An extra story featuring Detective Red July — "The Illusion Murders" has been announced! Five new chapters tell an exciting mystery story set in Red July's past that explores the nature of an impossible crime.
Why is this a free update to the game and not paid DLC?
I have nothing against paid DLC or DLC in general. Personally I think the price of the game is totally justified with the amount of content already in it.
The reason it's a free update is... laziness on my part. It's simply easier for me to update the base game instead of setting up a whole separate DLC page and coding the game so that the DLC shows up in the base game when you buy it. Can you tell I don't like coding that much??
Thanks to my laziness, you get to enjoy free extra content!
Why is Red July getting a featured story and not everyone's favorite character, Detective Eastman?
I keep a pretty close eye on which characters are popular in the Methods fanbase. The decision to make the story about about Red July was partially based on that, but mostly because I had a story I wanted to tell with her, about this optical illusion serial killer case that I'd very briefly mentioned in a Twitter DM many months ago.
I thought it would be hilarious to actually deliver a full story based on an offhand remark I made while answering a random question on Twitter. But I also found it an interesting enough concept for a killer, and Red July has character flaws that are fun to explore.
So, three factors: Meaningful story to tell, significant character, and a fan favorite. Sorry, but Detective Eastman strikes out on all three counts there! But I would say having a meaningful story is the most important factor for me, and being a fan favorite is the least important. Because you never know what character could turn into a fan favorite provided I gave them more attention!
Imagine if Roel's role in the story had just been the first three stages. I doubt she would get as much fan attention. Making her the protagonist of the sixth stage and very purposefully trying to make her more appealing, complex, and with lots of cool moments, gave her a big boost.
How will I access the extra story in the game?
The Illusion Murders chapters will be accessible from the chapters menu, just like all the other chapters, after completing Chapter 100 and the credits roll. You will need to go through Chapter 100 again (you can skip through it) to unlock them. Alternatively, you can use the "unlock all chapters" option.
When will The Illusion Murders be released?
I don't like to give out specific release dates, but I will say that it's currently a high priority and a lot of it is already finished, so hopefully soon.
I hope you're looking forward to it!
Though I agree that Roel will get less attention if she got eliminated in the early stages, I feel it is a bit unfair to indicate that people are attracted to her because she is the carrier of the final stage. Even if it was Detective Mackle who won the fifth stage, I doubt if she would get many likes as Roel did. I think she has the "star" personality. There is an interesting observation by phycologists that we are generally more attracted to competent people, especially when they blunder. Detective 772+ is a perfect showcase. And Roel's "sweet face with a vinegar tongue" is another. Besides, the unfortunate illness makes her intelligence even less aggressive and rather triggers sympathy…