Orson, P.I.: Midnight at the Grand Hotel

Introducing Orson, P.I., a bear cub whose cuddly exterior hides a jaded, hard-boiled detective living within. The first game of the franchise takes place at the Grand Hotel of Chicago, a long-stay luxury hotel.

The Set-Up

July 2nd, 1949. Orson finds a cryptic note at his office's door. The letter, full of strange scribblings and seemingly-random numbers, suggests a heist is coming at midnight. Knowing this, you have a chance to solve a great crime before it even happens.

The Method

Gameplay switches between two main sequences: in the first, you explore the hotel and investigate. In the second, you return to your office and, using the information you've gathered, piece together the puzzle. The overall goal of the game is to "solve" the cryptic note by identifying who is involved in the conspiracy, what their role is, and where they plan to be at midnight.

Interviews

The guests at the Grand Hotel are often famous and the persons of interest in the game are no exception. This gives the sting operation a cover: Orson assumes the role of a "high school newspaper reporter" looking to "interview his heroes."

These characters are not always honest—in fact, one should not take a single word at face value—and catching them in their lies can help identify suspects.

At the Office

Once you know the answer to a part of the riddle, you head to your office to debrief with your co-worker, Sam. If you can convince her that your assumption is right, that part of the puzzle is checked. There are 48 total pieces of the puzzle: who, what, when, and where for 12 suspects.