Psychological Mystery Visual Novel ‘Psycho-Sleuth’ Launches This November; New

Developer PHOSEPO’s psychological mystery visual novel Psycho-Sleuth will launch for PC via Steam and STOVE on November 5, 2026. Thermite Games and Smilegate STOVE are co-publishing the title.

Psycho-Sleuth follows a mysterious cult known as Li, which has taken control of a gothic cathedral. Thirteen people called the “Afflicted Ones” are summoned to take part in a deadly trial where they must commit murder without being caught in order to ascend to godhood.

The central mystery is built around cognitive disorders that affect each participant and directly change how investigations play out. One character’s OCD makes lying physically impossible for anyone nearby, while another character’s spatial neglect can cause evidence on one side of a room to disappear from their perception. Prosopagnosia also factors into the game, making faces unrecognizable and complicating the identification of suspects and witnesses.

These conditions affect how players read crime scenes and testimony throughout the investigation. Players will need to account for distorted information before entering Debate Mode, where statements are judged in real time and countered using the appropriate evidence.

PHOSEPO says Psycho-Sleuth contains more than 500,000 characters of script, over 40 CGs, dozens of 3D backgrounds, Live2D animation, and more than 50 original music tracks. Key story scenes will also feature full voice acting.

Producer Xiaolu cited Danganronpa and Ace Attorney as inspirations for the project while explaining how PHOSEPO approached its own mystery structure.

“I’ve always loved mystery games like Danganronpa and Ace Attorney, and I always wanted to make one of our own,” Xiaolu said. “But with Psycho-Sleuth, we didn’t want to simply follow the traditional formula, so we built cognitive disorder directly into the mystery itself. Players aren’t just asking who’s lying anymore. They have to ask whether anything they’ve seen or heard can be trusted at all.”

The Psycho-Sleuth demo has been shown at events including Busan Indie Connect Festival and gamescom 2026. The game is also scheduled to appear at the Smilegate STOVE booth during Tokyo Game Show 2026.

Psycho-Sleuth launches for PC via Steam and STOVE on November 5, 2026.

What do you think of Psycho-Sleuth and its perception-based mystery mechanics? Let us know your thoughts, and stay tuned to Noisy Pixel for more gaming news.