https://www.inklestudios.com/overboard/

Entry by Jeremy Andriano

A. BASIC INFORMATION

Creator(s): Inkle (https://www.inklestudios.com/)

• Jon Ingold (Writer & Director)
• Tom Kail (Development & Audio Design)
• Joseph Humfrey (Art Direction & Graphic Design)
• Anastasia Wyatt (Characters & Art)
• Emily Morganti (Marketing & PR)

Creation Technology: ink, Unity

Publisher: Inkle

Date of Original Release: June 2, 2021

Platform(s): Windows, MacOS, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android

Peripherals Required: Mouse or Touchscreen-enabled device, Speakers or Headphones

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Awards & Distinctions: 

• Apple Design Awards 2022, Delight & Fun Category
• Writers’ Guild Awards 2022, Best Writing in a Video Game

Version Used for Entry: Apple iPad iOS, Version 1.4.2 b354ec

B. GAME INFORMATION

Game/eLit Genre(s): Adventure, Visual Novel, Roguelike, Puzzle/Strategy

Time to complete: Main story: 2.5 hours, according to https://howlongtobeat.com/game/93626, although this may be misleading. A single Overboard! playthrough can be completed in less than 20 minutes. However, it may take dozens of attempts—and several hours—before the player reaches a truly successful outcome and uncovers all of the characters’ secrets.

Replay required/useful?: Yes. The game is intended to be played multiple times, and each playthrough will reveal new details about the characters and events in Overboard! Because each character in the game moves around the ship according to their own schedule and routine, and because every action taken by the player causes time to pass, it is impossible to fully develop every character’s plotline in a single playthrough. Additionally, in order to attain the “best” outcomes, the player is required to perform a complex sequence of actions in a specific order. The player will likely “fail” several times while exploring Overboard! before they discover the optimal path through the game’s events. 

Gameplay: In Overboard!, the player takes on the role of Veronica Villensey, a newlywed actress and socialite, sailing across the Atlantic from London to New York in the summer of 1935. In the opening cutscene, Veronica murders her new groom Malcolm by shoving him over the railing of the cruise ship’s deck in the middle of the night. Gameplay begins with Veronica waking up in her cabin the following morning. The player’s goal is to help Veronica avoid being identified as the killer until the ship arrives in New York that afternoon.

The player uses a touchscreen or mouse to either select from a list of possible actions to perform or dialogue to speak (presented in text buttons along the bottom of the screen), or to move to different locations on the ship (using a plan of the ship). Typically, Veronica is displayed on the left side of the screen, and any other characters in the scene are displayed on the right, with lines of dialogue presented in the centre in speech bubbles (see screenshot below for an example). Items held by Veronica appear as icons in the upper left of the screen. The location and time are displayed top centre. Every action taken or line of dialogue spoken causes time to pass by a minute or two, making time-management a primary gameplay mechanic.

In addition to selecting lines of dialogue for Veronica to speak, actions for her to perform, or items for her to take or use, the player must also direct her movement throughout the various locations on the ship. For example, once the opening conversation with the Steward is concluded (see below), the player is prompted to either “Look around the cabin” or “Get moving”. If “Look around the cabin” is selected, the options expand to include “The bathroom…”, “The bed…”, or “The desk…” Each of these options potentially lead to details for Veronica to notice or items to add to her inventory. An option like “Get moving” will open a cross section plan of the ship where various locations can be selected to travel to: the bridge, the upper deck, forward cabins, aft cabins, the restaurant, smoking room, chapel, or the ship’s bell. 

The player is informed how much time it will take for Veronica to arrive at her destination when selecting locations on the plan. Additionally, the plan displays silhouettes of characters who are known to be in certain locations, letting the player decide with whom Veronica will interact next. The thrill in Overboard! lies in learning the routines and activities (and maybe secrets) of the others on board, in finding Veronica Villensey’s perfect path through the day’s events.

Overboard! is a murder mystery story, which means there are clues. However, because the player takes the role of the murderer, the goal here isn’t just to find the clues, but also to figure out how to hide or redeploy them. Additionally, when talking to the other characters, Veronica can craft her version of what happened in any number of ways. For example, in the opening scene, depending on how Veronica responds, the Steward might leave with the impression that Malcolm is alive and well in the room; or Veronica can tell the Steward that Malcolm has been missing since the previous evening. If Veronica contradicts herself when she speaks to other characters later, she may draw suspicion on herself.

Lastly, there are ‘roguelike’ elements to the gameplay in Overboard!, meaning that when a playthrough—or run—ends, the game begins again with Veronica waking in her cabin at the start of the day, but the player retains and can take advantage of any new knowledge they obtained during previous attempts. In other words, all of the objects in Veronica’s inventory, as well as any narrative outcomes resulting from her interactions with the non-player characters on the boat, have been reset, but the player has gained new insights with which to inform the decisions they make on subsequent playthroughs. For example, if Veronica (and by extension, the player) learns a secret knock to one of the other passenger’s cabin doors during a late-afternoon conversation in one playthrough, the player can then use that knowledge immediately at the start of a new playthrough. It does not matter that the player-character Veronica has not yet learned the knock. The effect is similar to the experience of Bill Murray’s character in the film Groundhog Day (1993), who is able to repeat the same day over and over while retaining all of the knowledge they gain with each repetition. There is also a rewind button that can be used once per scene, if a conversation veers off in a direction the player was not expecting, or if they want to change trajectories entirely. As the player becomes familiar with the various characters and their routines aboard the ship, gameplay in Overboard! becomes an addictive, iterative loop in which the player tries to achieve particular outcomes with specific characters, or to complete a perfect ‘run.’

This loop is made even easier for the player after their initial playthrough. Regardless of whether or not the player succeeds (and on the first run, they will likely fail to some degree), on subsequent playthroughs, the option button that was last selected by the player in each scene will be highlighted in green, offering a reminder of which narrative paths have already been followed. Also, a checklist will appear in the upper left corner of the screen, directing the player toward plot elements that they have not yet discovered, such as “What is Anders’ secret?” or “Can I frame Clarissa?”

C. LITERARY INFORMATION

Related Literary Genre(s): Crime Fiction (Golden Age Murder Mystery)

Story/Plot Summary: Overboard! begins with a view of a cruise ship on the ocean at night. On the player’s initial playthrough, a title card reads, “Midnight, JULY 3, 1935 | Aboard the SS Hook, bound for New York.” In the opening cutscene, a foghorn blows and an image of a newspaper front page flashes the headline, “VILLENSEYS DEPART FOR AMERICA!” The newspaper story tells the player that “former starlet Veronica Villensey” and her husband Malcolm have set sail, but that “the pair, once dubbed as a ‘charmed couple,’ are now rumoured to be in dire financial straits after a string of poor investments.”

 A woman’s voice speaks as the camera gradually zooms in on the ship, where two silhouetted figures can be seen on deck: “We stood together at the rail, Malcolm and I. I told him I could see dolphins playing in the wake of the boat. He leant over to see them…” A button appears that reads: “Just a little further, dear.” When clicked, the woman’s voice continues: “…So I grabbed him by the belt…”. Another button appears, reading “NOW!” Once the player clicks the button, the voice continues “…And I threw him overboard!” The figure of the man lets out a scream as he falls into the water below and the figure of the woman walks away and the opening credits roll.

Veronica is then shown waking up with an audible yawn, saying: “Malcolm, darling… I had the strangest dream… Malcolm? Oh… He’s gone! Really gone!” There is a brief pause before Veronica adds an exuberant, “Marvellous!” At the top of the screen, the location and time are displayed, “My Cabin, 8:06.” 

The Steward knocks on Veronica’s cabin door, and the gameplay begins with options to say “Who’s there?”, “Come in”, or “Don’t come in!” The story proceeds based on the responses the player selects. After a few exchanges, no matter what dialogue has been selected, the Steward informs Veronica that the ship will arrive at Liberty Island at 4:00pm. 

The story of Overboard! always follows the same general framework: it begins the morning after  Malcolm’s murder, and it ends with the ship’s arrival at its destination that afternoon. However, in this story, the events that take place along the way—the plot—can vary greatly from telling to telling, leading to several different outcomes (some potential plotlines are provided in step-by-step detail in the Walkthrough section). And there’s more happening in Overboard! than can be seen in a single playthrough. The order in which the plot is revealed—and how much plot—depends on the player. 

The many combinations of people to talk to—each at different times and different locations—and the objects that Veronica can steal, hide, carry, and otherwise use to her advantage, create dozens of possible plotlines. The joy of playing Overboard! is found in exploring these narrative branches. 

No matter which path is followed, the endings of Overboard! converge into only a few variations. A ‘run’ of Overboard! ends after the game clock reaches 15:00 (3:00 pm). At this point, it will become apparent that Malcolm is no longer on the ship, and Major Singh will call a meeting to determine what happened. This is when characters will come forward and compare notes on Veronica’s behaviour throughout the day, and any other evidence that has been discovered. If Veronica has failed to cover her tracks, she will be arrested, and the game will end with her in Sing-Sing prison. The game can also end in “failure” if Veronica chooses to jump overboard at any point throughout the day. It is also possible for Veronica to “sleep through” the meeting, either by taking the sleeping pills or getting herself knocked out some other way. If this happens, in the absence of any defense of her own, Major Singh will be swayed into believing Veronica is responsible (which, really, she is), and she will still end up in Sing-Sing. It should also be noted that Veronica herself can call the meeting at any point during the day by ringing the ship’s bell and declaring that Malcolm has gone overboard. If she has not yet planted suspicion on someone else, though, or otherwise covered her tracks, she may still end up in jail.

However, there are also several ways that things can go right for our calculating murderess. As long as she somehow takes care of the missing earring and hides her sleeping pills, Veronica can make it through the day pretty easily if she sticks to her story that she has not seen Malcolm since the evening before. Without any evidence to the contrary, Major Singh will conclude that Malcolm’s death was an act of suicide. In this ending, Veronica might not see any jail time, but she’ll be broke: she cannot collect life insurance if Malcolm caused his own death. A slightly better outcome occurs if Veronica can shift the blame to one of the other passengers, or better still, get one of them to confess to the murder themselves! It can happen! In this case, Veronica escapes and gets herself a big payday. Unfortunately, depending on who she framed, one of the other passengers might know enough about what happened to blackmail Veronica, cutting into her ill-gotten gains.

The “best” ending—for Veronica, anyway—comes when Veronica figures out how to take care of the potential blackmailer as well. She can do this by pinning the murder on that character… or maybe Veronica commits another murder! Either way, with that potential problem eliminated, Veronica can escape scot-free and keep all of the loot.     

Suitability for Teaching:

Overboard! provides an interesting lens with which to examine crime fiction and how it functions as a literary genre. According to Nilsson et al., “crime fiction is complex and comprises a spectrum of stories that can be grouped in numerous subgenres or categories, such as hard-boiled, suspense or noir fiction, the spy novel, lesbian crime fiction, the clue puzzle or whodunit, and historical crime fiction; these categories often merge and create subcategories” (11). Overboard! touches on several of these aspects.

Overboard! is an interactive reversal of the traditional clue-puzzle or whodunit mystery. In this subgenre, the story is typically focused on the detective—a Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot—and their investigation, and the story is structured in such a way that the reader is invited to attempt to solve the mystery while reading, as new clues are revealed. Overboard! turns this construction on its head, focusing on the murderer’s activities and asking the player to remove (or fabricate) the clues in order to disrupt the detective’s (in this case, the Major’s) investigation. Overboard! therefore is a variant of the reverse ‘whodunit,’ the ‘howcatchem,’ where the murderer is known in advance and the interest and suspense lies in following the investigator as they solve the case. The major difference here is that the suspense arises from the player’s attempts to prevent the case from being correctly solved. It could be called an ‘anti-howcatchem,’ as the player is tasked with creating breadcrumb trails of clues that will lead the Major to various inaccurate conclusions.

There is a historical specificity to Overboard! that is significant to the story as well. The game is set in 1935, and Europe is a powder keg that will explode in World War Two. The character of Lady Armstrong demonstrates overt racism, providing context and commentary about the era. If the player uncovers his secret, they will find that Richard Carstairs’ story arc is directly impacted by the situation in Germany at the time (see screenshot below).

Depending on how the player chooses to roleplay Veronica Villensey, it is possible to see Overboard! as a narrative featuring an anti-hero, or, to use the subtitle of W. M. Thackeray’s Vanity Fair (1848), “A Novel without a Hero.” There are clues throughout the game that Malcolm—Veronica’s victim and now-deceased husband—was himself a criminal, an embezzler, an adulterer, and a Nazi sympathizer. Some of Veronica’s dialogue choices  suggest a vigilante-like motivation for her crime. However, the game offers far more options that cement Veronica as a cold-hearted killer and a villain. In this role, she might be compared to the title character of Shakespeare’s Richard III, who is a deliberately and delightfully evil anti-hero. 

On that note, the subject matter of Overboard! might make it difficult to teach at certain education levels and age ranges. The player is very much put in the role of the villain and required to perform criminal acts. The goal of the game is to hide a murder. Indeed, one of the game’s hidden endings involves killing everyone on board the ship. Even if the player chooses not to resort to additional murders, Veronica must repeatedly lie, steal, and seduce if she wants to successfully escape at the end of the journey. Instructor discretion is advised.  

D. WALKTHROUGH

After completing the story for the first time, no matter what outcome is reached, Overboard! adds a checklist for the player, making suggestions that will lead the player to storylines and plot-threads that have not yet been fully explored. Listed below are step-by-step instructions for achieving Overboard!’s primary endings. Full spoilers follow below. (Adapted from https://www.neoseeker.com/overboard-2021/walkthrough)

Veronica’s actions in the opening moments of each playthrough are crucial, as she is setting the stage for whatever cover story she plans on using throughout the day. However, time is also of the essence, and she cannot afford to spend all morning in her cabin if she wants to cover her tracks. Once the Steward has left, Veronica might take a moment in the mirror and notice that one of her earrings is missing. This is important, because if she notices she has lost an earring, she can hide the one she has left. If she is still wearing it later, she won’t be able to deny the other one is hers if it is found in an incriminating location. Or maybe she can use the earring she has left to frame one of the other passengers! Veronica can also take time to grab her sleeping pills before she leaves, or to mess up the bed so that the maid will think someone had slept there. However, each of these actions take up precious minutes. Throughout the rest of the ship, the day’s events have already begun.

As the player explores the ship, they encounter the other characters, who include:

• Commander Anders, the captain of the ship. The player might soon discover that Veronica is already quite familiar with the handsome Commander. He is most often found in the ship’s bridge, where he enjoys a clear view of the upper deck from which Malcolm fell. Anders takes his rounds around the ship at around noon. He might even stop by for a private visit in Veronica’s cabin if he’s invited. He has access and influence (and keys) that could be very useful when trying to cover up a murder. 
• Clarissa Turpentine, a passenger who—if left to her own devices—might spend the whole day crying in her room in the aft cabins. Is she upset because she knows something happened?! When Veronica presses her, it becomes quite clear that there was something going on between her and Malcolm. Maybe with a little digging, Veronica can figure out what it was. Better still, maybe Veronica can take advantage of Clarissa’s visible distress and shift some of the suspicion her way. Or take advantage of her fragile mental state and push her completely over the edge…psychologically speaking, of course. 
• Richard Carstairs, a passenger in the forward cabins who spends most of his time playing cards in the smoking room. He is awake and walking the upper deck at an inconveniently early hour of the morning. Carstairs can be quite nosey, and if Veronica slips up with an inconsistent detail, he will probably notice. However, he will be quite happy to gamble the afternoon away, trading wagers with Veronica over blackjack. Lady Honoria Armstrong thinks he has a secret. But she thinks everyone has a secret. However, if she’s right about Carstairs, maybe Veronica can use whatever that secret is to get some leverage over him and enlist him as an ally.
• Subedar-Major Singh, a decorated veteran and war hero. His room is just across from Clarissa Turpentine’s, in the aft cabins, which can be inconvenient for Veronica. He has excellent hearing. However, most of the time he can be found in the smoking room, playing cards with Carstairs. At the end of the day, it is the Major that pieces together the clues from the information available about Malcolm’s disappearance. He is essentially the detective character. If Veronica wants to go free, she has to first fool Major Singh.
• Lady Honoria Armstrong, a wealthy widow who spends her day drinking martinis and gossiping with anyone who will listen. She is convinced she saw you on the upper deck with Malcolm last night (which, of course, she did). She also seems to have it out for both Carstairs and Commander Anders, but it is unclear why. If pressed, she might reveal what she knows. She is at least a little bit racially-intolerant. Before her late-morning cocktail, she can be heard praying in the chapel. According to Major Singh, Lady H has a theory that the SS Hook is sinking. Shrewd and conniving, even if Veronica manages to pin the murder on someone else, Lady H is the type who might keep quiet at first, only to use such knowledge to her own advantage in the future.
• The Steward and the Maid cannot be interacted with directly (other than the initial interaction with the Steward to begin the day). However, Veronica has to keep them in mind. The Maid can discover evidence against Veronica—if Veronica doesn’t find it first—and bring it forward at the end of the day. And the Steward will also testify against Veronica if he discovers that she lied to him in the morning.

In addition to this cast of characters, there are a number of objects on the ship that are crucial to the gameplay and plot. For example, when gameplay begins Veronica is missing one of her diamond earrings. What Veronica does with that information, and whether it is she or one of the other passengers who finds the missing jewel, will greatly impact how the story proceeds. The same can be said for Veronica’s sleeping pills, which can appear in the story as evidence that points to any number of possible suspects. They can even be used as a weapon in their own right. There are also various keys that can be found, stolen, or seduced away from people. Malcolm’s jacket is still out there to be found, along with anything he may have had in his pockets the night before. The other passengers are sure to have items of interest in their cabins, if only Veronica can find a way to get inside to look around. There may even be a stowaway on board!

Basic Endings:

A successful run in Overboard! can be achieved in several ways (some of which will be described in detail below), but they all have two conditions in common: 1) Veronica is alive, and 2) Veronica does not end up in prison. 

Condition #1 is achieved fairly easily. Veronica will be alive at the end of every run unless the player selects—at any point while Veronica is on the upper deck—the option to jump overboard. This rather grim decision will lead to a strange, dark, underwater reunion, ending the game with a bit of an Easter Egg. Discover this ending at your own risk.   

Condition #2—that Veronica stays out of prison—can be met in multiple ways and to varying degrees of success; she can end up free but penniless, free and rich but hounded by an anonymous blackmailer who has proof of her ill deeds, or scot-free and rich! Ultimately, there are two key pieces of evidence that must be addressed by the player during the course of the run if Veronica is to avoid suspicion: Veronica’s missing earring and her sleeping pills. Either one of these items, if left unaddressed by the player during the run, can be used to prove Veronica’s guilt during the meeting called by the Major at the end of the game. However, there are dozens of possible pathways through the narrative, and because a single run of Overboard! can be completed so quickly, the player is encouraged to explore these on their own before referring to the suggestions listed below. 

The Sleeping Tablets

• The sleeping tablets can be found in the bathroom in Veronica’s cabin as soon as the game begins, however, if the player goes to retrieve them first thing, it is likely that enough time will pass for Carstairs to find the missing earring on the upper deck.
• The sleeping tablets can be retrieved later, but if the player waits too long, the Maid will have seen them (and other evidence in the room, such as the un-slept-in bed) when she completes her morning rounds at approximately 10:30am. She will comment on having seen them at the Major’s meeting.
• As long as Veronica puts the sleeping pills in her pocket before the Maid sees them, they will not be a factor at the end of the game. However, they can also be used to frame or incapacitate some of the other passengers on the ship. Look for opportunities!
• Veronica can take the sleeping tablets herself at any point during the run, which will result in her sleeping through the meeting. Commander Anders will find Veronica and wake her up, informing her that she has been accused of her husband’s murder.   

The Missing Earring

• The only way for Veronica to retrieve the missing earring is to leave the cabin and go to the upper deck immediately after the Steward departs, otherwise Carstairs will find the diamond on his morning walk.
• Before leaving the cabin, if Veronica chooses to “Check your face” in the bathroom mirror, she will notice the missing earring. If she removes it, then she can deny that the diamond found by Carstairs on the upper deck is hers.
• Lady H will notice the missing earring if Veronica speaks to her while wearing only one.
• Carstairs has a secret. If Veronica can discover it, then she might be able to bargain with him before he tells the others about his discovery.

If Veronica hides the sleeping tablets in her pocket and removes her earring at the outset of the game, then she can easily avoid suspicion—or at least avoid being accused—of her guilt. However, by the time the clock reads 15:00, the Major will realise Malcolm has gone missing. Without any suspects to accuse, the Major will rule Malcolm’s death a suicide. Veronica will be free, but penniless, as Malcolm’s life insurance policy does not pay out for suicides.

If Veronica is going to cash in on her crime, then she is going to need to point the blame toward someone else—or maybe even continue her killing spree. The following lists offer explicit instructions for some of these possibilities. Story-spoilers follow.

The Frame-Up

One of the easiest ways to avoid an accusation of murder is to make an accusation instead!

1. Leave the cabin immediately and recover Veronica’s missing earring from the upper deck
2. Go to the smoking room and recover the key and Malcolm’s wallet from his jacket pocket
3. Return to Veronica’s cabin, recover the sleeping pills, and remove Veronica’s lone earring from her ear
4. Go to Clarrisa’s door in the aft cabins and convince her to meet you on the upper deck
5. Wait for the Major to leave his room, and explain to him that Clarrisa is being emotional
6. Hide in the hallway until Clarissa leaves her cabin 
7. Use the key from Malcolm’s jacket to enter Clarrisa’s cabin (Scandalous!), put the sleeping tablets and Malcolm’s wallet on her nightstand
8. Leave immediately afterward
9. Ring the ship’s bell to call the meeting
10. Continue to question Clarissa’s sanity and apply pressure, and Anders will reveal the evidence Veronica had planted, leading to Clarissa’s arrest

Get a Confession Out of an Innocent(ish) Woman

Clarrisa may have been carrying on with Malcolm behind Veronica’s back, but Veronica can have the last laugh if she convinces Clarrisa that she herself is responsible for Malcolm’s death!

1. Leave the cabin immediately and go to the smoking room
2. Take the key from Malcolm’s jacket pocket
3. Go to the aft cabins and enter Clarrisa’s cabin; she should still be in the restaurant
4. Read a poem on Clarrisa’s desk and take one
5. Leave the cabin, and wait in the hallway for Clarrisa
6. Show her the poem, and tell her Malcolm gave it to Veronica
7. Convince Clarrisa that Malcolm jumped because of her
8. Knock on the Major’s door and tell him Clarrisa says she caused Malcolm’s death
9. The Major will call the meeting, and Clarrisa will confess

Framing Lady Armstrong

Pinning the murder on Clarissa might net Veronica that life insurance check she wanted, but someone else on the ship must have known something—Veronica receives a blackmail letter! Perhaps the martini-sipping Lady H. Armstrong will be a better scapegoat.

1. Timing is crucial for this run
2. Immediately get rid of the Steward, enter the bathroom and take the sleeping tablets only
3. Go to the upper deck and recover the missing earring
4. Decline Carstairs invitation to walk with him
5. Wait on the deck for Anders, and as soon as Anders leaves, head to the bridge and wave to him there
6. Enter the bridge and make conversation about the view until Veronica can ask about the key
7. Seduce Commander Anders until Veronica can take the key
8. Agree to meet him in your cabin at 11:30
9. Go to the forward cabins and use the key to enter Lady Armstrong’s cabin
10. Open the books and read The Nine Tailors (a 1934 mystery novel by Dorothy L. Sayers)
11. Take the photograph that falls out of the pages
12. Return to the bridge and show Anders the photograph; let him keep it
13. Enlist Anders’ help by selecting “If you say you saw something, people will believe you”
14. Ring the ship’s bell to call the meeting
15. Make selections that deny Veronica has seen Malcolm since last evening
16. Eventually, Anders will say he saw Malcolm on the deck with Lady Armstrong

With Lady Armstrong behind bars, Veronica (and maybe new beau, Commander Anders) will be free to enjoy the life insurance payout all for herself!

E. SOURCES AND RESOURCES

• Wikipedia Entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overboard!_(2021_video_game)
• Metacritic Critic Reviews: https://www.metacritic.com/game/overboard-2021/
• No Commentary Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83ly7wpCXN4
• Review Sample: https://adventuregamers.com/articles/view/overboard
• Full Walkthrough, All Achievements: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Hw0wPqLGI8
• Nilsson, Louise, et al. “Introduction: Crime Fiction as World Literature.” Crime Fiction As World Literature, Bloomsbury Academic, 2017.