Stick to the shadows, look for clues, and try not to get too creeped out in Gothic detective game The Séance of Blake Manor

Megan Bidmead, 31 October 2025

Upon approaching Blake Manor, I see a shadowy figure standing by a fountain. 'Hello?' I say. Abruptly, the figure bursts into a group (a murder?) of crows. I am left there, alone, in front of the imposing manor, in the cold, quiet night. It's a promising start.

I (and by I, I mean private investigator Declan Ward) have come to Blake Manor in search of missing woman Evelyn Deane. Evelyn was last seen at Blake Manor, where she checked in to attend a séance. Which is probably nothing to worry about. Only on further investigation, it seems that Evelyn checked in, but didn't check out again. So the question is: where is she? Who would want to cover up her disappearance? And what's going on with this seance, anyway?

If I had to think of some initial comparisons, I'd say that The Séance of Blake Manor is like Blue Prince x Hotel Dusk. Only more creepy. There were moments in Blue Prince when I felt genuinely unsettled, as though something haunting was about to happen at any moment; in The Séance of Blake Manor, I felt the same way, except I was actually proven right. Strange things happen in Blake Manor, and I had the sensation of being watched. Which is just my cup of tea. Exploring a possibly haunted manor while solving a disappearance in the 1890s? Yes please, thank you very much. It's like an epic murder mystery night, only more culty.

Your job, as Declan, is to solve the mystery of Evelyn's disappearance before the séance itself. Time is of the essence, literally. You'll only have a certain amount of time to solve specific mysteries, and if you don't come to a conclusion on time, you'll be unceremoniously booted out of the manor (ask me how I know this). Investigating objects and having conversations will pass the time, so you need to be judicious with what you decide to do. You can come up with solutions by filling in the blanks (a little like the Golden Idol games), but you'll have to sift through a whole lot of information before you can do so.

The opening act of The Séance of Blake Manor is a little overwhelming. There's quite a lot to learn. You'll have to collect clues (and examine them more closely to find more information), build up profiles on individual characters, and make connections. Seeing it all laid out on the 'mysteries' screen helps you to figure out what you should be looking for. Solving puzzles is a mixture of simple problems (how to distract the manager so you can sneak into his office?) to the more obscure (how can you force a suspicious person to make a confession in front of someone else?). Saving often is probably a good call as you try to figure out what on earth is going on here.

You'll also have a timetable, showing the locations of each character at specific times of the day. This is useful because your job as an investigator involves sneaking around in places you shouldn't be, breaking into other people's hotel rooms, eavesdropping on conversations, and (crucially) not getting caught. There are quite a lot of people to keep an eye on, as you'll come to find out.

As well as keeping a close eye on the time, you'll need to keep a close eye on the guests. It's difficult to know who to trust, if anyone. You can talk to people, bringing up specific topics of conversation when you want to. You can also closely investigate each person, zooming in on them to pick up on the small details, Sherlock-style. For example, examining a woman's nervous hands will unlock a new avenue of conversation with her. It all builds a picture, and the more you know about each guest, the better prepared you'll be.

What intrigued me in the (generous) demo is the amount of information you can look for, providing you have enough time. Diving into the library, for example, allows you to investigate topics like Irish mythology, psychology, and local history. Investigating closets and empty rooms rewards you with clues and items, which open up more of the manor itself. 

Quickly, it becomes clear it's not just the mysterious Evelyn in danger here; the mystics assembled for the famous Carmela Mantovani's Halloween séance are also in trouble if you don't act quickly enough. Plus, there's an underlying mystery going on involving Evelyn's family and Declan's brother, which presumably will be uncovered as you sneak around the manor for clues.

Happily for me as a horror fan, the creepiness continues to evolve; Declan's strange dreams are bothering him, and there are hints around the hotel that you're more involved than you realise to begin with. It's a meaty puzzle game with a lot to get your head around, but I think the full game will be an excellently creepy experience.