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Watch trailer on Steam ↗Crime or Punishment
Scale Issue · Published by Scale Issue
Last updated 28 Sept 2026
Play as a corrupt detective on the mob’s payroll, and cover up their crimes. Read files, collect information and obscure evidence to frame an innocent bystander, who was at the wrong place, at the wrong time. After all, crime pays.
Embark on a complex journey as you navigate files and gather evidence as a corrupt detective. Your goal? Frame an innocent bystander for the mob's crimes, proving that crime pays in this gripping adventure game from Scale Issue.
About this game
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About the Game
There’s been a murder…
And you better make sure the killer ain’t caught!
Crime or Punishment is a top-down 2D detective adventure game that inverts the detective genre; instead of solving crime, you must cover it up instead!
You enable it. As a crooked detective working for the mob, it’s your job to fool the boys in blue and help the criminal get away with it! But be careful you don’t mess up; the mob doesn’t tolerate failure!
Plenty of scum to filter through in this shady city. As you investigate the crime scene and learn about enigmatic characters, you’ll get more context to what’s their deal. Every dame and fella has a story to tell; the question is, how are you gonna use that against them?
Alter clues and meddle with evidence to get your guy off the hook! Do a good enough job, and it’ll be a fat paycheck from your illicit patron. But screw up, and you’ll be in the obituaries faster than you can say “sorry”!
Immerse yourself in a brooding tone, accentuated by sultry jazz and witty one-liners. But don’t let the charm fool you! This is a world full of cutthroats and crooks, all with motives that are far from pure.
System Requirements
Will my PC run this? →Minimum
- OS: Windows 10
- Processor: 64bit Intel compatible Dual Core CPU
- Memory: 2 GB RAM
- Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 620
- Storage: 200 MB available space
Supported Languages
*languages with full audio support
Latest news
Patch NotesOfficial
Major Update - Beta 2.0.0
Hello detectives, thank you for your patience!We have used this long period of silence to do some major reworks of the game we felt were needed to turn what was born as a game jam project into a full length release. The whole codebase was rewritten to support these changes, so we expect some bugs to come up as people explore the game. We will spend some time to work on fixes and make some last changes based on the feedback play testers give us, with the aim of reaching feature lock by the start of the summer and start preparing for the full release.Changelog:Main Changes:The setting was moved forward 6 years from 1923 to 1929, and the art style and general “vibe” of the game have been updated to more classic noir aesthetics, as the plot is more focused on Faulkner’s internal struggles than the bureau of investigation subplot.A full UI rework, including new police dossiers, new inventory, a letter boxing for the text and some GUI elements, and a new briefcase screenThe piece of evidence screens have been transformed into areas of interest, each containing multiple objects of interests the player can interact withWe have introduced the guilt system, a reflection of Faulkner’s struggle with guilt and alcoholism. Right now it is a bit bare-bones, and our objective for future updates is to flesh out its effects on the game world.New musicCompletely rewritten dialogue and descriptions to fit the new direction of the gameReplaced voice acting with typewriter sounds - we loved the voice acting and the VO did a fantastic job, but considering the new, more surreal aesthetic and the difficulties of voice acting the whole game we decided to move to away from it.Created a new dialogue system that can be used to interrogate witnesses. It is currently very simple, but we might expand it to make it a more important part of the gameplay if we decide we have the need and capacity for it (no promises!)Minor Changes:New tutorial that accounts for the new systems and makes the office se...Read full article on Community Announcements (Pardo)Patch NotesOfficial
Hotfix - Alpha 2.1.4
Changelog: Bug Fixes: The correct description text and associated ending are now selected when swapping the revolver in the Speakeasy.Read full article on Community Announcements (EatenByAWhale)Patch NotesOfficial
Hotfix - Alpha 2.1.3
Changelog: Changes: Added an option to remove Patrick’s revolver without having to swap in another Removing both revolvers from the Gun Safe now stops you from opening it again The descriptions for the pool scoreboard were changed to more clearly communicate the removal of Patrick’s name and the addition of another suspect’s name The descriptions for the Sheet Music were altered to more clearly communicate their associated suspects The failed ending summary text has been tweaked to reference removing evidence as well as altering it. A larger section of a key phrase is now in red Bug Fixes: Replaced incorrect evidence image that displayed in the Gun Safe when removing Revolver LDS319 firstRead full article on Community Announcements (EatenByAWhale)Patch NotesOfficial
Hotfix - Alpha 2.1.2
Changelog: Bug Fixes: The audio slider now accurately adjusts the audio level The audio slider now remains consistent between the main menu and pause menu(s) The resolutions option in the pause menu now displays properly The options section in the pause menu is now consistently namedRead full article on Community Announcements (EatenByAWhale)AnnouncementsOfficial
Tiny Teams 2024 Is Live!
{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44947679/4543157918c062b027bd96a841994ad6c24270ed.png Hey Detectives! We’re excited to announce that Crime or Punishment has been selected for Tiny Teams 2024. The festival, running from today till the 15th of August, showcases an exciting array of games made by solo developers and micro-studios! There’s plenty of discounts to be had and streams to be seen, check everything out at https://yogsca.st/TT24Read full article on Community Announcements (EatenByAWhale)
