At three hours long, A Case of Distrust held my attention all the way, but that’s not to say it’s without imperfections. The main character, I think, lacks the energy of her associates. She’s rightly angry about how she was treated as a woman on the force, but her feminism falls somewhere between overly earnest and glib. Despite a strong backstory, she lacks emotional force and presence. Even so, this is a damned fine game. Murder-mystery books and TV shows can sometimes feel like a bit of a chore, rolling through familiar procedures as they wend their way toward the whodunit. It’s a sign of the times that a point-and-click dialogue tree narrative adventure gives flight to a genre that’s been so thoroughly tilled in other media. I’m looking forward to playing more games like A Case of Distrust.

Atmospheric and visually compelling Whodunit movie noir thriller turned into an interactive visual novel adventure in the San Francisco of the 20s.

Essentially, A Case of Distrust is everything a narrative adventure game should be. It's engaging, humorous, and progressive. The characters are likeable and relatable, even though they're 95% silhouette and 5% deliciously vintage, and the story is entertaining. It's chic and fresh at the same time, and it's impossible to not love your character. Throw in a few quirky cab drivers, and the title becomes something special.

A Case of Distrust is a charming and gripping noir interactive text adventure. Halfway between 80 Days and Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective, Ben Wander’s game tells us about the roaring 20s in a very stylish way. If you can turn a blind eye to some cumbersome mechanics and a couple of trivial choices you’ll spend three lovely thrilling hours hanging around San Francisco.

A stylish and satisfying detective adventure. [Issue#198, p.81]

A dearth of hints, an enormous plethora of potential leads and an overall lack of narrative urgency means that only the dedicated players will see the game through to the end. A good detective novel can spellbind its readers with only words. A Case of Distrust can too, if you have the patience and concentration to make it through the whole way.

A Case of Distrust is a stylish and solid mystery adventure, but with no chance to solve it yourself, you may be left wondering what your role in this game actually is.