This medieval murder mystery is worth it for the nuns’ chemistry

By James On Jul 3, 2023

A few hours later Misericorde: Part 1a murder mystery visual novel set in a convent in England in 1482, the nuns get into a fight over the process of slaughtering ducks for the evening meal.

It’s not exactly a logical argument – at least not for Flora, who is absolutely just fucking with her fellow nun Eustace. After Eustace assures everyone that she doesn’t find it difficult to kill ducks – “They’re not much of a match for me, if I’m being honest” – Flora responds by asking, “How many ducks would it take before you do you think you would lose?” And nevertheless Miseriorder has no voice acting, relies only on black and white drawings and art, you can do that to belong the stubborn this-is-not-debate tone in Eustace’s answer: “I could beat any duck. It’s just not a problem for me.”

But it’s not a duck that was killed. It’s the convent’s most spirited free thinker, Sister Catherine, who has just been found dead. And for at least one of these characters, Catherine was no match them.

This captivating and sometimes quite humorous (as evidenced by the debate about the killing of ducks) visual novel unfolds mainly through the eyes of the pious, naive Hedwig, who at the beginning of Miseriorder is the anchor star of the monastery. This means that, by choice, she spent her formative years locked in a cell, serving as a supposed “neutral” source of knowledge for all spiritual advice seekers, as she devoted herself entirely to reading only scripture and religious literature . . She only knows the voices of those who have visited her – and while she counsels them in times of intense vulnerability, she knows almost nothing about them, or people and society in general.

Image: XEECEE via Polygon

Moira looks suspicious as she walks between monastic buildings in Misericorde and says:

In a view from Hedwig's perspective as she stares at all the nuns sitting in pews, she stutters:

Unfortunately for Hedwig, her position in the convent means she’s the only person who knows for sure not sister Catherine’s murder. So Mother Superior takes her out of the simple yet serene familiarity of her cell, forcing Hedwig to secretly evaluate the few members of the convent in an attempt to uncover the identity of Catherine’s killer.

Miseriorder is a visual novel in the strictest sense: there’s no player choice, no branching dialogue; it’s a matter of just clicking through and reading the story as it unfolds. Only the first part of the game has been released on Steam so far, so the mystery is still unsolved. Still, it’s already skyrocketed to the top of my personal list of favorite games of the year because of the depth of the characters and the twisty, sometimes even supernatural twists of the murder mystery.

Hedwig looks up to see a cloaked figure staring at her from a hallway at the top of the convent. The image is captioned with Hedwig's internal monologue:

It’s rare to see an ensemble cast so well developed and characterized, especially in a murder mystery, a genre that often relies on tropes and shorthand. When I saw the black and white art depicting all the nuns in (obviously) identical clothing, I was initially concerned about how I would be able to track all the suspects. But I didn’t worry for long. Each nun has her own voice – and her own set of secrets, closely guarded from Mother Superior, Hedwig and the rest.

As soon as I played this unforgettable opening salvo, Misericorde: Part 1I went straight to Patreon from the solo developer and became a paying subscriber because I knew I would like to play Part 2 as soon as it became available. Miseriorder is available on steam And itch.i O.