Amid lingering political turmoil, the first and only female empress of China, Wu Zetian rises to power. Within months of her ascension to the throne, murmurs of discontentment and revolution swell as detractors and enemies begin plotting against her. It is against this backdrop that our protagonist, newly appointed investigating magistrate Di Renjie, must solve a series of gruesome murders–which will lead him on a collision course with the Imperial court and the empress herself.

The Silk Rose Murders is a point-and-click adventure video game inspired by the classics of the genre–games like Gabriel Knight, Grim Fandango, and The Longest Journey.

Our aim is to create an original story set in an intriguing world filled with mystery and charm. We want the player to explore this unique setting and unravel its narrative using familiar adventure gameplay mechanics such as exploration, dialogue choices, interaction with objects and clues, and puzzle-solving.

The pixel art style of the game is also an homage to old school graphics, but we’ve also added our own visual signature and design sensibilities.

Aside from the traditional adventure gameplay experience many of us are familiar with, our game will also introduce an original mechanic where you will be able to re-enact the scene of a crime to put your theories to the test. Once you’ve gathered enough clues, this mechanic will be available to progress your investigation.


This plus our fresh take on the traditional “notes” system, puts true investigative gameplay at the heart of the game. We want you to really feel like you are a detective.


Detective Di: The Silk Rose Murders is a video game being developed by Nupixo Games, an independent studio based in Montreal. Development is lead my creative director Minh Ta, who has previously made three successful web games: Shadow of the Ninja 1 and 2, and Facility Z.

The game will be initially available for Windows and Mac platforms. Follow us on Twitter or sign up to our mailing list for news on its release window. You are also welcome to drop us a line at info@nupixo.com. Members of the press can reach out to us at press@nupixo.com.


It’s no secret making a game takes a huge amount of time, effort, and expertise. As a small indie, we are driven by our passion for the craft, but also by the vision behind a particular idea. In the case of Detective Di: The Silk Rose Murders, we think we have a game that is deserving of a full release to a broader audience.

This is where Kickstarter comes in. As a way to build a community and as a supplementary funding source, there is little question that a crowd-sourcing campaign that is honest and well prepared can benefit both the content creators and the gamers.

This is why we are preparing a campaign for Detective Di, which we’ll be launching early 2015. We hope you’ll take a look!