Common objects in mystery games

When you play mystery games there are common objects that are picked up by players. What are some of these objects? That's today's agenda.

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There are many categories. One is everyday tools, another is mystery-solving tools. A third category could possibly be evidence/weaponry. We'll start with common, across-the-board objects in most games of the mystery/horror variety (because they overlap).

The basic idea of today's topic is just to look at what objects commonly appear in mystery genre video games. Horror and mystery are one fine line away, so they may cross over, particularly in weaponry and puzzle-solving aspects. For instance, Ghost of Thornton Hall is an example of such crossover (even if extremely light in the horror aspect). 

Everyday Tools

Ladders, screwdrivers, oil to make things move, boards to cover holes, pocket knives, crowbars, shovels, lanterns, and many basic household tools are in many games as you are required to fix holes and do tasks. This means that what I just listed could be in any mystery game you encounter.

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Why is this? Because everyday tasks are sometimes required to find hidden passages, get across the room to a door, or just because the plot has chores and tasks built into it that use common objects. We see them every day and know what they do. 

Common objects in life end up in games all the time. How often do we use ladders, screwdrivers, and shovels? It makes total sense that what we use often gets portrayed in our gaming experiences. This includes food.

Mystery Solving Tools

This category includes tools that sleuths commonly use. In this category, we have flashlights, magnifying glasses, books, journals and notebooks, keys, fingerprint kits, recorders of varying types, pens and pencils, cameras, newspapers, and metal gears. The items listed are either part of puzzles, outline what puzzle needs to be solved, can be used to take notes, or allow the detective to see or hear something more clearly. 

This is a no-brainer and you can find sleuth kits in a lot of places. Books are often used to solve puzzles and tell you how to work a machine or play the piano. Gears are usually going to be part of a box. The point is that no mystery is complete without puzzles with pieces, background information (books, newspapers), and ways to forensically solve the crime. It pays to plan like a boy scout when you are coming up against crime. 

Weaponry and Evidence

The crossover of horror and mystery comes more here than anywhere else. Murder mysteries need a weapon. knives, guns, rope, lead pipes, candlesticks, scarves, and poisons all go here. The game Clue generally encompasses all the weaponry that is common to both of these genres. Some might get a bit creative within horror games, but still, we're looking at mostly knives, guns, water, and blunt objects. 

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Evidence is anything that can be used to prove guilt or show something happened. Watches, clothing, blood, handkerchiefs, ripped fabric from clothing, photos, videos, witnesses, disturbed items, footprints... The most common ones you see are footprints, torn fabric, witnesses, blood, and photos from what I listed, but this is a broad category. Horror games will have all this in more gruesome detail. 

This last category is quite large and many games can use this to show evidence of what happened before or after an event. Horror games use a lot of visual evidence in rooms where horrible things occurred. Games meant for adults who like horror expect you to put the dots together yourself and may not have books to explain it. Or they do and you find a diary to explain more details. It depends on the age they expect to reach, which is what it comes down to when it comes to helping the audience put two and two together. Adults don't need Nancy to say obvious evidence, but younger kids might. Portal won't tell you a thing unless you look around at the lab.