Five Day Detective

About Five Day Detective

Five Day Detective is a point-and-click adventure puzzle game from Krunchy Fried Games. It dropped on December 31, 2026, for PC and sticks to single-player detective work. You play as Inspector Dermot Dervish, a curmudgeonly cop who loathes mornings, modern tech, and his boss. The game throws you into solving murders with a darkly comedic twist, Dervish’s grumpy personality clashes with his razor-sharp wit. Each case involves gathering clues, interrogating suspects, and making morally gray decisions. The twist? Dervish might let criminals go if he thinks their excuse is “good enough.” It’s a self-aware whodunit with a focus on dialogue-driven puzzles and absurdist humor.

Gameplay

You spend most of your time clicking objects in scenes to gather evidence, then using that evidence in conversations to trip up suspects. The puzzles mix logic (like matching fingerprints) and lateral thinking (using a rubber chicken to trigger a security camera). Each case unfolds over five days, with daily objectives that shift from crime scenes to office bureaucracy. The interface is minimal, your notebook auto-logs clues, and a small hotkey menu lets you select items. Controls are smooth for the genre, but the writing drives the experience: Dervish’s snarky banter with his traffic-warden-turned-assistant adds levity. Sessions often stall during repetitive evidence-gathering phases, but the final interrogations crackle with tense, branching dialogue.

What Players Think

PlayPile users rate it 7.8/10, with 48% completing all cases. Average playtime is 11.5 hours, though 37% of players felt “confused” by red herrings. The mood breakdown shows 53% “amused,” 21% “bored,” and 15% “frustrated” by tedious inventory management. Critics gave it 68/100, praising the “sharp writing” but calling the puzzles “overly cryptic.” One review noted, “The humor lands best when it pokes fun at detective tropes.” Achievement stats are split: 53% earned the “Coroner’s Report” for solving the first case, but just 12% unlocked the final “Case Closed” trophy. Price at $29.99 feels fair for the niche crowd.

PlayPile's Take

It’s a quirky pick for fans of classic point-and-clicks who don’t mind a grumpy protagonist and uneven pacing. The humor hits more often than it misses, but the 21% “bored” rating isn’t a myth, some cases drag. With 25 achievements and a 53% completion rate, it’s not a must-play, but worth $30 if you crave dialogue-driven mysteries. Skip if you hate micromanaging inventory or prefer fast-paced action. The twist on moral ambiguity adds charm, but don’t expect impressive storytelling.

Storyline

He hates crime. All Inspector Dermot Dervish likes less are early mornings, his boss, and any technology from the last thirty years. But he won’t need any of these. Armed with his trusty notebook, razor wit, and an assistant who’s trying to pretend she’s not a traffic warden, only Dermot can solve a series of shocking and intriguing murders, and bring the city’s criminal scum to justice. Or let them go if he thinks they’ve got a good enough reason.