Why Am I Dead At Sea

If the commercials are to be believed, cruise ships are full of exciting water sports and good looking people wearing very little clothing. Whether it's sightseeing with the family or taking in the nightlife entertainment, everybody has a great time on a cruise. Well, almost everybody. In the case of Why Am I Dead At Sea, the passengers on the mysterious luxury liner are on edge for a perfectly understandable reason -- there's a serial killer on board.

As the title suggests, you've been murdered. But as luck would have it, a young boy named Paulo has guided your soul back to the ship in order to solve the mystery. This sets into motion a fun little caper where everybody is a suspect and you never know what evidence will turn up next. So grab a smoking pipe and put on your detective hat, because it's time to bring the culprit to justice.

Unfortunately, you aren't able to do much as the disembodied soul of a dead person. This doesn't prove to be a problem, as our hero is capable of possessing the living. At first we're limited to taking over Alton and Xu, two would-be lovers separated by his self-confidence issues and her nasty habit of stealing other people's belongings. The goal is to gain the trust of the rest of the crew and passengers, allowing the murdered spirit to possess new people and expand the scope of the investigation.

Just like any good murder mystery, it won't take long to realize that everybody on the boat is hiding a dark secret. Garv the animal lover may look nice and friendly on the surface, but he has a lot of pent-up anger. Quella the unpublished writer is having a hard time starting her newest book, and for good reason. And then there's Darryl, who spends his days on the deck mourning the woman that got away.

Each character has a unique ability, some which are invaluable when it comes to cracking the case. Xu has an uncanny ability to see what's in people's pockets, Garv can call his cat, Quella can sense people's mood and Marcurio has an eye for forensic evidence. Some abilities aren't especially useful, such as Alton changing the music or Darryl taking pain pills to walk faster.

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We learn about each of these characters through good old-fashioned snooping and by reading their thoughts. As we begin to understand more about who we used to be, the spirit grows stronger and is capable of getting inside their head like never before. In some cases, we're actually able to read the thoughts and visions of the passengers and crew. This is as horrifying as it is enlightening, and it may just be the thing you need to crack this case wide open.

Even though it bears a striking resemblance to Earthbound, Why Am I Dead At Sea has more in common with old school graphic adventure games like Grim Fandango and Monkey Island. Most of the game revolves around you having lengthy conversations with the colorful characters, all in hopes of advancing the story. There's very little traditional puzzle solving, so don't expect to pick up items and have to combine them in obtuse ways. This is a game about following the leads, and that involves a lot of conversations you might otherwise avoid.

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It's also worth mentioning that Why Are We Dead At Sea takes place entirely on a boat. This is a pitiful cruise ship that only has a few rooms to explore. With only a handful of people and four very small floors to investigate, it won't take long to see the bulk of what this game has to offer.

Thankfully, the story has enough twists and turns to keep the mystery compelling. What starts off as a simple case will quickly spiral out of control as the bodies pile up. There's also a fun supernatural element to it that allows the story to go in some unexpected directions. It will leave you guessing right up until the end, which is about all you can ask for from a good murder mystery.