AdventureIndieRPG
Murders on the Yangtze River
Give it 5 hours
Gets good by 5h then rated almost like by veterans
Fully opens up by 10h rated like by long-time players
Reach the ending 54% of players who started
Started playing 91% of owners
Steam reviews 97% positive of 21,352
What the data shows
- In the first 2 hours 1 in 11 reviews are negative (9%); after 10h it's 1 in 40 (2%).
- Fully opens up by hour 10.
- The opening is criticised less than in 92% of games we track.
- 54% of players who start reach the ending.
- The biggest drop-off is between “Unexpected Misfortune” and “Lady in the Wardrobe”: from 93% to 78% of starters.
- 91% of owners got the first achievement.
When it gets good
Share of positive reviews by how many hours the reviewer had played when writing the review.
before it gets good opening up fully opened up
Based on all 21,468 Steam reviews in every language. Median playtime in a sample of 300 reviews: 15.3h for positive, 14.7h for negative. Almost every game is rated lower in the first 2–3 hours: that window includes refunds and quick first impressions. What matters is how deep the dip is and how fast the game recovers.
Where players quit
Share of players who started the game and reached each story milestone. 100% is the most common achievement (91.3% of owners), so people who bought the game and never launched it don't count.
- Started playing 100%
- Unexpected Misfortune The detective's first successful case!(Completing Chapter 1) 93% −7
- Lady in the Wardrobe All contact leaves traces!(Completing Chapter 2) Most players quit here 78% −15
- The Haunted Furnace Too clever by half!(Completing Chapter 3) 67% −11
- Mystic Ship in the Mist Every wrong has its perpetrator!(Completing Chapter 4) 62% −5
- The Confined Room Mystery Determined to uncover the truth!(Completing Chapter 5) 59% −3
- The Shanghai Enigma Revealing the truth for all to see!(Completing Chapter 6) 56% −3
- FFATS RUO Thanks for noticing the names!(Watching the credits list) 54% −1
story milestone ending biggest drop-off
Story milestones were labeled by AI from achievement names and descriptions; mistakes are possible.
All achievements (47)
story milestone ending side
- Here's Proof Evidence is the key to everything!(Successfully presenting evidence once) 100%
- Coroner's Apprentice Even the deceased have stories to tell!(Conducting an autopsy) 98%
- Unexpected Misfortune The detective's first successful case!(Completing Chapter 1) 93%
- Lady in the Wardrobe All contact leaves traces!(Completing Chapter 2) 78%
- Ordinary Suit A suit Shen Chung-ping wore while abroad, not quite fitting.(Shen Chung-ping's "Ordinary Suit" unlocked) 73%
- Shine upon Arrival The calm, intelligent, and eloquent journalist makes her appearance!(First encounter with Wen Ko-hsin in the game) 70%
- The Haunted Furnace Too clever by half!(Completing Chapter 3) 67%
- Hao Chiu's Poem A poem worth praising!(Finding the poem written by Hao chiu) 63%
- Great Inventor This is Afu's exclusive inventor outfit!(Afu's "Inventor Outfit" unlocked) 62%
- Meticulous Task Attention to detail is crucial!(Using charcoal to cover the entire letter) 62%
- Mystic Ship in the Mist Every wrong has its perpetrator!(Completing Chapter 4) 62%
- A Change of Attire A wardrobe change is essential on a journey.(Changing character's outfit once) 60%
- The Confined Room Mystery Determined to uncover the truth!(Completing Chapter 5) 59%
- Down-and-Out Detective The detective is thrown into jail, looking disheveled but remaining resolute.(Shen Chung-ping's "Ordinary Shirt" unlocked) 56%
- Unraveling the Web Linking clues together is sure to lead to the answer.(Finding the answer through clue association) 56%
- The Shanghai Enigma Revealing the truth for all to see!(Completing Chapter 6) 56%
- FFATS RUO Thanks for noticing the names!(Watching the credits list) 54%
- Agile Intruder Watching Afu's nimble movements, scaling walls with ease!(Successfully sneaking into the sergeant's office) 41%
- Eyes of Truth The truth is crystal clear!(Choosing the phonograph during crime method reconstruction) 39%
- The New Era of Modern Schools and Education The imperial examination is abolished, but new education is underway.(Investigating the pass list after solving the case) 33%
- Learned Sage Gaining wisdom from history!(Collecting all historical facts) 27%
- The Shrine's Secret This shrine surely holds a secret!(Investigating every part of the shrine) 27%
- Escape the Nightmare Overcoming all obstacles to reach the end!(Young Shen Chung-ping escaping the nightmare without hitting any obstacles) 26%
- Chemistry Challenge Chemical experiments are harder than expected!(Making mistakes in compounding reagent three times) 23%
- Unspoken Secrets Everyone has their secrets!(Keeping Wu Yin-chu's secret to yourself) 22%
- Aloof Canine A dog of distinguished pride!(Shen chung p'ing Interacting with the dog three times) 22%
- Signs of Contact All contact leaves traces!(Revealing all the words in the anonymous letter) 22%
- Dream of Industry A scene that stirs the soul.(Returning to the riverside after entering the Hanyang Iron Works) 21%
- The Elevator Give this elevator a try.(Riding the elevator back and forth once) 19%
- Otherworldly Officer A cat officer painting that seems out of this era.(Attracted by the cat painting while sneaking) 18%
- Faraday's Heir This circuit is unlike any common ones!(Connecting the circuit successfully on the first try) 16%
- Master Locksmith Opening this kind of lock is a piece of cake for Ah Fu!(Successfully opening the bolt pin spring lock at the first attempt) 12%
- Seven-star Lamp A melody worth listening to!(Listening to "Seven-star Lamp" in its entirety) 11%
- Exhaustive Exploration Exploring every possibility is a must!(Exploring all possible scenarios in brainstorm) 9.6%
- Painful Memories Why dwell on unpleasant memories?(Refusing to enter memories of the London police station three times) 7.4%
- Traveling Scholar Learning while on the journey!(Collecting all general knowledge) 7.4%
- Mistaken Accusation No matter what, she's the murderer!(Choosing "Wu Yin-chu" as the murderer for the second time) 6.6%
- Outlet Shutter Inspector Test the lever to ensure its reliability.(Pulling the the molten steel outlet shutter lever five times) 6.0%
- Cat Commands Respect A cat with a fiery temper!(Wen Ko-hsin repeatedly touching the cat and getting scratched) 5.9%
- Quick Thinker Quick reactions leave others struggling to keep up with my logic!(Choosing Wen Ko-hsin when presenting evidence on "Who else should the witness have seen?") 5.8%
- Confident Detective Utterly confident in one's own decisions.(Repeatedly choosing "The guard soldier made a mistake") 5.7%
- Inner Voice There must be an unseen place agreed upon by all!(Choosing "There exists absolute blind spot" three times) 5.6%
- Dang Dang! The dang dang bus is so cool!(Taking six different Dang-Dang tram routes) 5.5%
- For Friendship's Sake Everything is for Shen Chung-ping!(Afu taking the blame for Shen Chung-ping in court) 5.3%
- Cat's Claws "Tiny Cat, Mighty Act, Firing Gun, a Fearsome Fact"(Choosing "Mr. Ginger" for the bullet casing fingerprint evidence) 5.3%
- The Detective's Sacrifice Yes, you heard right, I'm the murderer!(Accusing Shen Chung-ping every time) 4.1%
- Destined Endings Witnessing every possible story outcome!(Collecting all endings) 3.9%
Steam page Updated: 2026-10-18.