New Game Alert: say hello to PLAY BCKWARDS

1985. The power's out across the whole building. Five students are stuck in detention with nowhere to go. By morning, Vice Principal Harris is dead, and one of those five, Mara Vale, is simply gone.

Nobody's story ever matched anyone else's. The case went cold. The evidence, the tapes, the statements, all of it got boxed up and forgotten.

Then, forty years later, Mara came back. She hasn't aged a day.

If that opening gave you a proper shiver, good. We've just finished building a case file around it and we cannot wait for you to get your hands on it.

PLAY BCKWARDS is our newest Cold Case File and it's a big step up from anything we've released before. Sealed evidence. Recovered recordings. A full digital investigation hub sitting alongside the physical file, so you're not just reading statements, you're actually working the case the way a real cold case unit would.

You'll be picking through everything the original 1985 detectives had (and clearly missed), from witness statements that contradict each other in small, telling ways, to audio recordings that were locked away for four decades. Somewhere in there is the answer to what actually happened that stormy night and why Mara Vale walked back into town looking exactly like she did the day she vanished.

What actually happened that night

Here's what we can tell you without spoiling it: five students, one blackout, one Vice Principal who didn't make it to morning, and one of those students gone by sunrise. The four who stayed behind never told quite the same story twice, and forty years on, nobody's ever explained why.

That's the case waiting for you.

Solo, or bring backup

You can work PLAY BCKWARDS entirely solo, at your own pace, or team up with one other person and split the investigation between you. Either way works.

Why "BCKWARDS"

We're not going to give away the game, literally. The missing letter isn't a typo, and we'll let you work out why once you're into the file rather than spoil it here.

When you can get your hands on it

PLAY BCKWARDS launches on the 31st of August, and pre-orders are open right now. If cold cases are your thing, this is the one to have on your list. And if you'd rather gather everyone round the table in the meantime, have a look at our full range of murder mystery games.

FAQs

Do I need to have played a Masters of Mystery Cold Case File before? Not at all. PLAY BCKWARDS is a self-contained case, so it's a perfectly good first Cold Case File if you've never tried one before.

Is it better solo or with a partner? Both work. Solo lets you go through everything at your own pace, and playing with a partner means you can split up the evidence and compare notes as you go.

What's included? Sealed evidence, recovered recordings and full access to the digital investigation hub.

Can I print out the evidence? Yes. Everything in the file is designed to print out cleanly, so if you'd rather work from physical pages, pin things up or spread it all across the table, that works just as well as working through it on screen.

Can I pre-order it now? Yes. Pre-orders are open ahead of the official launch on the 31st of August.