Crime O'Clock

Crime O'Clock is a hidden object game released in 2023. Developed by Bad Seed and published by Just For Games, it casts the player as a time traveler who examines hand-drawn scenes to find evidence and prevent crimes before they happen. Each level is presented in several black-and-white versions called "ticks," each showing a different moment in time; details shift between ticks, such as a crowd moving along a street. Players use clues to complete a minigame that reveals the criminal in each level. An AI assistant helps navigate between levels and ticks. Players can request hints, zoom in for finer detail, and highlight characters to follow their movements across ticks. Bad Seed is based in Milan, Italy. The game launched on macOS, Windows, and Nintendo Switch on June 30, 2023. On Metacritic, it received positive reviews for macOS and Windows, and mixed reviews for the Switch. Siliconera called it "a novel take" and "generally a lot of fun," but noted it can become repetitive during longer sessions, and found the minigames "unnecessary." Shacknews described it as "an enjoyable throwback" updated to modern standards, which they said reduces the frustration typical of hidden object games. Nintendo Life praised the art but found the gameplay repetitive and disliked the minigames, recommending it only to fans of the genre. TouchArcade enjoyed the art and premise but felt it might disappoint players new to hidden object games.