WELCOME TO THE CUTTING EDGE OF HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS. IT'S SHARPER THAN YOU THINK.
A revolutionary clinical trial. A dream of curing death itself. And a lead scientist found dead within 24 hours of the experiment beginning.
Five people are trapped inside Cognito, a bleeding-edge research facility where soul-swapping technology promised to revolutionise empathy, eliminate illness, and cheat mortality.
But the dream has curdled, the experiment has gone catastrophically wrong, and someone in this room is a killer.
You know who you are. You think you know why you're here. But in a place where identities can be transferred, bodies can be borrowed, and nothing is quite what it seems... can you really be sure?
Welcome to Cognito. Because the most dangerous place to hide is inside someone else's mind
Cognito is our third original English-language jubensha, a GM-less, story-driven mystery experience for five players, designed to be played at home in a single evening.
It combines:
The clinical dread of near-future science fiction
The moral complexity of hidden-role social deduction
The emotional depth of immersive interactive theatre
The intricate character work that jubensha does best
And a murder mystery that refuses to let anyone off the hook
Open the box. Step into someone else's shoes. Find the killer before they walk free.
The Cognito trial was supposed to change everything.
A world-leading scientist. A radical new technology. The promise of soul-transference, a procedure that could allow one consciousness to inhabit another body, offering breakthroughs in empathy research, neurological illness, and perhaps even death itself.
Five participants arrived at the facility. Each had their own reason for being here. Each signed the consent forms. Each believed they understood what they were getting into.
They were wrong.
Within 24 hours, the lead scientist was dead. The experiment is compromised. And the technology, powerful, unstable, and very much still active, is sitting in the middle of the room.
Around the table sit five individuals, each with secrets, each with stakes, and each with something to hide:
A true believer in the science, or perhaps in what the science could do for them personally
A sceptic who never should have agreed to participate
Someone whose reasons for being here have nothing to do with medicine
A person carrying a grief so heavy they'd do almost anything to put it down
And someone who knows far more about what happened than they're letting on
The truth is in the room. So is the killer. So is a technology that could rewrite what it means to be human.
Five Players Each participant receives a detailed character pack full of backstory, personal objectives, secrets, and emotional depth.
Investigate the Murder Sift through conflicting accounts, scientific documentation, and personal testimony to piece together what really happened in the hours before the scientist died.
Hide Your Truth Every character carries secrets. Some are personal. Some are dangerous. You decide what to reveal, what to weaponise, and what to take to your grave.
Wrestle With the Technology Cognito isn't just a murder mystery, it's a reckoning. What should happen to soul-swapping technology that actually works? Who gets to decide? The answers are as contested as the crime itself.
Decide the Outcome By the end of the evening, the group must vote on who is responsible, and what your characters want to do next. The story branches based on what you uncovered, who you trusted, and what you chose to believe.
No GM. No facilitator. No single correct answer. Just five people, one dead scientist, and a piece of technology that probably shouldn't exist.
Following the success of All Falls Down: Sorroborough and Seven Strikes, we wanted to push ourselves somewhere genuinely new, into the future, into the body, and into the question of what makes us us.
Cognito is a story about identity, grief, the ethics of extraordinary science, and what happens when the people who are supposed to be in control lose it completely.
But like everything we make, it's really a story about people. Frightened, ambitious, grieving, guilty people, all trying to survive a situation that has spiralled far beyond anyone's intentions.
If you enjoy character-driven mysteries, ethical dilemmas with no clean answers, and stories that leave you thinking long after the box is back on the shelf... this one is for you.
LIMITED EDITION RUN
As with our previous titles, Cognito will be produced as a limited first-edition print run. Each box is hand-assembled, beautifully printed, and built to last.
Produce high-quality clue cards with professional illustrations
Pay our writers, designers, and artists fairly
Begin work on the next game in the series
And for five lucky backers, you’ll get to be part of our next story in a very literal way.
THE TRIAL IS OPEN. THE BODY IS COLD. THE FUTURE IS UNCERTAIN.
This is a story about what science should never do. About identity, grief, and the things we carry into other people's bodies. About who gets believed when everyone is wearing someone else's face.
The soul-swap is ready. The killer is in the room. The clock is running.
Back Cognito today.
Step inside. Find the truth. Decide what happens next.
Creating a complex jubensha mystery with multiple interlocking character arcs, branching choices, and high-quality printed materials is no small undertaking. While we’ve built on the production processes we refined during All Falls Down: Sorroborough, there are still some potential challenges.
1. Small-Batch Printing Because this is a limited run of 100 units, printing and assembly rely on small-batch manufacturers. We already have quotes and prototypes from trusted suppliers, but small-run printing can encounter delays due to shortages, scheduling bottlenecks, or stock limitations. If any delay arises, backers will be updated immediately with clear timelines.
2. Narrative Complexity Jubensha requires careful balancing, sensitive writing, and rigorous playtesting. The full script, character profiles, and evidence materials are already drafted and play-tested, but polishing takes time. Any edits that impact print layout could push timelines slightly, but quality always comes first.
3. Supply Chain and Shipping Postage, packaging, and fulfilment are more volatile than they used to be. We’ll be working with local UK suppliers wherever possible to minimise risk, but global disruptions can still have knock-on effects.
4. Ethical & Political Themes Cognito deals with policing, activism, and institutional power. These themes require thoughtful writing and sensitivity, and we’re committed to handling them responsibly. Final checks and sensitivity passes may add small adjustments late in development.
5. Team Size We are a small but experienced creative team. If illness, schedule changes, or life events arise, timelines may shift, but not the final quality of the game. We always prioritise communication and transparency with backers.
We have delivered our two previous projects successfully over on Kickstarter, on time, and with extremely positive feedback. We know how to make these games. We know how to print them, test them, pack them, and ship them. And we know how to keep backers informed every step of the way. We will never leave you in the dark. We will always communicate clearly. And we will deliver a game we are proud of, and one you’ll be proud to play.
