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Expelled! review – deliciously daft private school murder mystery

(Inkle; Nintendo Switch, iPhone/iPad, Mac, PC)Prove that Verity Amersham is innocent of trying to bump off the head girl in this ingenious whodunnit from the makers of Overboard!There’s been a murder – or an attempted one, at least. At sunrise someone shoved Louisa Hardcastle, soon to be crowned head girl of Miss Mulligatawney’s School for Promising Girls, through the school’s stained-glass window. Your character, Verity Amersham, stands accused, and must present an account of her day that proves her innocence. This is achieved via a Groundhog Day structure: you repeatedly play through the hours leading up to Verity’s expulsion as an interactive flashback, from the moment she woke, through to attending chapel and classes, and the accusation on which the story pivots. There’s no magic involved: you’re simply recounting the day’s events to your concerned father as you construct your alibi, establish whether Verity committed the crime – or if not, by whom she has been framed.Developed by British studio Inkle, Expelled! has many of the hallmarks of the developer’s magnificent previous title, Overboard! There’s a witty script, memorable Agatha Christie-esque characters (Verity’s roommate, the conflict-scarred Russian expat Nattie, provides a standout turn) and a lightness of touch that offsets the grisly act upon which the story rests. There are hefty themes behind the cartoonish presentation too. Set in 1922 after the first world war and a global pandemic, the setting trembles with interwar trauma and the sense that the world might again collapse at any moment into chaos. Continue reading...

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