On Your Tail spends its summer vacation solving mysteries

People typically travel abroad to get away from the daily grind of work. Sometimes, though, work naturally follows. On Your Tail, from Humble Games and Memorable Games, tells the story of a shy, friendly, and determined detective who finds herself in the middle of an unfolding mystery. Oh, it's probably important to note that this is a world of anthropomorphic animals, just like that classic Disney detective story, Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers Zootopia. The Humble and Memorable teams recently brought On Your Tail to a special Nintendo Partner Showcase event at this year's Game Developers Conference and Shacknews decided to give this a look.

On Your Tail was first revealed during the November 2023 Nintendo Indie World Showcase. It features a young detective named Diana, who had hoped to settle into the seaside village of Borgo Marina and relax for her summer vacation. That is still an option, but let's put a pin in that for a moment. As she arrives, she hears of a theft at the nearby Italian restaurant. Unable to resist her own nature, Diana heads over to ask questions and lend a hand.

The dialogue exchange between Diana and restaurant owner Mamma Lucia offers an idea of the type of light-hearted fare that players are in for. Exchanges are laced with humor from quirky characters, all seen from Diana's perspective, who isn't exactly the most socially adjusted person herself. After a quick conversation, Diana takes copious notes on what happened the night before when a mysterious object was stolen, collecting a card for each fact she picks up.

This is where the deductive aspect of On Your Tail kicks in. Players are tasked with re-creating the crime scene through a board game-style presentation. The idea is to play cards depicting various events and piece together the order that events took place. Diana will put on her happy face when events are placed in the right order. She'll frown, Phoenix Wright-style, if something's off, but it looks like players will be given plenty of opportunities to get things right if they make a mistake.

There was a second half of this demo and while I didn't have much time to try it out, I gave it a go anyway. Remember that Diana came to Borgo Marina for a good time and she can totally do that. She can get to know the village's denizens, take part in various side games, and also go fishing along the shore. There appears to be a deep social element to On Your Tail, one where Diana can build relationships with a variety of different characters. It's something I didn't have nearly enough time to explore in depth, but an idea that leaves me feeling intrigued.

This is only a small taste of what's to come in On Your Tail. Memorable Games is putting together a detective tale (no pun intended) full of twists and turns. This is also a game that recognizes the importance of investment in individual characters, so getting into the social aspect of the story sounds like a lot of fun. Look for On Your Tail to release on PC and Nintendo Switch later this year.

This preview is based on an early Nintendo Switch version played during a Nintendo Partner Showcase held in San Francisco, CA during the 2024 Game Developers Conference. The final product is subject to change.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?