Games Like The Shapeshifting Detective

Live-action murder mysteries for fans of The Shapeshifting Detective, compared by how you question suspects and where they are set.

By Murder Book Editorial TeamPublished 16 September 2026Updated 16 September 2026

If you enjoyed The Shapeshifting Detective, start with the other live-action games from its developer, D'Avekki Studios, then move on to FMV mysteries where questioning people is the core of the game:

The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker: type your own questions to patients who are also murder suspects.
Dark Nights with Poe and Munro: an episodic FMV spin-off set in the same town, August.
Contradiction: Spot The Liar: interview villagers and catch the contradictions in their answers.
Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus?: an FMV family murder mystery.
Her Story and Telling Lies: search databases of recorded video to uncover the truth.
Late Shift: an FMV crime thriller shaped by timed choices.

All of them are built on live-action video, and every game below was checked against Steam or its developer's official page.

Key takeaways

The Shapeshifting Detective combines FMV, direct questioning of suspects and a murderer chosen at random.
The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker is the closest match, from the same studio and with the same random-killer idea.
Contradiction is the best pick if catching inconsistent statements is what you enjoyed most.
Her Story and Telling Lies swap live questioning for searching recorded testimony.
Murder Book is an upcoming interrogation game about reading suspects' stories and behaviour.

What makes The Shapeshifting Detective distinctive?

The Shapeshifting Detective (D'Avekki Studios, Wales Interactive, 2018) is a supernatural-noir murder mystery told in full-motion video. Dorota Shaw is dead, and the prime suspects are three tarot readers. You question people through a simple interface, and you can shapeshift into other characters to unlock private conversations they would never have with a detective. Steam lists more than 1,600 video responses, and the murderer is chosen at random at the start of each game, so a second play-through can end differently.

A good "game like The Shapeshifting Detective" shares at least some of these qualities:

Live-action performances that you watch closely for what people reveal.
Questioning as the main mechanic, rather than puzzles or action.
Replay value, through random culprits, branches or multiple endings.
A slightly strange tone, where a mystery can drift into the supernatural.

Games like The Shapeshifting Detective at a glance

Game	Developer	How you investigate	Setting	Platforms (examples)
The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker	D'Avekki Studios	Type free-text questions to patients who are suspects	A dead psychiatrist's patients	PC, Mac, Linux
Dark Nights with Poe and Munro	D'Avekki Studios	Guide two radio hosts by clicking timed hotspots	A radio station in the town of August	PC, consoles, iOS
Contradiction: Spot The Liar	Baggy Cat	Question villagers and pair contradictions in their answers	A village	PC, Mac
Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus?	Wales Interactive, Good Gate Media	Find out who poisoned Uncle Marcus during a family quiz	A family birthday quiz	PC, Mac, consoles, iOS, Android
Her Story	Sam Barlow	Search a police database of video interviews	A 1990s police computer	PC, Mac, iOS, Android
Telling Lies	Sam Barlow, Half Mermaid	Search a stolen database of recorded video calls	A stolen NSA database	PC, Mac, consoles, iOS
Late Shift	CtrlMovie	Make timed choices during a London heist	A London heist	PC, consoles, iOS, Android

Platforms were checked against Steam, official sites or official store pages. Availability can change, so check before buying.

The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker

The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker (D'Avekki Studios, 2017) came before The Shapeshifting Detective and shares much of its design. You play a psychiatrist trying to solve the murder of Doctor Dekker while treating his unusual patients. Instead of choosing from a list, you type any question, and the patients answer in full-screen video (a list of suggested questions is there if you prefer). Steam notes six main suspects, a murderer chosen at random at the start, and multiple endings.

It is a Lovecraftian, psychological horror story, and Steam's content warning recommends it for adults only.

Why it fits: the same studio, the same randomised culprit and even more freedom in how you question people.

D'Avekki also lists The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker 2 on Steam, with a double murder to solve. At the time of writing, its Steam page shows a release of "2026" but no exact date, so check the store for its status.

Dark Nights with Poe and Munro

Dark Nights with Poe and Munro (D'Avekki Studios, 2020) is a standalone spin-off set before the events of The Shapeshifting Detective. You follow two local radio hosts through six TV-style episodes of supernatural trouble in the town of August. According to Steam, it has "different gameplay": instead of a questioning interface, you mainly click timed hotspots to decide what happens, and each episode has alternate endings.

Why it fits: the same world and cast, although it is closer to interactive television than a detective game.

Contradiction: Spot The Liar

Contradiction: Spot The Liar (Baggy Cat, 2015) uses live-action video for the entire game. As detective Jenks, you explore a village, collect evidence, then interview characters about what you have found. When two answers do not match, you pair the contradictions together and watch the character try to explain their way out.

Why it fits: it focuses on the part of The Shapeshifting Detective where you listen for the moment a story does not hold together. For more games like it, see Best Games About Solving Contradictions.

Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus?

Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus? (Wales Interactive, Good Gate Media, 2022) is an FMV murder mystery set around a family quiz. As the quiz is about to start, Uncle Marcus tells his niece Abby that someone in the family has poisoned him, and you have to find the culprit before it is too late. Steam describes it as "eccentric", and it is set among a rich family rather than in a supernatural town.

Why it fits: a live-action whodunnit with a small cast of suspects, from the publisher of The Shapeshifting Detective.

Her Story

Her Story (Sam Barlow, 2015) takes away the live conversation. You type search terms into a 1990s police database and watch clips from seven interviews with a British woman about her missing husband. You follow words, notice changes in her account and decide for yourself what happened.

Why it fits: close study of recorded testimony, with no narrator explaining it. See Games Like Her Story for more.

Telling Lies

Telling Lies (Sam Barlow, Half Mermaid, Annapurna Interactive, 2019) expands the Her Story idea. You search a stolen NSA database of secretly recorded video conversations by typing words, then watch the clips where those words are spoken.

Why it fits: a larger FMV mystery about secrets and deception.

Late Shift

Late Shift (CtrlMovie, Wales Interactive, 2017) is an FMV crime thriller rather than an investigation. The film does not pause while you make timed choices during a London heist, and Steam lists over 180 decision points and seven endings.

Why it fits: for players who liked the branching and replay of The Shapeshifting Detective more than the detective work.

Which game should you play next?

Want the closest match? The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker.
Want to catch liars? Contradiction: Spot The Liar.
Want a whodunnit without the supernatural? Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus?
Prefer to study testimony at your own pace? Her Story or Telling Lies.

For more on the format, see Best FMV Detective Games.

Is there an upcoming game about questioning suspects?

Murder Book: The Art of Interrogation is an upcoming narrative interrogation game from Gungrounds, an independent studio in Zagreb, Croatia. The Shapeshifting Detective gives you tricks for getting people to open up. Murder Book, inspired by real police footage and psychological interviews, puts the focus on what suspects' accounts give away: fabrication, avoidance, narrative gaps and emotional leakage. Development screenshots show a technique menu with approaches such as Build Trust, Bluffing and Confrontation, and an evidence board for connecting statements that cannot both be true. Cases are designed for focused 5–10-minute sessions.

Murder Book is in development for PC (Steam) and mobile, with release currently planned for the end of Q2 2027. Learn more in How Murder Book Turns Interrogation Into Gameplay.