Clue (mobile games)

Development

Game designer Elijah Renard explained:^[1]

When working at EA Mobile, my second project was Clue Mobile. Since Hasbro was also re-branding Clue/Cluedo, we were given lots of freedom regarding gameplay. The core essence of the game obviously had to be Clue/Cluedo, but we could make new rules and new ways to solve the mystery. At this point, we knew we liked the concept and core game mechanic, but how would this paper prototype translate into a mobile game? It was time to prototype with my good old friend Adobe Flash. Within about a week of Movieclips and ActionScript we could navigate in the mansion, talk to suspects, search objects and use the core annotation tools. We were very satisfied and confident this would work so I went back to my desk and started to write the famous Game Design Document. We created a level design tool so I could integrate all the scenarios and puzzles, while supporting our external writer.

Plot and gameplay

Rather than being a board game, Clue played out more like a simple point-and-click game where the player traveled around the rooms from the mansion to collect clues from the 6 suspects to decipher whodunnit. Each case was time limited, and every action taken used up a set amount of time. Successfully making a correct suggestion within the allotted time gave the player the maximum 4-star score for the level.

The player played a reporter who has to get the top story to solve a case, and get a promotion.

Critical reception

148apps gave the game 4 out of 5 stars, writing "Albeit quite different from the traditional Clue board game experience, this app is an excellent mystery solving puzzler. For any fan of murder mysteries, even lovers of the original Clue board game, Clue for the iPhone is a great addition to the app inventory."^[2] AppSafari rated the game 2.5 out of 5, saying "You know the saying "As the official CLUE app, I was expecting a standard board game app in the style of Trivial Pursuit or Monopoly, but this goes a completely different direction, following in the footsteps of a point and click adventure game, only really, really badly", though noted "the art and sound look great, and the interface is smooth and intuitive".^[3] AppSpy gave the game the highest rating of 5, praising the "great visual style and artwork", the ease of "controls and screen navigation", and the "challenging puzzle game" elements, while criticising it for being single player only, and that "this reinvention of Clue is a definite change from the original and may take some time to get used to".^[4] AppVee described Clue as a "Flash game", and noted it was reminiscent of the old Carmen Sandiego games where characters told the player clues to advance along the level. It noted the game gets quite hard toward the later levels and takes some problem solving skills to complete. It praised the "beautiful" art direction, though criticised its "frustrating" gameplay.^[5]

AppAdvice wrote "Clue for the iPhone is a fun game that is almost infinitely replayable, very pleasing to the eye and ear with stylized graphics and a catchy background soundtrack, and it has redefined how we think of the game of Clue, and, for that matter, how we think of adapted board games to devices like the iPhone."^[6] Slidetoplay gave the game its highest score of 4 (Must Have), concluding "Besides being more difficult than the original, which might turn off a few people, this new version improves on the original in every way. It takes a timeless game concept and makes it fresh without sacrificing any of the fun...Clue fans looking for straight port may be disappointed, but this reinvention is brilliantly clever and provides hours of sleuthing".^[7] GatdgetReview gave the game 9/10, writing that Clue "takes a classic board game and seamlessly translates it to a portable medium with virtually no glitches at all."^[8] PocketGamer wrote "Clearly a game that's had some thought put into it, Cluedo's bucketfuls of style only add to an already great game."^[9]

App Store Removal

As of 2014, EA have removed this game from the App Store along with several older titles.^[10][11] Users who have previously bought the game can restore it to their devices via iTunes.

Development

Following on from a mobile adaptation of The Game of Life, Marmalade Game Studio and Hasbro extended their relationship^[12] with the release of Clue: The Classic Mystery Game (known as Cluedo: The Official 2017 Edition outside North America). It is a faithful adaptation of the board game, in which the player moves their character through a mansion and makes suggestions about the murder, and uses logic to deduce who killed the victim, with which weapon, and in which room.

The mansion and character tokens are represented in 3D during the dice rolling phase, but during the suggestion phase there is a transition to a 2D room scene with representational character art, with several different poses for each character.

The game features a virtual Clue Sheet. When suggestions are made and answered, ticks and crosses are automatically added to show which characters do or do not have particular cards. Players are also able to manually make their own notations, including numeric subscripts, that allow them to use advanced deduction techniques.

The game can be played against 3 to 5 AI opponents, each of which can be set to Easy, Medium or Hard difficulty.

The game was created with Unity.

Updates

Version 1.2 (April 27, 2017) added the following new features:

• Online leaderboards
• Hint cards that allow players to gain an edge over the AI:
  • Peek allows the player to see a random unseen card from a chosen opponent.
  • Move allows the player to directly move to any room, regardless of dice roll.
  • Block prevents all AI from making an accusation for one turn.
  • Warning is a permanent upgrade that tells the player when an AI is close to a solution, or has solved it.

Version 1.3 (July 4, 2017) added new content:

• A new Classic Mansion board skin.
• 6 new character variants based on the original 1949 designs, including the return of Mrs White, who was replaced by Dr Orchid in the 2016 edition of the board game on which the digital adaptation is based.
• 5 reinterpretations of characters from various spin-offs (Clue FX and Clue VCR Mystery Game):
  • Prince Azure
  • Miss Peach
  • Monsieur Brunette
  • Madam Rose
  • Sergeant Gray

Version 1.4.0 (September 24, 2017) added new content:

• New Hollywood theme! Explore the Valley Studios board and meet the stars!
• Hollywood! Where dreams come true! But for Valley Studios the dream has become a nightmare. Mr Black, the studio president, has been killed. Which showbiz suspect did it?
• 6 glamorous new suspects:
  • Director Scarlett
  • Reporter Mustard
  • Singer Orchid
  • Artist Plum
  • Starlet Peacock
  • Producer Green
• Ultimate Detective’s Package to unlock all current and future boards and characters

Version 1.5.0 (Oct 18, 2017)added the following new features:

• Welcome to Transylvania! Which legendary monster has killed the dark sorcerer Boddy?
  • New Vampire theme! Explore Boddy's gothic castle, from the Crypt to the Graveyard.
  • 6 spooky new suspects! Was it Vampire Scarlett, or perhaps Werewolf Mustard?

Version 2.0.0 (Dec 05, 2017) added the following new features:

• Festive theme update: the Snowy Peaks mountain retreat and the much anticipated multiplayer feature
• 6 Festive characters

Version 2.1.0 (March 19, 2018) added new content:

• New Murder Express theme! Explore the glamorous train and station, from the Ticket Office to the Dining Car.
• Nine new characters in this theme! Was it Lady Scarlett, or perhaps Mustard the train driver?
• Multiplayer bug fixes and features, including the ability to add AI to private games.

Version 2.2.1 (June 1, 2018) added new content:

• New Wild West theme! It's high noon in Silvertown. There will be blood? There already is. Dr Black, the mine owner, has been murdered! Will justice be served in this lonely outpost on the edge of civilisation?
• Explore the dusty frontier town, from the Saloon to the Jail.
• Six new cowboy characters! Was it Sheriff Mustard, or perhaps Scarlett the bounty hunter.

Critical Reception

BoardGameGeek said "Overall, it is well-polished and well done if you want to play a quick game of Clue against the AI, but there is no multiplayer and no pass-and-play, so it is limited in many respects."^[13] The slow AI turns were also criticised.

Android Police said "Though the core gameplay remains the same, the digital version of Clue is filled to the brim with new character art, animations, music and sound effects, and possibly the most elaborate Clue board ever made. "^[14]