Hunt-A-Killer has made a name for itself as the premier company for episodic mystery games. With its original subscription game, Hunt-A-Killer delivered cryptic clues for players to uncover the identity of a dangerous killer. Since, the company has added a roster of episodic mysteries, including a Blair Witch tie-in, along with a handful of stand-alone, one-session puzzle games evoking classic murder mystery scenes with fan-favorite characters like Nancy Drew. 2022's Supernova, Hunt-A-Killer has expanded on these one-off games for an expansive and immersive puzzle-solving adventure.
In Supernova, players join the fan club for a similarly titled comic series. Along with the membership comes a bunch of gifts, including a membership card and a collector's lunch box but also a copy of the last published issue and an art print from the comic. A letter from the author, Gunny Graham, lets readers in on a secret: Supernova has never been a fictional comic but instead recounts the space-faring journeys of his twin sister. When their connection was cut off, Graham stopped writing Supernova. Now plagued by menacing dreams and messages in his waking life, Graham wants the player to help him figure out what happened to his twin and explain these mysterious happenings.
Part of the charm of Supernova is the depth of its story. The game creates a fictional world believably close to reality and roots its science fiction in the very real world of comic creation. The narrative truly drives the game, with every piece of memorabilia contributing to the mystery but also pulling players deeper into the lives of Graham, his sister, and the underlying story. Supernova is a puzzle game, but it never sacrifices story for the sake of a good solve.
This isn't to say that the puzzles should be written off. Hunt-A-Killer as a company has been producing some of the most interesting play-at-home puzzle games, and Supernova is no exception. Cyphers, locks, hidden visuals, and leaps of logic all work together to make playing Supernova a rewarding effort. The box contains the complete story, so there's no need to wait for the next shipment to find that satisfaction at the end of a good mystery. Running at four to six hours of playtime, Supernova's challenging puzzles surely make players work for that catharsis, but it's worth it.
Supernova runs up against some minor mechanical issues, however. Normally, Hunt-A-Killer is great about providing not only top-notch puzzles but cluing the player in multiple ways to arrive at the solutions. It's been a stand-out feature of previous games and works to make the puzzles and narrative feel truly interconnected. In Supernova, these hints sometimes feel disjointed, as if they're presented to the player at the wrong time. It becomes easy to decode the right ciphers and have everything needed to move on to continue working on clues only designed to help players solve the already-completed cipher. These moments of confusion can be frustrating and may artificially inflate game length but ultimately don't detract from the thrill of the rest of the game.
Despite these small issues, Supernova is a solid Hunt-A-Killer entry. The immersive narrative makes up for these cluing dependencies. Being able to manipulate real objects, and hold on to them afterward as keepsakes, adds to the pleasure of playing the game. Ultimately, however, it's the puzzles that set Supernova apart. While they may not be executed as cleanly or cohesively as some other Hunt-A-Killer titles, they're still fun to solve and make Supernova worth a play.