The Séance of Blake Manor Review – Gothic Detective Mystery Wrapped in Irish Folklore
I spent days poking through Blake Manor's corridors: a first‑person detective game with a ticking clock, a huge cast, comic‑book visuals and a brainy mind‑map detective board. Expect cosy dread, light puzzles and a handful of rough edges.
The Séance of Blake Manor drops you into a haunted Irish hotel in 1897 and asks you to behave like a proper detective — or at least fake it convincingly. It blends Obra Dinn/Golden Idol‑style hypothesis framing with the cosy creep of a Victorian whodunit, all painted in a lush comic‑book aesthetic.
You play as Declan Ward, a private eye who has about three in‑game days to untangle a missing person case before the titular séance. Gameplay is exploration and conversation heavy: inspect rooms, talk to a large, vividly written cast, collect facts and pin them onto a neat mind map. Every inspect or dialogue topic usually costs one minute, which introduces a soft time‑pressure and forces you to prioritise — though the timer is surprisingly forgiving if you like wandering. When you’ve gathered evidence you build hypotheses by filling in blanks (think Golden Idol meets a detective notebook) and then confront suspects. The writing, voice work and Irish folklore bits are the real draw; the manor and library are stuffed with lore and character threads. Puzzles are generally light and often more about finding the right clue node than brute solving. Presentation is gorgeous: comic panels, striking cutscenes and a reactive soundtrack that sells the mood. Downsides include frequent loading screens between rooms, occasional bugs/animation glitches and a few moments of hand‑holding where the game points you too obviously at the next beat. Still, the interplay of timetable, mind map and characters makes for an addictive, replayable detective loop.
I loved getting lost in Blake Manor’s tangled secrets — it’s not perfect, but its characters, mood and detective systems make it a must for mystery fans. Play with patience (and maybe a notebook).
Pros
- Dense, character‑driven story with standout Irish folklore and voice acting
- Smart investigation tools — timetable, mind map and hypothesis system feel satisfying
- Beautiful comic‑book art and a moody reactive soundtrack
Cons
- Too many loading screens and annoying backtracking late game
- Occasional bugs, some hand‑holding and puzzles that can feel too easy
Player Opinion
Players praise the writing, atmosphere and the addictive investigation loop — the mind map and timetable are repeatedly called out as brilliant. Common complaints are long load times, occasional bugs and a design that sometimes spoon‑feeds solutions or hides tiny required clicks. If you like narrative detective games such as Paradise Killer, Obra Dinn or Golden Idol, you’ll find a lot to love here.