Night and the City

In Night and the City you take on the role of Nick Night, detective for hire, as he embarks on his toughest case yet. Explore Rockville, a city of hundreds of people each with their own secrets and desires and use your wits and wiles to glean from them information that will lead to your case's best possible outcome. You must infiltrate prohibited buildings to search for items and documents while remaining undetected by law enforcement or criminal organizations. And you must survive as an ever escalating situation develops around you with betrayal and murder never more than one misstep away.

The Case

It started with a dame, but doesn't it always. She sashayed into my office, batted those big baby blues and spun me a tale about a "friend" of hers. She said she was worried he'd done something dumb and wanted me to find out just how dumb he'd been. It smelled like baloney but it came with a big side of fake salty tears so I chowed down. I took the case, at twenty bucks a day I couldn't afford not to, and it seemed like an easy few days' work.

How wrong can one sap be.

-- Nick Night, Private Detective

The Game

Rockville is a city of hundreds of people each with their own secrets and desires and you must use your wits and wiles to glean from them information that will lead to your case's best possible outcome. You must infiltrate prohibited buildings to search for items and documents while remaining undetected by law enforcement or criminal organizations. And you must survive as an ever escalating situation develops around you with betrayal and murder never more than one misstep away.

The Leads

When your investigation begins you have a number of potential leads to follow. Which path you then decide to pursue is entirely up to you. As you follow leads, question people and find important items more leads are added to your journal. There is minimal hand-holding in Night and the City and ingenuity is encouraged as there is always more than one way to progress the investigation.

The People

Talking to the citizens of Rockville is essential to your investigation and while many are happy to shoot the breeze others keep their cards closer to their chest. It's up to you to find a way to learn what, if anything, they know about your case. Every person is a puzzle, a locked chest, and it's up to you to find their key. Just don't get on their bad side as they may never speak to you again.

The City

Don't expect free access to every part of Rockville initially. Like every city there are many restricted areas behind locked doors and entering them is considered trespassing. If citizens encounter a trespasser they may call the police or, if they're more criminally inclined, take more direct action. Luckily you can gain lockpicks and disguises to help you navigate these areas and, remember, darkness and shadows are a detectives' best friend.

The Factions

As your investigation in Rockville unfolds you will be faced with difficult decisions that will endear you to certain factions while incurring the wrath of others. There is no right or wrong path but who you align with will have a direct affect on your progress. Pander to those with wealth and status and access to certain buildings may become easier but you may find citizens with lower status become a little more tight-lipped. Similarly, choosing to bend the law may gain you favor with the criminal element but it will put you in the sights of Rockville's law enforcement.

Guns

Though firearms and other weapons are available, Night and the City does not encourage constant combat. Instead violence must be used judiciously and with discretion. Rockville's law enforcement comes down hard on gun-toting hoodlums so think before you draw your .38 Special or you may end up in jail, hospital or, worse, the city morgue.