Mirage Noir is a detective VN focused on found family, inspired by games like Ace Attorney and Bustafellows.
Story (quoted from the Steam page):
Play as a detective, solve cases, and try to catch an elusive serial killer in this mystery visual novel focused on found family (inspired by games like Ace Attorney and Bustafellows)
When Yunie graduated from college, she believed she had her whole life ahead of her. Returning to her hometown with a shiny new dream job, it seemed like nothing could stand in her way.
However, two years later, not much has changed. She hasn’t made any new friends, isn’t allowed to investigate anything worthwhile, and feels like she’s stuck in mud, moving in place.
So when an unexpected opportunity arises, she doesn’t hesitate to take it. The case is a weird one, but it introduces her to an eccentric team of people she immediately connects with, and she decides that no matter what, she won’t regret getting involved.
Even if it means crossing paths with a serial killer.
Full game coming in 2026! The demo covers the entirety of the prologue.
They’ll also be running a Kickstarter from Oct 22 - Nov 21
Double checked, this does have romantic character routes with what appear to be just men, so it passes.
Yay :D It was originally a submission to Otome Jam 2024 so I’ve had my eyes on it for a while already :3