Studio K Games will release a free trial version of its forensic investigation visual novel Bone to Pick on Steam on Oct. 8, 2026, featuring 14 distinct forensic mini-games and an illustrated art style, gnn.gamer.com.tw reported.
Players step into the role of a new intern at a forensic research institution located in Washington D.C., tasked with uncovering the true identities of nameless human skeletal remains. The narrative framework relies on text dialogue mixed with field investigations, suspect interrogations, and hands-on laboratory puzzles. Each standard case runs for approximately 30 minutes of gameplay time, according to gnn.gamer.com.tw.
The developer confirmed that the official release will follow in early 2027 with seven total cases. Before that commercial launch, the trial version will also be featured in the Steam Next Fest beginning on Oct. 19, 2026. The demo covers the entire first case, which centers on an unidentified body discovered after a car explosion in Washington D.C., and save files will transfer over to the full game.
Interactive Tasks Simulate Real Forensic Workflows
Gameplay incorporates 14 interactive tasks that simulate real forensic workflows, letting players clean bones, assemble skeletons, piece together fragments, perform isotope analysis on teeth using lasers, and examine diatom samples under a microscope. Additional mechanics include making molds of tire tracks and bite marks, comparing murder weapons to skeletal trauma, separating mixed DNA samples, and reconstructing facial features with clay.
Studio K Games designed the scientific content to follow actual investigative methodologies while keeping the visual presentation strictly illustrative rather than gory or realistic. When players encounter difficult analysis, in-game colleagues like FBI agents, forensic anthropologists, digital analysts, and a search dog named Biscuit provide guidance, meaning no prior forensic expertise is required to progress.
Character Interactions and Case Files
Story progression utilizes character sprites and dialogue trees that highlight interpersonal conflicts between victims and suspects, ranging from a virtual YouTuber and a hockey team coach to a wedding planner, a nightclub owner, and a political family. Players gather physical evidence at crime scenes and exploit contradictions during witness cross-examinations, where new evidence can completely alter a suspect’s perceived guilt or innocence.
The initial release includes multiple distinct scenarios detailed by gnn.gamer.com.tw:
- A woman scheduled to marry a politician’s son is discovered as a skeleton, leaving investigators to determine if a burglar or the fiancé is responsible.
- Whitened human bones appear inside the ashes of an incinerator.
- A young journalist is found dead near a riverbank, with suspects spanning interview subjects and professional rivals.
Windows PC Title Supports Ten Languages
The Windows PC title supports 10 languages, including Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, English, Korean, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, and Russian. Pricing for the full version is set at New Taiwan Dollar 159 or Hong Kong Dollar 42, with a 10 percent launch discount planned when the game arrives in early 2027.
