hey, thanks for sharing this! i played case 00 solo from the a4 pdfs on screen, not printed, and started with the read-first file as instructed. i didn't use the hints, and i only opened the sealed exhibit after i had a locker, then the solution after i'd filled in the report.
i finished in well under the 15-30 minute estimate — clearly under 15 minutes — but that's mostly because i was on a screen and could jump between the ledger and the camera still instantly. on paper, with pages spread out, i think it would sit more comfortably in that window.
the investigation was really enjoyable. the best moment was lining up the dispatch monitor in the still with the departure ledger; once that clicked, the rest of the timeline locked into place, and it felt fair rather than tricky. the later documents have a satisfying "wait, this doesn't match" turn too, and i liked that the ending answers the immediate decision without pretending every loose thread is solved. i'd play another case.
a couple notes from a first-time playtest:
- the instructions for when to open each file were very clear. i never felt tempted to peek, and page 14 being its own file is the right call.
- the locker step was much easier than the camera/timeline puzzle. once you have the orientation key, it's a single straight path, no real chance to go wrong. if you want that beat to feel like the rest of the case, it could use a little more resistance.
- one small thing on the movement log: the "next" column is just a time, not a place. i could infer where that person needed to be from the route diagram, but naming the location would make the window even clearer.
clues felt fair, the ending landed, and the archival layout is really easy to read. thanks for the playtest, and good luck with the kurose files!