REC · CASE #001 · INTERROGATION ROOM 3

A body was found at midnight. Now there's a table, two chairs, and a stranger who swears they never met her. You have ten minutes. They have every reason to lie.

The Art of Interrogation

  • PC & Mobile
  • 5–10 min cases
  • Release TBA
See how it plays Press & partner enquiries

File 01 · The premise

The truth is in how they say it.

Murder Book: The Art of Interrogation is a narrative-driven interrogation game inspired by real police footage and psychological interviews.

You play a detective with no fingerprints, no DNA lab and no forensic shortcuts. There is a suspect across the table, and everything they say, avoid saying, or say a little too carefully.

Every case is a short, self-contained story. You win it by listening.

For fans of Her Story · Papers, Please · L.A. Noire · Return of the Obra Dinn

Exhibit A: the interrogation room
Genre
Narrative interrogation
Session
5–10 minute cases
Platforms
PC & Mobile
Studio
Gungrounds, Zagreb, Croatia

File 02 · The interrogation loop

Four steps between a statement and a verdict.

  1. Case select screen showing 'Case of the Hidden Gun' with results, completion bar at 58% and locked case slots
    01

    Open the case

    Pick a case file, read the background and step into the room. Each case tracks your results and how much of its story you've uncovered.

  2. In-game casebook listing suspect behaviours, with 'Acting Emotion' selected and explained through cognitive load theory
    02

    Read the behaviour

    Watch for the tells: stonewalling, avoidance, fabrication, a nervous laugh at the wrong moment. Every behaviour is documented in an in-game casebook drawn from real interrogation practice.

  3. Evidence board linking suspect statements such as 'I NEVER met her!' and 'I had no idea' with red string to a fabricated description of the gun
    03

    Connect the statements

    Pin what they said to the board and string the contradictions together. I NEVER met her! doesn't sit well next to a fabricated description of the gun.

  4. Technique menu listing Build Trust, Futility, Bluffing, Baiting, Demonstration and Confrontation, with Build Trust explained
    04

    Choose your technique, then conclude

    Decide how to press. The approach you pick changes what the suspect gives up and where the case goes next.

    • Build Trust
    • Futility
    • Bluffing
    • Baiting
    • Demonstration
    • Confrontation

    Build Trust: fostering an environment where the suspect feels comfortable and secure enough to communicate openly.

    From the in-game casebook

File 03 · Suspect behaviour

Learn the tells.

Murder Book teaches players to recognise real interrogation behaviours. Pick a file.

Acting Emotion

Acting an emotion at appropriate moments, but failing to maintain that emotion consistently.

A feigned emotion is hard to sustain. This is often explained by cognitive load theory: maintaining a lie or fabricated emotion requires significant mental effort and concentration.

From the in-game casebook

…plus Narrative Gaps, Emotional Leakage and more in the full casebook.

File 04 · Every case branches

No single right answer. Just the one you can prove.

Each case is a branching story. What you notice, what you connect and how you press decide where it ends: a confession, a dead end, or a suspect who walks free because the proof wasn't there.

  • Multiple endings in every case
  • Achievements hidden down unexplored branches
  • Completion tracking that rewards replaying
  • Verdicts that follow your evidence, guilty or not guilty
Branching case map for Case #001 showing an introduction splitting into many branches, with achievement endings and 60% completion
Case #001: branch map

File 05 · Built for short sessions

A full case on your commute.

Cases run 5–10 minutes and were designed from the start for mobile and quick PC play. The interface works in portrait on a phone and landscape on desktop, so a case fits between stops or at the end of a long day.

5–10
minutes per case
2
layouts, portrait & landscape
PC + Mobile
target platforms
Murder Book title screen with New Game, Settings and Credits over a red-lit interrogation table
Portrait mobile layout of the evidence board with behaviour icons and a Build Trust technique button

Evidence locker

Every case is built from evidence like this. Photographs, objects and places the suspect would rather you never saw.

File 06 · Why it matters

A game about listening.

Critical thinking

Question what you hear

Players practise spotting inconsistencies, weighing evidence and resisting the easy conclusion, through play rather than lecture.

Grounded

Rooted in real practice

Behaviours and techniques draw on real police footage, psychological interviews and ideas like cognitive load theory, all explained in plain language inside the game.

Accessible

Short, readable, mobile-first

Bite-sized cases and a clear, illustrated interface welcome people who don't usually pick up a detective game.

European IP

Made in Croatia

An original property from an independent Zagreb studio, co-funded by the European Union through Creative Europe MEDIA and by the Croatian Audiovisual Centre.

File 07 · The studio

Made by Gungrounds.

Gungrounds is an independent game studio founded in 2016 in Zagreb, Croatia. The team started out developing and porting games for Armor Games, Newgrounds and Kongregate, and has since shipped original titles and worked with some of the industry's best-known names.

Past clients & partners Devolver Digital · Croteam · Mad Head Games · Miniclip · Fumi Games

  • Serious Sam: Tormental

    ID@Xbox GDC Choice 2018 · SGC Indie Choice Award 2017

  • Immunauts

    Co-funded by Creative Europe MEDIA (2022) and the Croatian Audiovisual Centre (2024)

  • Murder Book

    Co-funded by Creative Europe MEDIA (2023) and the Croatian Audiovisual Centre

The case team

  • Kristian MacangaGame Design · Development · Programming
  • Andrej MrkonjicProgramming
  • Antonio VillamandosConcept Art
  • Sinisa BahunStorytelling · Game & Level Design
  • Matija VigatoStorytelling · Game & Level Design
  • Noemy De GuzmanMarketing

File 08 · Supported by

Co-funded by Creative Europe MEDIA and HAVC.

Murder Book: The Art of Interrogation is co-funded by the European Union through the Creative Europe MEDIA programme (2023), which supports the development of original European audiovisual and video game works.

The game is also co-funded by the Croatian Audiovisual Centre (Hrvatski audiovizualni centar, HAVC).

Developed in Zagreb Croatia · EU 45.8150° N, 15.9819° E

File 09 · Press & partners

Open the file.

Factsheet

Title
Murder Book: The Art of Interrogation
Developer
Gungrounds
Based in
Zagreb, Croatia
Genre
Narrative-driven interrogation
Platforms
PC, Mobile
Session length
5–10 minutes per case
Release
TBA
Co-funded by
Creative Europe MEDIA (2023) · Croatian Audiovisual Centre

Get in touch

Press & coverage Request a press copy or interview → Publishing & partnerships Talk to the studio →

Press kit

Screenshots, logos and the full factsheet are on the Gungrounds press sheet.

Full press sheet on gungrounds.com ↗

File 10 · Questions

Frequently asked questions

What is Murder Book: The Art of Interrogation?

Murder Book: The Art of Interrogation is a narrative detective game by Gungrounds, an independent studio in Zagreb, Croatia. You play a detective questioning murder suspects: you read their behaviour, connect contradicting statements and decide how to push until you can reach a verdict. It is inspired by real police footage and psychological interviews.

What games are similar to Murder Book?

Murder Book is for players who enjoy dialogue and deduction-driven detective games such as Her Story, Papers, Please, the interrogation scenes of L.A. Noire, Return of the Obra Dinn, Contradiction and Interrogation: You Will Be Deceived. What sets Murder Book apart is its focus on real interrogation behaviour, like fabrication, avoidance and emotional leakage, told in short 5 to 10 minute branching cases.

What is a good interrogation or lie detection game?

Murder Book: The Art of Interrogation is built entirely around interrogation. Each case asks you to spot deception using real behavioural cues, pin statements to an evidence board and choose techniques such as Build Trust, Bluffing, Baiting or Confrontation. It is designed as a short-session game for PC and mobile.

Is Murder Book based on real interrogation techniques?

Yes. The suspect behaviours and interrogation techniques in Murder Book are inspired by real police footage and psychological interviews, and concepts such as cognitive load theory are explained in plain language in the in-game casebook.

How long is a case in Murder Book?

Each case takes about 5 to 10 minutes. Cases branch into multiple endings, with achievements and completion tracking that reward replaying.

What platforms is Murder Book on and when does it release?

Murder Book is in development for PC and mobile. The release date has not been announced yet.

Who is developing Murder Book?

Murder Book is developed by Gungrounds, an independent game studio founded in 2016 in Zagreb, Croatia, led by Kristian Macanga. The studio previously made Serious Sam: Tormental. Murder Book is co-funded by the European Union's Creative Europe MEDIA programme and the Croatian Audiovisual Centre (HAVC).

Is Murder Book the game related to the Murder Book TV series, podcast or novel?

No. Murder Book: The Art of Interrogation is an original video game by Gungrounds. It is not connected to the TV series, podcast or books that share the name; "murder book" is a police term for a homicide case file.

File 11 · On the record

Murder Book in the news.

Articles, funding announcements and industry listings about Murder Book: The Art of Interrogation.