Once Upon a Crime in the West

About

Once Upon a Crime in the West is a point-and-click mystery where you investigate a series of murders at a remote mountain inn. Set in a Western frontier town, the game drops you into the aftermath of multiple killings, forcing you to interview survivors, examine clues, and reconstruct events through environmental storytelling. The narrative unfolds in reverse, with each death tied to the next, requiring careful note-taking and logical connections to uncover the full story. Gameplay focuses on dialogue choices and inventory-based puzzles, though the lack of combat or action elements keeps the tension low-key. The game builds on National Insecurities’ reputation for clever writing, though it lacks the polish of their earlier titles like Disorient on the Murder Express. With a runtime of around five hours, it offers a brisk but satisfying mystery that fans of narrative-driven adventures might enjoy. Some players found the abrupt pacing and minimal character development underwhelming, but the layered plot twists earned praise from smaller indie communities. It’s a solid entry in the point-and-click genre for those who prefer thinking over fighting.

Storyline

If you had arrived moments sooner, you might have been one of them. It all started on Christmas Day, when The Old Sheriff of New Town was murdered. In the days that followed, several dangerous strangers would make their way to the Mount Inn, an isolated shelter on the mountain path between New Town and Old Town, and kill each other. Now it’s down to you to untangle their motives and piece together the bigger picture from the gruesome aftermath.