ShelfLife: Art School Detective
ShelfLife: Art School Detective is a detective dating sim set at Cruston Beaux-Arts Academy, located in a fictional university town in New Zealand. Players take on the role of Johana, a psychic art student investigating the destruction of several priceless artworks before the academy is demolished.
Gameplay centres on building relationships with nine suspects, each with their own motives and secrets, while gathering clues and evidence to make deductions about the case. Johana can use psychic powers to astral project into a mixed-media “Artworld” to uncover hidden information about the characters. Player choices affect the story, leading to different routes and outcomes.
The game features an indie bedroom pop soundtrack and combines elements of relationship-building, exploration and mystery-solving. It includes supernatural themes, true-crime parody elements, and occasional swearing or offensive language.