Overboard!

Genre: Visual Novel

Players: 1

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Review:

Overboard! Is a Visual Novel released on PC, mobile devices, and Nintendo Switch in 2021, and this game puts a fun and original spin on the murder mystery genre, because rather than being a Whodunnit, Overboard is a Youdunnit. Players take the role of Veronica Villensey, who starts the game off by murdering her husband, pushing him overboard late at night on a ship. Now the clock is ticking, and you must cover your tracks before the deed can be traced back to you.

The presentation here is simple, but works well – the game uses flat and simple 2D portraits for its characters and backgrounds, and sets the tone for both the location and time period with its 1930s-era music and nautical noises that can be heard as you move about the ship – the bell signalling the hour, the clomp of footsteps on wood as you move about the cabin, and so on. Even though the game doesn’t impress on a technical level, the simple visuals and excellent sound design do wonders to pull you into its story.

It bears mention that the story here is a really delightful one, told mainly through its colorful cast of characters that are brilliantly depicted with excellently-written dialogue. The respectable elderly military man, the lush socialite, the dandy, and so on… not least of which being Veronica herself, whose scheming is brilliantly depicted both through her carefully-considered dialogue and her more candid narration.

However, the real magic act this game manages to pull is with its gameplay, which gives players a wealth of options, but leaves it to them to figure out which ones will lead to success. Are the sleeping pills better used to spike someone’s drink, or planted in someone’s room to discredit them as a mental case? Should you claim an incriminating earring was stolen, or perhaps say it’s not yours?

Another clever little trick this game does is that it forces players to carefully manage their time. Each activity consumes some of your limited time, and players are forced to decide the best way to use it. Should you be planting evidence to incriminate another? Digging up info? Or perhaps seducing a witness to keep their mouth shut? Certain events only happen at certain times, and the passengers and crew move around the boat allowing for different opportunities at different times, so you’ll need to be mindful of this is you want to make the most of your opportunities. Players feeling stuck can even opt to go to a chapel to pray to a snarky, condescending god for ideas on how to make progress.

There’s a fair amount of replay value here too, in that there are multiple endings. The game can be easily completed within an hour or even less depending on your reading speed, but players will want to play through the game multiple times to try out different ideas to see how they work. To this end, the game even includes a convenient “fast forward” button to automatically redo all of the choices you made in your previous run, if you’d rather rush through things and just try one or two things differently, and players can also opt to retry the current scene if they make a mistake or want to take a second shot at something immediately.

While this all makes for a really compelling game you’ll want to jump back into, there are still places where I feel like more could be done. Players are only ever given two or three options at any given time, and this can be frustrating when you head out with the intention of acting in a panic about your missing husband and are not given that option, or wanting to point a finger at someone and accuse them of being a thief before the final “I’ve gathered you all together” scene. It’s not a fatal flaw, but it can at times make this game feel less open-ended than it often wants to present itself as.

One final note – the Nintendo Switch version of the game does make good use of the touchscreen. While this feature is well-implemented, I also feel like it’s not really necessary – traditional gamepad controls work just fine.

While there are places I feel like Overboard! could have done more, I feel like what this game does already is pretty significant. Players are given a succinct Visual Novel experience with a solid assortment of impactful choices, are made to manage those options and their limited time wisely, and are given plenty of capacity both to retry while making different choices and to seek guidance within the game if they’re stuck. All of this within a game that has some excellent and well-written characters and a fun and unique hook makes Overboard! a game that’s an absolute must for murder mystery fans, especially those plotters and planners who want to try their hand at pulling off the perfect crime. If that sounds at all appealing, definitely give Overboard! A look.

tl;dr – Overboard! is a Visual Novel that puts you in the role of a murderous wife looking to cover her tracks after pushing her husband off a ship to his doom. This game utilizes numerous clever systems that give players a wealth of impactful options while also challenging them to keep an eye on the clock, and the great characters and solid writing make this a game you’ll be happy to play through repeatedly to try for different endings. There are still places this game could have gone even further, but ultimately Overboard! Is a wonderful entry in the genre that fans of murder mysteries should absolutely try out.

Grade: B+

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This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2021 Game Awards:

Runner-Up: Best Sound Design, Best Story, Best Graphic Adventure / Visual Novel

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