How to play a murder mystery logic puzzle
A murder mystery logic puzzle (a whodunit) asks you to place everyone on a floor plan using the clues in a case file. Every row and column holds exactly one person, and nobody stands on a table or cupboard. All clues are true. Once everyone is placed, the murderer is the only person in the same room as the victim.
The rules of the murder mystery puzzle
- Place every person on the floor plan: choose someone below the plan, then tap a square.
- Every row and every column holds exactly one person.
- Nobody can stand on furniture you cannot stand on, such as a table or a cupboard. A chair, sofa, bed or rug is fine.
- "Next to" means right beside it in the same room: not diagonally and not through a wall. A word means what everyone takes it to mean, so "next to a table" applies to any table, including a coffee table.
- All the clues in the case file are true. Together they let you work out every position.
- When everyone is placed, name the murderer: the only person who was in the same room as the victim.
Everything can be worked out by reasoning, so you never need to guess.
How to solve a murder mystery puzzle
Three habits will carry you through most cases. Combine them and the floor plan fills up on its own.
Cross out what is impossible
Start with the squares nobody can use, such as a table or a cupboard. Then read a clue and ask which squares it allows. "Next to a bookcase" leaves only the squares right beside a bookcase in the same room. Cross out the rest and begin with the clues that leave a person very few squares.
Let rows and columns do the work
Because every row and column holds exactly one person, each placement removes a whole row and a whole column for everybody else. If a person has only one possible square left, place them there. If a row or column has only one free square left, someone must stand in it: check which person the clues allow.
Use the victim's room
Once you know where the victim stands, you know the room that matters. Exactly one other person is in that room, and that is the murderer. As soon as you have placed one person there, nobody else can stand in that room, so cross out its remaining squares.
Watch: how to play a murder mystery logic puzzle
This video explains the rules of the murder mystery logic puzzle and the basic techniques for working out where everyone stands, and it shows how the puzzle is played in Vellara.
Playing Murder Mystery in Vellara
Vellara gives you a floor plan and a case file. Choose a person below the plan, tap a square to place them, and tick off clues as you use them. When everyone stands in the right place, you point out the murderer. Murder Mystery comes in five levels.
- Above the plan: zoom out, zoom in, fit to screen, an info button with the rules and a hint button. A counter shows how many people you have placed.
- Two screens: 1 is the floor plan and 2 is the case file. On a phone you swipe or use the round button at the bottom right; on a tablet they sit side by side.
- Below the plan are the people, with the victim marked. Tapping an empty square puts a cross in it, and tapping a clue ticks it off.
- Five levels, from a small house with six people to a large country house with fourteen. Higher levels bring more rooms, furniture that looks alike and cases in themes such as a castle or a cruise ship.
- No time pressure: a clock runs along, but you can take as long as you like.
Questions about the murder mystery puzzle
Do you have to guess in a murder mystery puzzle?
No. All the clues are true and every case can be worked out by reasoning. If you feel stuck, look for the person with the fewest possible squares.
How do you find the murderer?
The murderer is the only person who was in the same room as the victim. Once the people are placed on the floor plan, look at the victim's room: the one other person standing there is the murderer.
What does "next to" mean in the clues?
It means right beside it in the same room. Diagonal squares do not count, and neither does a square on the other side of a wall.
What is the difference between the levels?
Higher levels have a bigger house, more suspects and clues that fit more places, such as "next to a cupboard" instead of "next to the bookcase". The first level has six people in a small house; the fifth has fourteen in a large country house.
Is Murder Mystery in Vellara free?
Yes. Vellara is free to download, needs no account and works offline.
Play Murder Mystery free in Vellara
Vellara is calm, free and works offline. It sends no notifications and puts no time pressure on you.
More puzzles in Vellara
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