Overboard!

Overboard! is a 2021 interactive mystery game developed by inkle Studios. The studio is well-known for its narrative-driven games, including the Sorcery! series and 80 Days. Overboard! was built using inkle's proprietary narrative scripting engine.

Unlike traditional mystery games where you solve a crime, the objective in Overboard! is to cover one up. Players take on the role of Veronica Villensey, who has just murdered her husband and pushed him overboard on the cruise ship SS Hook. The goal is to manipulate other passengers, destroy evidence, and avoid suspicion during the voyage to England.

The events of Overboard! take place aboard the SS Hook, a fictional cruise ship traveling to England in the 1930s. The entire game unfolds over a tight timeframe of just a few in-game hours. This closed-room setting forces the player into constant, frantic interaction with the non-playable characters on the ship.

A single playthrough of Overboard! is quite short, typically lasting around 30 to 45 minutes. However, the game is designed to be played multiple times, as players experiment with different dialogue choices and methods to cover up the murder. Figuring out the perfect sequence of events to successfully frame someone else can take several hours of trial and error.