The Mermaid’s Mask Review
Detective Grimoire and Sally investigate a locked-room murder aboard a mysterious submarine in SFB Games' The Mermaid’s Mask, a detective adventure elevated by exceptional writing and performances.
The Mermaid's Mask. Credit: SFB Games
SFB Games, the studio behind one of my recent favorites, Crow Country, has released its latest mystery adventure. The Mermaid’s Mask is a direct sequel to their acclaimed Tangle Tower, reuniting Detective Grimoire and Sally. The locked-room murder mystery kept me guessing, but I was far more invested in the motley crew of suspects inhabiting the submarine. I was captivated all the way to the end thanks to the excellent writing and cast.
Detective Grimoire and Sally are hired to solve the murder of the enigmatic captain of the Mortuga Submarine. He's found dead inside a sealed room beside a mysterious cauldron that had previously been locked, now open with scratches covering its interior. Rumor has it he was cursed. It's up to you to wrangle and interview the sub's eccentric residents, uncovering their secrets and the complicated relationships they shared with the deceased captain.
Every new clue sends you back through the submarine with fresh questions; showing someone a piece of evidence often reveals another thread worth following. You don't need to ask every character about every clue, but I found myself doing it anyway because I loved the conversations. I wanted to hear it all.
The Mermaid's Mask. Credit: SFB Games
During deduction scenes, you must present evidence to support Grimoire’s conclusions. A couple of times, I found myself brute-forcing these sections by presenting every clue until I found the correct one. I would then immediately realize that I'd simply overlooked a detail, which I wouldn’t have missed had I taken better advantage of the game's notes system. Every statement relevant to a clue is automatically attached to that item's description, making it easy to revisit testimony without relying entirely on memory.
Grimoire and Sally regularly stumble across elaborate locks guarding doors, boxes, and hidden compartments. These standalone puzzles rarely explain themselves immediately; the most rewarding part is figuring out how they work in the first place. When you guess wrong, the pair offer comments that gently nudge you toward a solution without giving the answer away. The puzzles don't connect directly to the story, but they're inventive enough that they never feel like padding.
The best part of the game is the writing. I was immediately impressed by how naturally the dialogue flows. Conversations move with the rhythm of a movie or television show rather than the stilted stop-and-start exchanges common to adventure games. Combined with expressive animation and a phenomenal cast of voice actors, every suspect becomes memorable.
The Mermaid's Mask. Credit: SFB Games
The submarine’s painterly backgrounds are packed with detail, contrasting with the flat-shaded, ink-outlined characters. Their expressive animation gives every conversation an incredible sense of personality, doing far more than the static portraits many adventure games rely on. Fully three-dimensional evidence models are textured to match the painterly environments. Rotating them, opening hidden compartments, and discovering details tucked underneath gives clue hunting far more tactile satisfaction than simply clicking on static images.
After the credits, I spent time exploring the bonus gallery, which features concept art and commentary from the artists explaining how each design evolved. It shows just how much care went into every character, clue, and corner of the submarine, and it was fascinating to see after completing the game. It’s better than most concept galleries I’ve seen, and I read every description.
By the end, solving the mystery almost felt secondary. I was determined to squeeze out every bit of dialogue because I wanted to spend more time with the misfits living aboard the submarine. I hope SFB Games makes a hundred more Grimoire and Sally adventures.
The Mermaid's Mask
Solving The Mermaid’s Mask is satisfying, but spending time with its eccentric cast is what makes it so difficult to put down.
