Detective Di: The Silk Rose Murders cultivating ancient Chinese mystery

One doesn't normally associate serial killer mysteries and pixel art with Chinese culture, but east meets west in a unique way in Detective Di: The Silk Rose Murders, an upcoming historical mystery adventure from indie developer Nupixo Games.

The titular detective is Di Renjie, a real-world chancellor during the reign of empress Wu Zetian in seventh century China. In this fictional story, Wu Zetian has just risen to power, but "within months of her ascension to the throne, murmurs of discontentment and revolution swell as detractors and enemies begin plotting against her." Into this tempest steps the newly-appointed investigating magistrate, who must "overcome his own inner demons and his allegiance to the previous emperor" in order to solve a gruesome series of courtesan murders that "will lead him on a collision course with the Imperial court and the empress herself."

The Montreal-based developers describe the game's pixel art style as an "homage to old school graphics", while also adding their own "visual signature and design sensibilities." Inspired by the genre classics, its point-and-click gameplay will consist largely of a traditional blend of "exploration, dialogue choices, interaction with objects and clues, and puzzle-solving", but as a detective, you will also be able to "re-enact the scene of a crime to put your theories to the test" once you've gathered enough clues.

Currently in production for PC and Mac, there is no firm release date scheduled yet for Detective Di: The Silk Rose Murders, as Nupixo is planning a Kickstarter campaign for early 2015 in order to bring the game to fruition. In the meantime, check out the official website to learn more.