Murder by Numbers similar games & best alternatives

Murder by Numbers

PC (Microsoft Windows), Nintendo Switch • 2020

Should you play it?

Solve Pixel Puzzles to find clues. Use those clues to interrogate witnesses. Work your way to the truth... ...and uncover the mystery of Murder by Numbers!

What works
  • Engaging puzzle and story blend
  • Charming characters and art style
  • Catchy and fitting soundtrack
  • Good difficulty progression
  • Inclusive lgbtq+ representation
Things to keep in mind
  • Linear story with limited player choice impact
  • Repetitive music and puzzles
  • Tedious replay for s-rank and unlockables
  • Some pacing issues due to frequent puzzles
  • Minor ui and quality-of-life shortcomings

What to play next

Similar games, hidden gems, and fresh directions from this game.

Top picks

Games that feel the closest overall

  • The Blackwell Legacy

  • Loco Motive

  • The Rise of the Golden Idol

  • Mr. Pumpkin Adventure

  • Tales of the Orient: The Rising Sun

  • Milo and the Christmas Gift

  • Delores: A Thimbleweed Park Mini-Adventure

  • Machinarium

  • Isles of Sea and Sky

Hidden Gems

Less popular games with surprisingly high similarity

  • Mr. Pumpkin Adventure

  • Tales of the Orient: The Rising Sun

  • Another Perspective

If you liked…

Recommendations by what you enjoyed most

Similarity map

Explore nearby similar games and see why they’re close.

How to use the graph
Similarity map

Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Why this game works” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

  • Purple star: this page’s game — everything on the map is relative to it.
  • Coloured chips: click to highlight games that mainly differ on that motivation; click again to reset.
  • Dotted line: link between this page’s game and the one selected for comparison.
  • Hover a dot for a screenshot preview, score, and top score gaps; click to compare in the panel on the right.
  • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers (hidden on purpose).

Murder by Numbers: Broadly representative of its motivational profile, with a few distinct shifts. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Survival, Violence, Competition, Thrill. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Exploration, Expression, Intimacy.

Why this game works

A motivational profile of the game, with the closest similar game for each player motivation.

  • Autonomy

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  • Competence

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  • Competition

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  • Continuation

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  • Creativity

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  • Domination

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  • Escapism

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    "Players use the game as a relaxing escape and distraction from real-life stress."

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  • Expectation

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  • Experimenting

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  • Exploration

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    "Story and environments are mostly familiar and linear, with limited discovery or open-world elements."

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  • Expression

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  • Fantasy

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  • Growth

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  • Health

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  • Idle

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    "Requires focused attention to solve puzzles and follow story; not suited for casual or background play."

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  • Intimacy

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    "Minimal social or emotional connection beyond character interactions in single-player context."

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  • Leadership

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  • Progression

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    "Players accumulate items, unlock achievements, and advance through story and puzzles."

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  • Relaxation

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  • Sensation

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  • Status

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    "No social recognition or ranking systems; achievements exist but limited social visibility."

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    "Achievements and ranks exist but have limited social visibility or recognition."

  • Story

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  • Strategy

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  • Thrill

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    "Puzzle gameplay is mostly calm and logical with minimal suspense or risk."

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  • Value

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    "Players perceive good value from challenging puzzles, story, and length, especially at discounted price."

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  • Violence

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Last update: 01/06/2026