A 2024 noir thriller and a pixel art mystery are free on Epic Games Store

The Epic Games Store has updated its weekly rotation of giveaways, offering PC users two distinct detective experiences for free until February 19. Users can now claim copies of Nobody Wants to Die and The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark via the official storefront or desktop launcher.

This week's pairing offers a stark contrast in visual fidelity and tone. On one end of the spectrum is a high-budget Unreal Engine 5 showcase released less than a year ago. On the other is a charming, low-resolution point-and-click adventure that runs on practically anything with a screen. Both titles replace the standard paid entry fee with a zero-dollar price tag for the next seven days.

Time manipulation in 2329

Nobody Wants to Die is the more surprising inclusion of the two, primarily because of its age. Developed by Critical Hit Games and published by PLAION, the title only launched in July 2024. Seeing a game go free less than a year after release is relatively rare outside of live-service pivots, though it suggests the publisher is looking to expand the audience for what is effectively a narrative-heavy walking simulator.

Set in a transhumanist version of New York City, the game casts players as Detective James Karra. The central hook involves a world where immortality is technically possible through memory transfer, provided you have the cash to rent a new body. The gameplay leans heavily on crime scene investigation mechanics where players manipulate time to reconstruct events. It is less of a shooter and more of an interactive visual novel with very high production values.

The game utilizes Unreal Engine 5 to aggressive effect. It features dense volumetric lighting, detailed texture work, and the kind of rain-slicked neon streets that make graphics card fans spin up in terror. If you have been looking for something to benchmark a new GPU without spending money, this is a solid candidate.

Point-and-click ghosts

On the opposite end of the technical spectrum sits The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark. Developed by Spooky Doorway, this is the direct sequel to the 2017 original. It continues the adventures of Detective Francis McQueen and his somewhat dim-witted partner Officer Dooley as they investigate paranormal occurrences in the fictional city of Twin Lakes.

Unlike its bundle-mate, this title relies on classic SCUMM-era mechanics. You click on objects, combine items in your inventory, and talk to NPCs to advance the plot. The writing style is heavy on puns and pop-culture references, often parodying tropes from The X-Files and Twin Peaks. The visual style uses a chunky, minimalist pixel art aesthetic that prioritizes readability over detail.

While this is a sequel, the game is structured episodically (six cases total), making it relatively easy to jump in even if you missed the first entry. It also runs natively on Linux and macOS, unlike Nobody Wants to Die which is Windows-only.

System requirements vary wildly

The hardware gap between these two freebies is significant. Nobody Wants to Die lists a recommendation of an RTX 3070 or Radeon RX 6800 just to hit standard performance targets, alongside 30GB of storage space. It is a demanding piece of software that relies on upscaling technologies to maintain smooth framerates on mid-range hardware.

The Darkside Detective requires 1GB of RAM and a processor from the last decade. It is the kind of game you can install on a travel laptop without worrying about battery drain or thermal throttling. For retro enthusiasts or those with aging hardware, it is the more accessible option of the two.