The rain hasn’t stopped falling, the city still stinks of smoke and secrets, and now you’re being handed the badge.

Lost Cabinet Games has officially cracked open the case files for Obsidian Moon, releasing the game’s first public playable demo as part of Steam Detective Fest. Starting January 12, players can step into a grim, noir-soaked city and investigate their very first murder—on their own terms, and at their own risk.

Set in a shadow-drenched metropolis straight out of a 1930s crime novel, Obsidian Moon is a text-based detective simulator driven by psychology, choice, and consequence. You play as Carter, a once-respected homicide detective unraveling under the weight of grief, alcohol, and past failures. The murders may be solvable—but surviving the investigation with your sanity intact is another matter entirely.

“The call came in last night about a corpse found at the Obsidian docks. By the time I rolled in, head still spinning from the bottle of Jack the previous night, our boys in blue had already cordoned off the scene and rounded up three suspects…”

That’s the tone players can expect—slow-burning dread, moral rot, and the creeping feeling that every decision leaves a stain.

A Real Case, Not a Slice

The demo doesn’t offer a watered-down preview or scripted tutorial alone. Players are dropped into a fully playable murder investigation, complete with branching leads, unreliable witnesses, and multiple ways to reach (or miss) the truth.

You can interrogate suspects, comb through records, lean on forensic work—or take darker, more questionable shortcuts. Every approach changes how the case unfolds, with over 30 different investigative paths depending on your choices.

According to Lost Cabinet Games’ Game Director Yannis Antonakakis, Steam Detective Fest was the perfect time to let players dig in.

“The demo isn’t a vertical slice, it’s a real case. We want players to experiment, make mistakes, and feel what it’s like to live inside an investigation—even if it costs them.”

What’s Included in the Demo

• An introductory tutorial case plus the game’s first original murder case
• 30+ investigative solutions shaped by player decisions
• 20 to 45+ minutes of gameplay depending on approach
• Nearly the full gameplay feature set, including the atmospheric Noir Mode
• A disturbing first glimpse into the city’s past—and Carter’s own unraveling

When and Where to Play

The Obsidian Moon demo goes live on PC via Steam on January 12, as part of Steam Detective Fest. The full game is slated to launch on Steam sometime in 2026, and players can wishlist it now.

If you’ve ever wanted a detective game that doesn’t just ask who did it, but what it costs to find out, Obsidian Moon might be worth opening the file on.