Blood on the Thames is a point-and click comsic gothic game that's full of weird aesthetics.

For those who enjoy a bit of odd indie storytelling, here's a game for you: Blood on the Thames. It is a "murder-mystery puzzle game with visual novel components in a Gothic and Lovecraftian universe." Your sleuth will have to solve a supernatural crime in Victorian London, still reeling from the Jack the Ripper killings.

You play Minerva “Mini” Ernest, whose husband died in a bizarre accident with a spiral wound up his leg. The police are unable to solve this mystery, so you must hunt down the culprit across Victorian London, "from the alabaster houses of high society to the coal-stained industrial factories to the watery sewers beneath the City."

The occult overtones quickly take on a cosmic twist. I found the gothic atmosphere and Lovecraft-style cosmic terror to be very compelling. The strange, scratchy black and white aesthetic of the game and the oddities it contains are what I find most compelling. There are so many handwritten notes or oddly typed notes as well as weird little statues and other interface elements. It's like you're in a world rather than a videogame. It's pretty cool.

I'll admit, the demo of Blood on the Thames has some janky edges. However, I find it to have an admirable quality. The imperfect writing kind of accompanies a strange vibe to the entire aesthetic, giving it a found-footage feel that I suspect many people will enjoy.

I'm sure many of them will also be fans that weird game where Sherlock Holmes battles Cthulhu.

Steam will release Blood on the Thames this month. You can download the demo.