I tried to get past my initial doubts and reluctance. There isn't much in the demo, many features are placeholders, but what little there is could be interesting.
The interactions seem more organic than typical games. For example you have several options in the dialogs - when I'm saying dialogs it's a general interface to interact with NPCs (alive or dead) and objects. So as in some games like Encased, it is also used to interact with objects, and in particular with the victims you have to examine.
Those "dialog" options allow you to tackle different aspects in any order, except the outcome may not be the same. Because you changed the relationship or the mood of the other person, or you discovered something. The first time I asked whether it was possible to have access to the victim's body to examine it, I was laughed at. After talking on a more personal level with the NPC, the same question was still available and this time he accepted.
Also, NPCs are not static, they move around. If you don't ask all the questions, maybe they'll be gone later.
Another aspect is how the game organizes your thoughts. It seems to formalize the deduction technique by maintaining associative nets for each hypothesis. You have to actively visit them and use the interface to do the connections, it's not automatic. But the result is a sort of organizer that shows which elements are yet to be discovered to support or infirm an hypothesis. In the end, it seems you have to make a decision but I didn't go that far.
As I understand, there is a character progression, with more techniques to gather the facts and process them. It's an RPG.
It's a bit disturbing. I don't think I'll play this game, even though it has its merits, just a personal preference thing.
I'm curious about this too, I'll probably give it a spin.
