Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus review: Do you wanna find a killer?

Title: Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus
Developer: Wales Interactive/Good Gate Media
Publisher: Wales Interactive
Platforms: PS4 (reviewed on), PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Release Date: March 18, 2022

I remember back in the late 80’s and early 90’s that Clue was a big deal. After the 1985 movie came out, the murder mystery board game had a big revival and families across the country were determining if it was Colonel Mustard in the Library with the Candlestick. Hell, I STILL have the original board game from my childhood. Since then, board and video games alike have been trying to recapture the magic of Clue but for the modern century. The newest of which is a little indie title called Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus and it throws mystery right into the pandemic-age of Skype calls and online meetings.

Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus finds the player knee deep in family drama. You play the game as Abby. She has recently missed a family meeting and when her favorite uncle Marcus calls and tells her that he has been poisoned and that the doctors determined it HAD to happen during that family meeting, he enlists your help to save his life. It just so happens there’s another online gathering at that moment for Abby’s mother’s birthday and Marcus needs to find out who poisoned him and with what or he will die. You find yourself surrounded by some of the most toxic family members you’ve ever seen and it’s your job to ask the right questions and save your uncle’s life.

The game mechanics are extremely simple and the game itself is super short. With Uncle Marcus’s short timeline, you must ask the right questions to keep him alive for longer. You have only a handful of rounds to get any clues that could save his life. If you fail to unlock any clues, his HP bar continues to decrease. There’s only one problem, it feels impossible to say the right things. I went through an entire first pass of the game and didn’t unlock a single clue. At one point, you have to tell Marcus what you think the poison is so he can take an antidote. Without any clues to my name, I took a wild guess. I just happened to be right but that was pure luck on my part.

So, after my first round, I tried again. Thankfully, any clues that you find in one round will be carried over to the next. In theory, that’s great, unfortunately, I was running on fumes in terms of any kind of information. In running the round again, you will encounter some of the same scenes (some can be skipped, others cannot) but with every little change you create in your games, new dialogue will be unlocked. During your investigation, your family is playing a quiz game for your mother’s birthday. Now, each and every family member (save for the grandmother) is insufferable and awful to talk to. This family is so toxic that not even Dr. Phil would touch this one. You will pick who your teammate is in each round, giving you the chance to talk with them one-on-one. It is then that you will be able to navigate the conversation to try and extrapolate any sort of clues regarding what happened during the family meeting you missed.

There doesn’t seem to be any blatant right or wrong answers and honestly, every answer feels incorrect with this bunch of Herbs. No matter what you say, you seem to piss them on in one way or another. If you have ever come from a toxic family, this game may be triggering and might unlock some memories. Keep that in mind as you progress.

Did I mention that this entire game is live action? It almost feels like you are watching an interactive film, which I guess, you kind of are. The acting is done really well and everyone plays their part to a T. I believe that Uncle Marcus is poisoned, I believe that Abby is uncomfortable and I believe that the rest are truly awful people. The only thing that I can think of that might put people off of this game is the family themselves. They are a soul-sucking bunch and I could only play a few rounds at a time before needing a break. It’s like playing a family holiday simulator.

If you like simple mystery games, then Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus will be something you will enjoy. The story is engaging enough that you actually want to find out who poisoned your favorite uncle and the mechanics are simple enough that even your sweet old GamGam can play. Just be mindful of toxic family members and lots of repetition.

Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus (PS4) Score: 6/10

If you are looking for a game with a lot of substance, then Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus isn’t the game for you. But, if you want to kill a few hours trying to solve a mystery, then you can do a lot worse than trying to save your favorite uncle.

A copy of this game was provided to App Trigger for the purpose of this review. All scores are ranked out of 10, with .5 increments. Click here to learn more about our Review Policy.