Framed: A Murder Mystery In National Gallery Singapore

The National Gallery Singapore’s latest audience outreach programme is an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot-based game which takes players through the galleries in a chase for clues to solve a mystery. 

These immersive experiences are often more gimmicky than effective and, having spent almost three hours solving the puzzles in Framed, this reviewer’s opinion has not changed. 

Players of this self-guided game are taken through a set of clues finessed from art exhibits and captions. The game unfolds through a WhatsApp conversation with the somewhat randomly monikered Void Deck Cat chatbot. 

The AI interface is a bit slow, which is acknowledged in an initial housekeeping message which requests only one person messages at a time “or you will confuse me”, and “please be patient with me as I consider your answers”. A word of advice, connect to the Gallery’s free Wi-Fi for better connectivity. 

The limitations of AI are also apparent when one correct answer is rejected as it does not fit the exact phrasing the chatbot has evidently been programmed to look for. 

The individual puzzles will engage problem-solvers, although the clues do not play an integral part in the overall mystery narrative, just as the final solution could have been derived without playing the entire game. 

What the game is really effective at is forcing participants through the various spaces in search of clues. I clock up 12,000 steps at the end of the day. Fitness goals aside, there is one directional error which might befuddle players unfamiliar with the maze of galleries, but it should be fixed soon. 

Young adults looking for novelty are the best audience for this, especially those in search of group activities. The game advises at least two to five players, which will speed up the problem-solving process, as some of the puzzles simply demand more sets of eyes to hunt through displays. 

For older visitors, be advised that the route includes at least three sets of stairs to navigate, so it is not the most accessible of activities. Also, poor lighting means one has to squint to decipher a long line of text to solve the first clue. 

Some of the gallery sitters are befuddled by the sight of my friend and me peering closely at works for clues, but a few of them who know what we are up to are immensely helpful in pointing out things we miss. The Gallery might want to consider briefing i...