REVIEW: Murders & Mistresses (2026 Video Game) - on PC Steam

Review by Jon Donnis

Murders & Mistresses is an unusual adult visual novel because there is considerably more going on here than the adult content. Beneath the adult material is a surprisingly detailed detective game, with five cases covering murders, kidnappings and hostage situations.

You play an ex-conman turned police consultant, with the freedom to investigate cases while making plenty of questionable personal choices along the way. The story gives your decisions genuine consequences, affecting relationships and the fate of the people around you. It helps that the protagonist has enough personality to make these choices feel like part of the story rather than simple dialogue options.

The investigative gameplay is the real surprise. Story Mode provides a more straightforward experience, while Detective Mode asks you to properly piece together evidence, deductions and theories. You are not simply handed the correct answer at the end. You decide who you believe is guilty, sometimes without having absolute proof, and the game remembers your decisions.

There is a good variety to the cases, too. The game moves between different types of investigations, including double homicides, locked-room mysteries and hostage negotiations. This keeps the detective side from becoming repetitive, while the branching structure gives you plenty of reason to revisit earlier chapters.

The adult content is extensive, with more than 40 scenes and 145 animations, while the relationship system includes three different marriage paths. There are also dates, hangouts and other activities away from the main investigations. The chapter flowcharts are a particularly useful addition, showing the choices and scenes you missed and making it easy to replay individual sections.

Graphically, Murders & Mistresses is well made. The character presentation is good and the animated scenes are of a high quality. It also helps that this is a complete game, offering around eight to twelve hours for a single playthrough rather than making players wait for future episodes.

The main drawback is that the adult content will naturally limit its audience. It would have been interesting to see a non-adult version using the same detective gameplay and story, particularly because the investigation mechanics are strong enough to appeal beyond the game's intended adult audience.

We do not cover many games of this type, but Murders & Mistresses has clearly made an effort to offer more than the usual adult visual novel experience. The detective mechanics give it some genuine substance, the branching choices encourage replaying the cases, and the complete release means there is plenty to play from the outset.

Murders & Mistresses is not going to appeal to everyone, but for those comfortable with its adult content, it is a surprisingly well-rounded investigative game with more depth than its premise initially suggests.

I score Murders & Mistresses a surprising 8 out of 10

Out Now https://store.steampowered.com/app/3740030/Murders__Mistresses/

REVIEW: Noir Mafia Simulator 1960s American Crime (2026 Video Game) - on PC (steam)

Review by Jon Donnis

There is a clear sense of ambition running through Noir Mafia Simulator, even in its current Early Access form. Set against the smoky backdrop of 1960s America, the game drops you into a criminal underworld built on risk, improvisation, and split second decisions. It promises freedom in how you approach each job, and to its credit, that part mostly holds up.

The core loop revolves around planning and executing heists across a mix of locations, from banks to museums and even police stations. Each environment presents its own layout and set of risks, which gives the game a welcome bit of variety early on. The choice between stealth and outright aggression is always there. You can creep through corridors with lockpicks and forged documents, or walk in armed and deal with resistance as it comes. That flexibility is one of the game’s stronger points, even if the systems behind it feel a little thin.

One small highlight is the lockpicking. It is not reinventing anything, and feels very familiar, almost lifted from other games in the genre, but it works. It is simple, responsive, and adds just enough tension in the moment. It is the sort of mechanic you do not think too much about, which in this case is a good thing.

The ability to take hostages adds another layer. It is a straightforward system, but it creates moments where you can control a situation that might otherwise spiral. Moving through an area with a hostage in tow, knowing it is the only thing stopping you from being shot on sight, brings a bit of edge to proceedings. It is one of the few mechanics that genuinely changes how you think in the moment.

Where things begin to fall apart is in the presentation and overall feel. The visuals are a real sticking point. For a game releasing in 2026, even in Early Access, it looks dated to the point of distraction. Character models, environments, and animations all feel like they belong to a much older generation. It makes the world harder to invest in, especially given the strong theme it is aiming for.

Controls are another issue. The lack of gamepad support is difficult to overlook. For a third person action game, it feels like a basic expectation, and its absence makes the experience more awkward than it should be. It is the kind of omission that stands out immediately and never quite stops being noticeable.

Combat does not help matters. Shooting lacks impact and precision, and the decision to require multiple shots for something as simple as a headshot undermines the feel of the gunplay. It turns what should be tense encounters into slightly clumsy exchanges, where the mechanics never quite match the stakes.

The planning side, which should arguably be the backbone of a heist game, also feels underdeveloped. There is the outline of something interesting, but in practice it does not go far enough. You are given options, but they rarely feel deep or meaningful enough to fully support the idea of carefully orchestrated jobs.

Even so, there is a sense that something better could emerge over time. The variety of missions and the basic structure are in place, and there are moments where the game hints at what it could become with more polish and depth. Right now though, it struggles to hold attention for long.

As it stands, Noir Mafia Simulator feels like an early build in the truest sense. There is potential, but it is buried under dated visuals, limited systems, and a lack of refinement. A score of 5 out of 10 feels fair at this stage. It is a game worth revisiting if development continues, but in its current form it falls short of what it is trying to be.

Released on Early Access from April 21st

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4457110/Noir_Mafia_Simulator_1960s_American_Crime/