Death Trick: Double Blind’s non-linear nature more than doubled dev time

Death Trick: Double Blind just came to Switch last week and it arrived alongside rave reviews. The title is a narrative adventure that tells a detective tale through two different protagonists, and happens to do so with a non-linear approach. As you might have guessed, putting together an experience like that leads to an absolute mountain of work.

In a Reddit AMA for Death Trick: Double Blind, Mari, a producer/writer/programmer on the game, opened up about some of the struggles the team faced when bringing their game to life. It seems that the game’s non-linear approach was far-and-away the most difficult challenge the devs faced, so much so that it more than doubled their development time.

Yeah, the non-linearity was a big challenge, just because of the sheer amount of content it requires. Every time I consider adding a clue, I have to remember it means 7 more dialogue pieces I have to write (and Jenny may have to draw comics for). We originally planned to finish the game in 1 year and it ended up taking us 2.5 years (which I know happens to all indie devs but still messed with our plans and our budget). I don’t think we overcame that challenge as much as survived through it with sheer willpower but we definitely learned a lot in the process! – Mari

[Mari, producer/writer/programmer]

In Death Trick: Double Blind, take on the roles of a fellow magician/colleague of the victim, and a private eye grappling with a bout of amnesia. Use their unique skills and expertise to befriend and interrogate a huge cast of characters, investigate various locations, and hunt down contradictions in a winding narrative filled with twists, turns, and treachery sure to shock and delight would-be detectives and circus fans alike. You can snag the game right now for $16 on the Switch eShop, or you can download a free demo to try things out!