Unheard is a short puzzle game based on audio, a pretty unique concept rarely seen in the video game industry. Immerged in different cases as a ghostly detective, the player is tasked of solving several questions regarding one or more unsolved mysteries. In each case, the player can move around in a map without limitations, various events and dialogues can be witnessed at different locations throughout the audio timeline, which, the player can manipulate at will.

The very nature of this game and the absence of any sort of RNG, allow players to brute force any case if they so desire. If this problem is rather common among puzzle games, what could be pointed out, is the lack of innovation throughout the cases, as all clever mechanics and setups are revealed in the second case right after the tutorial.

But beside that, the game proposes a nice experience, the writing of each case is pretty solid, the english voice acting is also decent, dictions or accents might be not realistic to some extent, but it gives a certain flair to the game and definitely help people who are not native english speaker.

Ultimately, the length of the game fits its proposition, the concept which could be polished, still manages to keep the player engaged from the very beginning until the end of the game. Without spoiling anything, the game tackles compelling themes and even offers multiple endings, and all of them are interesting in their own way.

It may not be a game for everyone, but if you're accustomed to this type of game or just curious, I would recommend this game without a doubt.

They really found a genuinely new idea for a game, although it shares similarities to the even more interesting "The Invisible Hours". You basically play as the fly on the wall, listening in to simultaneously happening conversations, trying to figure out what happened, who did what, etc.
The cases are rather interesting, but there's only five of them (plus a free DLC with one large case and a little addendum for said case). It's a rather short experience, but I had a lot of fun with it.
The voice acting can be hit or miss, with some hilariiously bad lines mixed with some which are fine.
The biggest negative for me was that the game didn't really find a good way to prevent brute forcing the solutions. "Return of the Obra Dinn" had a brilliant solution to that problem, but it would not really be applicable to this game. Still, the way the game is right now, it can lead to you trying out a little bit too much, spoiling your own fun of discovery.

A solid game overall, though.

DEVOURED this. I was a little leery going in, as Unheard looked like a Jumpscares Horror Game (and the game certainly leans into this implication to keep you on edge). In fact, it is a mini-mysteries game with zero jumpscares and a really neat investigation mechanic. Similar to Telling Lies, but the conversation matching worked much better. (And you can skip through the audio, no less.) Each case involves a complicated series of intersecting gambits, with you having to follow handoffs, shuffles, and true identities. I could have done without the "evil psych ward" stuff, and the plots weren't exactly deep, but the basic gameplay was so fun that I wish the game were longer.

Apparently the devs aren't planning to release the other two DLCs in English, as they are too based in Chinese culture to be localized like the base game is. Which is a shame, really--I would happily play it translated but unlocalized.