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Developers & Publishers

Developers & Publishers

Thank you for visiting The Mystery Cartridge.

We're Bradley and Amanda, two mystery enthusiasts who review story-driven games from a unique perspective: we experience them together.

While one of us usually has the controller, every review is a shared investigation. We discuss theories, compare observations, and examine whether a game succeeds not only as an individual experience, but as something worth sharing with someone else.

That's the perspective we bring to every review.

What We Cover

We focus primarily on games that emphasize storytelling, investigation, atmosphere, and memorable characters.

Our coverage includes:

  • Detective games

  • Murder mysteries

  • Narrative adventures

  • Psychological thrillers

  • Visual novels

  • Interactive fiction

  • Walking simulators

  • Cozy narrative games ("Palette Cleansers")

  • Horror games with strong mystery elements

While our primary focus is video games, we also occasionally review tabletop mystery experiences, detective games, and other story-driven investigations that fit our audience.

Platforms

Current coverage:

  • Nintendo Switch

  • Nintendo Switch 2

  • Tabletop Investigations

  • Books

  • Interactive Experiences

Our Reviews

Every review published by The Mystery Cartridge is written independently.

If we receive a review copy, it does not guarantee a positive review.

Our goal is simple:

Help readers discover memorable experiences while giving developers fair, thoughtful, and honest coverage.

We don't rush to be first.

Instead, we take our time, complete the game, discuss it together, and publish reviews that focus on storytelling, atmosphere, gameplay, accessibility, and the overall shared experience.

Our Review Features

Our reviews regularly include:

  • Spoiler-free impressions

  • Couple Experience

  • Comfort Check

  • Amanda's Mannequin Warning™

  • Palette Cleanser recommendations

  • Demo Available? (when applicable)

  • Case Reopened updates when significant patches improve a game

If a developer releases a meaningful update that addresses issues we identified in our review, we're happy to revisit the game and publish an updated assessment.

Review Copies

We're happy to consider review copies for games that fit our editorial focus.

Receiving a review copy does not guarantee coverage, but every request will receive thoughtful consideration.

We are particularly interested in:

  • Mystery

  • Detective

  • Psychological

  • Narrative

  • Horror

  • Cozy

  • Story-rich indie titles

Disclosure

Whenever a game has been provided by a developer or publisher, that fact will be clearly disclosed within the review.

Transparency with our readers is important to us.

Contact

For review requests, preview opportunities, interviews, or general inquiries:

Email: themysterycartridge@gmail.com

Website: http://www.mysterycartridge.com

Social Media: (We are still setting all this up, when each new service goes live, we'll put the link)

  • Bluesky: 

  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themysterycartridge/

  • YouTube: 

  •  Threads: 

Thank you for considering The Mystery Cartridge.

We look forward to discovering your next mystery.

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