THE GAME
RULES.

An investigation is made up of Case Files — CFs. Each Case File contains a MASTER scene and the information available to you at that stage of the investigation.

During a LIVE investigation, Case Files are released on a schedule. Once you own a Case File, it stays available. New information may change how you see something you passed over earlier, so you can return to previous Case Files at any time.

The MASTER is the full scene. Look it over before you spend anything. Objects, people and sources of information may be visible there even when their finer details are not.

When something catches your attention, use INSPECT to select that area. Pulling a FRAME reveals that part of the scene in detail.

Pulling a FRAME costs one FRAME Pull Credit (FPC). FRAME pulls are limited, so you cannot simply open everything. Where you look matters.

Each Case File includes a set number of FPCs. Unused credits remain in your bank and can be spent on any Case File you own within that investigation. Nothing expires when the next Case File arrives.

If you run out, additional FRAME Pull Credits can be purchased. Purchased credits go into the same investigation-wide bank.

After pulling a FRAME, decide what to do with it. Save it as Evidence, put it in Not Sure, or discard it from your working case.

Add notes as you investigate. Evidence stays available for you to revisit, and a FRAME can be connected to more than one suspect when the facts point in more than one direction.

Not Sure is exactly what it sounds like: a place for information you are not ready to commit to yet.

Cycks does not decide who your suspects are. You do.

Review the people connected to the investigation, designate suspects, assign evidence to them, and keep your own theory notes. The Case Board is where individual details start becoming an argument about what happened.

There is no progress bar that tells you when you have found enough. When you believe you understand what happened and who was responsible, make the call.

You may name more than one person when your conclusion calls for it. Closing the investigation freezes your working case, but you can still review what you found.

If you later decide you got it wrong — or simply cannot leave the damn thing alone — a closed investigation can be reopened.

After you close, you can see what other investigators concluded and how your call compares with the community.

Cycks records conclusions. Cycks does not render verdicts. You will not be shown an official answer after you submit yours.

LIVE investigations unfold one Case File at a time. Each Case File is purchased separately as it becomes available.

Case Files must be obtained in order. You cannot skip ahead. If several Case Files have already been released, you may purchase the next one or unlock multiple consecutive Case Files in the same transaction.

Each purchased Case File includes its allotted FRAME Pull Credits, which are added to that investigation's FPC bank.

Cold Cases (future feature) are complete investigations. Instead of purchasing individual Case Files, you purchase the entire investigation in one transaction. Every Case File becomes available immediately, and all included FRAME Pull Credits are deposited into that investigation's FPC bank.

A LIVE investigation unfolds as Case Files are released to everyone on the same schedule. Join the case, investigate alongside the community, and decide whether to move forward as each new file arrives.

Once the full investigation has been released, it can become a Cold Case. Cold Cases are complete investigations: every Case File is available immediately, so you can work the case at your own pace.