Notice what does not belong

Threatlens, an independent game studio near Manchester, designs observation puzzles for Android in which players study a scene, notice the detail that is wrong, and work out what it means.

There is no combat in our designs. The challenge is attention. A door left open, a shadow at the wrong angle, a timetable that does not add up.

Each scene we design can be zoomed and panned freely, and nothing moves until the player is ready, so the games suit people who like to take their time. Puzzles are grouped into short cases of five or six scenes that share a setting, from a railway station at dawn to a museum after closing. Solving a case unlocks a short written epilogue that ties its clues together, and a gentle hint system points to the right area of a scene without revealing the answer outright.

How a Threatlens puzzle is put together

Scene

A single illustrated location, studied at the player's own pace.

Anomaly

One or more details that contradict the rest of the scene.

Deduction

A short chain of reasoning that connects the anomaly to an explanation.

Review

An optional walkthrough that shows every clue once a puzzle is solved.

Fairness rule

Every clue is visible on screen. Nothing depends on knowledge from outside the game.

Pacing

Scenes are planned to take between two and ten minutes, with no penalty for stopping halfway and returning later to look again with fresh eyes.