not be carried over. Additionally, there are important changes in the tutorial for the new gameplay. However, unlocked achievements will remain.[/p][p][/p][h2]Steam Detective Fest[/h2][p][/p][p]Keep an eye out for Mysteries of Old Tokyo in the upcoming Steam Detective Fest! I'm really pleased to have been included since I love detective games of all kinds. A few of my favourites (and inspirations for Mysteries of Old Tokyo):[/p]

• [p]Return of the Obra Dinn[/p]
• [p]The Roottrees Are Dead[/p]
• [p]The Golden Idol series[/p]
• [p]The Ace Attorney series[/p]
• [p]Chants of Sennaar[/p]
• [p]Hypnospace Outlaw[/p]
• [p]Paradise Killer[/p]
• [p]Analogue: A Hate Story[/p]
• [p]Outer Wilds[/p]
• [p]The Forgotten City[/p]
• [p]Her Story[/p]

[p]I wholeheartedly recommend all these games if you like smart detective puzzlers.[/p][p][/p][h2]Demo 2.0 changes[/h2][h3]Features:[/h3]

• [p]Gameplay 2.0: The “data entry” stage and “spirit report” stage have been merged into one cohesive stage per week.[/p]
  • [p]Rather than having images and texts given to you, you have to visit each location to take a photo.[/p]
  • [p]Visiting a location will unlock new “evidence” which is passed through to the Data Entry mode, with a counter to keep track.[/p]
  • [p]Spirits now appear in more places, with more of a hunt to find them.[/p]
  • [p]You can complete the Data Entry puzzles and Spirit Report stages for each week in any order.[/p]
  • [p]The Spirit Report is now optional - you can skip it after completing Data Entry, but you’ll miss out on building relationships with the spirits.[/p]
• [p]Ambient audio when visiting locations and stations.[/p]
• [p]CRT Filter for groovy visual effects.[/p]
• [p]PDA now has a route finder app to make it easier to get around.[/p]
• [p]New interlude scene for Week 2.[/p]
• [p]Reworked maps, plus a new location (Tama River).[/p]
• [p]File filter is now included on Spirit Report when selecting text file evidence, to make it easier to find relevant files for the contradiction.[/p]
• [p]Better controls on the postcard browser.[/p]
• [p]Making an accusation now requires confirmation.[/p]
• [p]New postcards for a week are shown in a different colour.[/p]

[h3]Bug fixes:[/h3]

• [p]Route finding is improved and will give more concise, easy-to-follow routes now.[/p]
• [p]Improved map out-of-bounds behaviour.[/p]
• [p]Fixed position of Mitsukoshi Dept. Store.[/p]
• [p]Fixed slow night and strange behaviour around the hotel.[/p]
• [p]Desk date advances correctly per week.[/p]
• [p]Fixed text filter matching BBCode tags (e.g. “tab” would match “\
  \
  ”).[/p]

[h3]Other:[/h3]

• [p]Chapters 1 and 2 have been completely overhauled with a new selection of postcards and re-scanned images.[/p]
• [p]Database has been optimised and streamlined[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p]

[p]Hey! Thanks to everyone who has played the demo so far. I'm so pleased with the feedback and it's really helped hone my ideas about how this game should look and play.[/p][p]Because of that, I have a bit of a new focus for the gameplay: I'm hoping to test some new ideas to make the game a bit friendlier and more streamlined, without losing any of the depth that people have enjoyed so far.[/p][p]As we exit this busy promotional period, I think this will probably be the last "feature" update for a while, though of course I will fix any bugs that come up. With my focus off marketing, I'll be working hard on the game content and new mechanics to get it ready for the planned release by Q2 2026.[/p][p][/p][h2]Features:[/h2]

• [p]Locations now have one or more categories attached. When choosing the “inconsistent action” inconsistency, you have to select a correct category. For example, “You can’t have sang karaoke at the Dai-ichi Sogokan, because it’s a commercial office building.”[/p]

[h2]Bug fixes:[/h2]

• [p]Fix bug where game would continue past Week 2 but with no content, causing soft lock.[/p]
• [p]Add a “Then”, so clunky text like “I walked for 5 minutes. I walked for 5 minutes.” is now slightly less-clunky “I walked for 5 minutes. Then, I walked for 5 minutes”.[/p]
• [p]Fix bug where “Explore” phase would start on map screen if player had previously accessed Free Roam mode.[/p]
• [p]Fixed rare bug where a twisted journey > 3 hours might cause a crash.[/p]

[p]Originally meant to be quite a small update, this one kind of grew and grew...[/p][p]There are some quite fundamental changes to the game logic for this one, so please do send feedback in case you find any bugs or strange behaviour.[/p][p][/p][h2]Features:[/h2]

• [p]Added “Free Roam” under “Fun Stuff”. In between assignments, you can explore Tokyo and any unlocked postcards without time or money limits.[/p]
• [p]Improved text filter: a magenta highlight is applied to matching text in text files when you use the text filter[/p]
• [p]Disabled Word Holes are now displayed with a greyish background to make it a bit more obvious that they can’t be accessed, and the “error” highlight is not applied.[/p]
• [p]Text and image data is now marked as “New” if the player hasn’t seen it yet.[/p]
  • [p]In the file list in the database, new files are marked with a “*”.[/p]
  • [p]Additionally, on the “Text Records”/”Image Records” tab buttons, any new files will cause a “New” badge to be shown. Once all new data has been seen, the “New” badge is removed.[/p]
  • [p]“Seen” files are persisted in your save file across sessions.[/p]
• [p]The detailed train map (in the Report or under Find-A-Route) has been improved:[/p]
  • [p]Simplified interface: “Via Station” and “Point” tabs have been merged, so both stations and postcards are now accessed from a single picker.[/p]
  • [p]The drop-down buttons have been replaced by a somewhat more accessible modal picker that shows a list of stations and postcards.[/p]
  • [p]Plotting routes should be a bit more consistent now.[/p]
  • [p]The map now also shows postcards (visible as stars).[/p]
• [p]Secret feature: You can press “Alt+F” to toggle fullscreen/windowed mode now on large (1440p/4K) monitors. Note that on a 1080p monitor it won't really change the window size.[/p]
• [p]Added 1 achievement when you start the tutorial (this should also activate from your saved file if you already finished the tutorial).[/p]

[p]Bugs:[/p]

• [p]Some duplicate text removed from the text for the statue of Dai Nanko.[/p]
• [p]When describing journeys, the text descriptions could be misleading, e.g. “under two minutes” for journeys between 2-5 minutes, or “about five minutes” for journeys up to 10 minutes. These have been tweaked.[/p]
• [p]Remove a duplicate “about about” in train journey descriptions.[/p]
• [p]At Otemachi station, Hanzomon line now only appears once.[/p]

[p]Other:[/p]

• [p]Imported basic data (name and coordinates) for all 44 postcards from the full game. These can’t be visited in the demo but will show up as “Locked Postcard” on the map and browse screens.[/p]

[p]Some small improvements in time for Next Fest, including an important fix for streamers using OBS[/p][h2]Features:[/h2]

• [p]Added 6 new achievements.[/p]
• [p]Replaced Godot default boot screen with 90s startup icon.[/p]
• [p]The text cursor will now move to the new note when adding a note.[/p]

[h2]Bug fixes:[/h2]

• [p]Switched renderer from “compatibility” to “mobile”. This fixes the Godot 4.5 issue where output in OBS is mirrored/inverted.[/p]
• [p]Ensured music will restart when continuing the game after finishing the tutorial.[/p]
• [p]Tutorial stage 2 map pin is a bit more visible now when disabled.[/p]

[h2]Other:[/h2]

• [p]Analytics now includes information on the last spirit inconsistency, which should make it easier for me to troubleshoot any problems with inconsistencies.[/p]

[p]It’s been just a week since the demo came out, but it feels like so much has happened. An idle idea I had back in April - “I wonder if anyone else remembers multimedia CD-ROMs?” - has turned into something people are actually playing and enjoying![/p][p]Thank you to everyone who has been in touch - I’ve read every piece of feedback and it really puts a smile on my face to hear people are enjoying the demo.[/p][p]Please do leave a review if you have the time, even if it’s short - it really helps with the Steam algorithm.[/p][p]Just in time for the end of Finnish Games Week, and the start of Next Fest, I’m very happy to announce the new Demo v1.2 is available with some great new features and some satisfying bug fixes.[/p][h2]Features[/h2][h3]Achievements![/h3][p]There are now seven Steam achievements in the game, with more to come soon. If you already played part of the demo, most should unlock automatically when you start the game. Note: If you already finished the demo and completed Week 2, getting the final achievements (week 2 and end of demo) will require you to play through one “explore” cycle (from meeting the spirit to seeing the “Chapter Complete” screen). After that a new “demo complete” flag is set and the achievements will be unlocked.[/p][h3]New menu! [/h3][p]With a nod to the confusing “mystery meat” menus of the late 90s, I’ve put together a new, more visually exciting main menu with influence from classic 90s CD-ROM applications.[/p][p][/p][h3]New type of inconsistency! [/h3][p]You will now need to check the spirits’ stories extra carefully to find if it’s a time violation, an impossible journey, or the new “Action inconsistent with location”. For example, it’s hard to ride a horse on the Tokyo Expressway.[/p][p][/p][p]The Marunouchi postcard is now part of the regular location, so spirits can appear there in Explore mode.[/p][p]Changed the inconsistency generator so won’t get the same type of narrative inconsistency twice … except, to keep it interesting, on rare occasions you will. So read carefully![/p][h2]Bug fixes[/h2][p]The mouse label will now reappear on “Parallels Mode” in the similarity finder, even if you complete one of the tabs, when you move to an incomplete tab.[/p][p]Try to fix a weird bug where the fullscreen viewer appears out of nowhere if you click some wrong spot on the similarity finder.[/p][p]Save button on database prep should no longer overlap the word list.[/p][p]The button to open fullscreen view will no longer shrink if it is unclickable/under other controls.[/p][p]Fixed the new volume slider not saving the music volume as an options file.[/p][p]Fixed the new volume slider not being set visually on start-up.[/p][p]Fixed a factual error regarding addressing Japanese emperors.[/p][h2]Other[/h2][p]Version number is now shown on the main menu.[/p][p]The “right place, wrong year” logic has been adjusted to avoid choosing a location that’s has a start/end date too close to the current year. For example, if a place closed in March 1955, you could argue that it was open in 1955, for a few months, which means the spirit isn’t technically lying if they say they went there in 1955. To avoid this ambiguity, there is a buffer of at least 1 year between the start/end year for a location and the actual year of the story.[/p][p]Added dev tools for testing report and exporting postcard data.[/p]