Ever since I picked up my Steam Deck, I’ve developed a new appreciation for couch co-op and regularly enjoy gaming sessions with my partner where we solve crimes and puzzles of all shapes and sizes. After completing the fantastic Stasis: Bone Totem I was on the lookout for our next adventure and soon found Conway: Disappearance at Dahlia View from White Paper Games.
Retired detective, Robert Conway inserts himself into the heart of the disappearance of his neighbour’s daughter, Charlotte May. All his other neighbours are potential suspects, and he’s determined to find out who is responsible. Even if it means undermining his daughter – who is the current detective on the case, and potentially putting her job at risk. Illegally entering homes, stealing stuff, fumbling around without a care in the world, interfering with potential evidence and more. He’s a hilarious guy when you think about it and it’s great. I’m convinced this game is secretly a comedy.
There’s a crime to solve, and someone has to do it
Set in the 1950’s, 8-year-old Charlotte May has gone missing, her father attacked in the middle of the street and sustained a nasty head injury. Who would do such a thing? And why? Don’t worry, Conway is on the case. After personally pledging to the father to find out what has happened to Charlotte May he starts investigating. Looking into the whereabouts of the other residents. Finding out whether they’re hiding any secrets even if they’re not at all relevant to the case. He will find out and he will air that dirty laundry. Nothing is seemingly off limits for this rogue.
Whilst his heart is in the right place. We couldn’t help but laugh at the situations Conway constantly puts himself in where you’re just thinking “What are you doing?”. One of the first bits of investigation you do is talking to a neighbour about something suspicious you spied them doing through their window – yes, he regularly spies on people from his apartment.
You go over to their apartment to speak with them and are then left alone for plot reasons. During this time you’re free to explore the apartment to look for clues. However, the manner in which you do this is just hilarious. The whole point is that you’re trying to do it discreetly. But you leave as many cupboard doors and drawers open as possible. Fully steal things. Break into locked containers or doors and then don’t even bother to close them afterwards. The thing is, I think this just made me like the game more. It’s so silly and funny.
The amount of times Conway would call out for Charlotte May became a bit of a meme between me and my partner. In places where there is no way she would be, he would still shout for her. Any slightly small space or suspicious door Conway starts calling her name. At one point he even shouts for her behind some curtains suspended in the middle of a room… just peak through them, mate. Everything he seems to see or find, he makes some mad leap to connect it to the disappearance. Even after finding enough clues to rule them out, he’s still suspicious that they’re somehow involved. He’s like a dog with a bone, but that dog is old and has poor eyesight. And the bone is actually a rock.
Riddle me this
Connecting the dots in the cases as you build your evidence is your primary goal and to do this you will need to scoure each and every corner of a location for clues. Additionally, you will be questioning the residents to find out more information about where they were when the kidnapping took place.
There are many puzzles to solve along the way such as locking picking, reconnecting power supplies, and opening secret passageways. It’s a mystery enjoyers dream. They are fun and interesting to solve. Although playing on a controller did mean I had to deal with some clunky controls at times.
Once you’ve found your clues you head back to your apartment and see if you can piece together some motives and means on your detective boards. You typically have to answer three questions related to the case. To answer them you have to sift through your evidence to find the right solution. All the while disappointing your poor daughter who just wants to get on and do her job without having to keep asking you to not get involved.
Great detective work
I’m 99.9% sure that this game wasn’t going for a funny vibe. But for me, it certainly hit the notes for being some weird off-beat comedy. Perhaps that’s just my sense of humour seeing the oddities in the gameplay. Or the way in which we see things through our disconnected lens of sitting on the sofa. That being said, it didn’t detract from the game at all. I still really, really enjoyed it. The story was interesting. Investigating clues and exploring the locations was good fun. There were some great puzzles to solve as well that got you thinking a bit. Throughout the game, the voice acting is excellent, and the visuals are great too.
Overall all, Conway: Disappearance at Dahlia View is a great ‘whodunnit’. I just couldn’t take it as seriously as it was maybe intended.
-Will
