Lord Winklebottom Investigates
Games, Books and Movies. The Inspirations Behind Lord Winklebottom Investigates
These past few weeks have been very busy, but Lord Winklebottom is no stranger to a packed schedule. As we move closer to release, I thought it’d be fun to explore some of the inspirations behind the game in a little more detail.
There are definitely similarities between Lord Winklebottom and Sherlock Holmes. They share a keen eye for suspicious activity, sticking their neck in where it’s not always wanted!. Like every good detective, Lord Winklebottom also has his own eccentricities, a bit of a dandy with his top hat, pipe, and monocle; he's a bit old-fashioned for the times he lives in.
The figure of Dr. Frumple was inspired, of course, by Dr. Watson, Holmes’ loyal sidekick. In our case, Dr. Frumple resembles the less-than-brilliant, perhaps slightly bumbling version of Dr. Watson as portrayed by Nigel Bruce in the late 30s and early 40s. That’s no sleight on Dr. Frumple, however! He deserves just as much credit as Lord Winklebottom, something which he is only too quick to remind you of.
The game’s mysterious plot also draws inspiration from Agatha Christie’s well-known classics. Players feel vulnerable and isolated on the remote Isle of Barghest, knowing that the killer must be one of the characters they’ve interacted with along their journey. They’re racing against the clock to track down this foe and solve the mystery of the Admiral’s death.
While Lord Winklebottom’s adventure comes with plenty of intrigue, thrill, and excitement, the game doesn’t take itself too seriously. The comedic undertone that permeates the story might remind you of the Jeeves and Wooster stories by P.G. Wodehouse, which were first published all the way back in 1915. Other inspirations include old British comedies, such as What a Carve Up and The House in Nightmare Park. I don’t want to give too much away before the game is out, so I’ll stop here!
As far as gameplay is concerned, Lord Winklebottom Investigates’ streamlined point-and-click system pays homage to legendary graphic adventure games of the 90s, such as The Secret of Monkey Island and Grim Fandango. With their intuitive gameplay, point-and-click games allow players to solve crucial puzzles while being fully immersed in the story.
Stay tuned for more exclusive insights into the world of Lord Winklebottom Investigates!
All the best,
Charlotte
Favourites from Tokyo Game Show 🌸
Last week was super exciting. We had the opportunity to attend the amazing Tokyo Game Show as Lord Winklebottom Investigates was selected for the “Indie Game Selected Exhibit”.
Tons of popular games were announced during the event, but indie developers, with fresh concepts and innovative ideas, stole the show once again. Here are some interesting titles that immediately caught my eye:
- Nine Witches: Family Disruption: A puzzle game that masterfully combines witches with Nazis, magic, and the occult. Players play as Alexei Krakovitz, a professor with psychic powers, who’s out to solve the mystery behind the darkness that has befallen the town of Sundӓe. Pixelated graphics, mystery, ghosts, and quirky humor—what else can we ask for?
- Night Reverie: Is it a dream or a nightmare? In this puzzle adventure game, seemingly random fantasy elements make their way into a child’s home. The pixelated graphics and the uncanny atmosphere make for a truly unique experience with endless possibilities.
- Fate of Kai: A unique adventure told through the pages of a magic book. The art looks beautiful, and the idea of having to modify thought bubbles to move the story forward is particularly clever.
- Operation Tango: It takes two to tango, and the same is true for this co-op puzzle-solving game. Operation Tango is all about espionage, hi-tech tools, and challenges that require excellent communication. There’s a lot of fun to be had here, especially if you enjoy spy adventures and don’t mind having to team up with friends.
Tokyo Game Show was a blast, and we’re so happy we got the chance to share our own little game with the whole world. We also noticed a steady increase in the number of demo downloads, so thanks to all who tried out Lord Winklebottom Investigates during this period!
What hidden gems did you guys discover? Let’s start a discussion.
Thank you for your continued support!
All the best,
Charlotte
Follow the game on Twitter: https://twitter.com/cavemonsters
Join the Discord: discord.gg/cavemonsters
A (belated) thank-you to everyone at the Yogscast Tiny Teams Event!
What an exciting month it has been! If you’re not aware, Lord Winklebottom Investigates was featured in the Investigation & Mystery category of the Yogscast Tiny Teams event.
It was a privilege to be a part of the online show, and I want to thank the Yogscast team for making sure I had all the information needed to guide me through the experience and enjoy the celebration.
Many got to see the dashing detective gentleman giraffe in action, and I’m pleased to report that quite a few more folks have downloaded and played the limited release demo over the past few weeks.
Transitioning from physical to fully digital events hasn’t been easy, but like everyone else, I’ve taken the time to adapt, making the most of every opportunity. The good news is that the game is getting exposed to a wider audience, which means that overall, it’s probably reaching more people as a result of these digital events.
The Tiny Teams week-long celebration was a unique experience, bringing small indie developers together and showcasing a range of unique titles.
I have a few favourites I enjoyed during the show! From other categories, the beautiful world of A Tale of Paper definitely stood out. The platformers Demon Turf and Akatori looked like a ton of fun as well!
From Winklebottom’s own category, I absolutely loved the quirkiness of The Season of the Warlock, the stylish 30s setting of Overboard!, and the pixelated awesomeness of The Darkside Detective. I can’t deny the appreciation for non-humanoid detectives, which is exactly why Frog Detective will always hold a special place in my heart.
Once again, a big thanks to the Yogscast team for hosting an amazing event and to every one of you for your continuous support. Stay tuned, and rest assured there will be more exciting news about the game in the near future.
All the best,
Charlotte
The Big Adventure Event!
Lord Winklebottom Investigates is being featured in "The Big Adventure Event" a new event celebrating adventure games run by Hitcents!
Join me at 3:00pm GMT for an hour long live art stream, where I'll be creating new artwork for the game and will be answering questions about Lord Winklebottom's development! 🖌🎨🦒
The Big Adventure Event runs from the 21st to the 25th of January, for the duration of the event you'll be able to play the limited release, work-progress demo of Lord Winklebottom Investigates alongside a host of other great adventure game offers and demos available through the event page!
Looking forward to seeing you all there!
Charlotte
Yogscast Tiny Teams Festival!
Hope you're all keeping well. Just a quick update to let you all know that Lord Winklebottom Investigates is being featured in the Yogscast "Tiny Teams" festival on Steam!
The event has just gone live now and to celebrate I've released a short demo featuring a section of gameplay from the beginning of the game! Obviously don't play if you want to remain completely spoiler free, but for anyone else feel free to check it out alongside the other indie games featured in the festival.
https://bit.ly/TinyTeams20
Lord Winklebottom is included in the "Investigation and Mystery" section alongside some other great games. Look at the great company we keep!
The current demo build is only available on Windows and in English at the moment (this will all change with the final game release obviously). You can download it from the Steam page here:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1024160/Lord_Winklebottom_Investigates/
Hope you enjoy the demo!
Charlotte
Developer Q&A
Join in on the game's Steam forum on Tuesday June 16th and ask me anything about the game's development or just stop by for a friendly chat and a nice cup of tea!
Join me on the thread here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/1024160/discussions/0/2441462402303195189/
Look forward to chatting with you!
Charlotte
New Kickstarter for Lord Winklebottom Investigates is now live!
Find the new campaign at: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/256029787/lord-winklebottom-investigates-murder-mystery-gira
I made some great contacts during the first campaign, with much better quotes for services like translation, which means that the new campaign can have a much lower goal without having to sacrifice any of the quality of the final game.
Also, a lot of people asked for a physical copy of the game, so I'm happy to say that this is now available for Windows, Mac and Linux. Plus, there's the option of a 90s style "big box" edition of the game which will fit right in to your classic adventure game collection.
There are also reduced prices for other goodies, so please give the new campaign a look.
As well as the new Kickstarter, I'm also going to be showing the game at Insomnia i64 this Easter weekend, so if any backers are going along, please come and say hello. I'll be in the Indie Zone, next to the Nintendo stand.
Thanks for your support!
- Charlotte
Lord Winklebottom Investigates: Now on Kickstarter!
Get ready for adventure as the game is afoot! (or a hoof!) Lord Winklebottom Investigates, our 1920’s murder mystery point and click adventure is now live on Kickstarter! Help us reach our goal of bringing the gentleman giraffe detective, Lord Winklebottom, to life and help us unlock a variety of amazing rewards, including exclusive merchandise and even the chance to have your favourite pet as a suspect in the game!
BACK US NOW AND PLAY THE DEMO HERE
Want to help us out even more? Please share the good news with your friends, family, social media following, favourite streamers and your favourite zookeeper! We're super excited about this and can’t wait to see it all come to life.
Thank you,
🦒 Cave Monsters 🦒