2026 is shaping up to be a SOLID year for the detective genre in video games. As you’ve probably noticed, I’ve played an absurd number this year. (Part of that may be because I fell down a Thursday Murder Club rabbit hole last Fall after watching the movie and starting the books. Part of it is because THEY’VE BEEN SO GOOD, and The Granny Detective Society is no different.)
To use another favorite mystery of mine, Madeleine, the protagonist in the demo for The Granny Detective Society, feels like Harriet the Spy in retirement. She’s observant, sharp, curious, and wields a DSLR camera with a zoom lens that would make most paparazzi jealous. Throughout the demo, The Poisoned Buffet, her photos and observations become the foundation of the investigation.
And as brilliant as she was, I was sold the moment I discovered the investigation board. Not just because of its usefulness, either. It’s not just a board for sorting your clues, pictures, and notes.
The game gives you the string.
THE RED STRING. (Ok, it’s yarn, but stay with me.)
And they let you do the thing every mystery fan secretly wants to do at least once in their lives, which is weave the story using the red yarn! For once, it makes complete sense because, of course, you’re a grandmother. Every time I connected a clue to another clue, I couldn’t stop smiling.
What surprised me most, however, was how well The Granny Detective Society fit into my everyday routine.
I love a game that respects my time and schedule. I could investigate at my own pace, easily stepping away when real life beckoned, and come back without feeling lost or needing to redo previous sections. (That’s a bigger compliment than it might sound like.)
The mystery in the demo was engaging, but what really kept me investing and hitting the wishlist button was Madeleine herself. She’s exactly the kind of protagonist I love; funny, capable, and full of personality. By the end of the demo, I wasn’t just curious about future cases. I was curious about the rest of the team, too.
According to the Steam page, Madeleine won’t be the only “Grannytective” you’ll encounter, and I can’t wait to meet the others. If each investigator has their own skills and approach to solving mysteries and is as well-written as she is, this game has the potential to go very far.
So in the end, will you enjoy The Granny Detective Society? If you’re a fan of cozy mysteries, eccentric investigators, and deduction puzzles, this is one you’ll want to keep an eye on when it launches in Q1 of next year. More specifically, if you enjoyed games like Duck Detective and its sequel, I have a feeling you’ll be right at home here, too.
(I’m actually going to be showing this one to my mother-in-law, too. She wouldn’t call herself a “gamer,” but she loves her mystery novels, and I know she’d find Madeleine to be an absolute hoot, and the gameplay is nice and approachable!)
Thanks for reading! If you’d like to help out around the Cafe, I’ve started a Ko-Fi that I promise I’ll get better at updating. I’ve kept it simple, giving folks the option to tip one-off or subscribe via a monthly membership like Patreon.One of the perks is early access to articles like this one!
Head over to https://ko-fi.com/theindiegamecafe to check it out!-Amanda