The Mermaid Mask
In the codexAdventureCasualIndie

The Mermaid Mask

An impossible locked-room murder: Captain Mortuga lies dead beside an ancient cauldron aboard the world’s strangest submarine, crewed by sketchy suspects. A handcrafted point-and-click with sharp humour and tricky puzzles. Dive into the next mystery from the creators of Tangle Tower & Crow Country.

DEV: SFB GamesPUB: SFB GamesAppID 1696770
UPDATE PULSEevery ~116d·last 76d ago·3 recent on record

Is The Mermaid Mask still being updated? — the short answer, with the evidence.

95.0
Excellent

Elixir Rating

99.4% of 2,962 Steam reviews are positive, which after adjusting for sample size gives a reception score of 99. It was sold as a game that would keep being worked on, and the developers have gone dormant — subtracting 4.0.

reception 99·support −4.0·Excellent

Computed from Steam’s own review tally and observable developer activity — never from anyone’s opinion of the game. How this is calculated

Should you look into this?

From Steam's own record

Current price

$19.99

Development

Dormant

Last heard from developers

2 months ago

Usual rhythm

every ~3 days

Substantial updates (6 mo)

2

Current silence

24× normal

The developers have been silent for 73 days against a normal rhythm of about 3 — roughly 24 times longer than usual. 2 substantial updates landed in the past six months, 2 of them major.

Distilled by the oracle

Our coverage

1 dispatch written from this game’s announcements

patchAug 19, 2026

The Mermaid Mask Launches Tomorrow with Convergence Games Showcase Stream

The Mermaid Mask, a mystery set aboard the Mortuga Submarine, releases on 16 July 2026. To mark the occasion, developer SFB Games is partnering with the Convergence Games Showcase for a launch livestream on Twitch at 11:00 AM PT / 2:00 PM ET / 7:00 PM GMT / 8:00 PM CEST.

The investigators

The game centers on Detective Grimoire and Sally, described as a returning investigative duo. The source characterizes their dynamic in clear terms:

  • Grimoire — calm, methodical, and quietly relentless; described as the kind of detective who attends to small details others would rather he overlook
  • Sally — possessed of sharp instincts and, per the source, sharper comments
  • Together — they question suspects, connect clues, and test theories around the fate of Captain Mortuga

Grimoire is voiced by Edwyn Tiong, whose previous credits include Loco Motive, Harold Halibut, and Unavowed. His first name, the announcement notes with some editorial relish, remains undisclosed by SFB Games.

The case involves a submarine's worth of suspects already introduced in prior promotional material — the announcement frames tomorrow's release as the moment all those loose threads get pulled.

For players who have followed the game's pre-launch case files, the launch stream offers a rare opportunity to see the mystery's resolution arrive in real time.

Two years of development

■ substantial ■ routine

Nov2025FebMayAugNov2026FebMayAug

16 announcements · 3 substantial · 19 months with nothing

Recent Transmissions

16 entries in codex

Community AnnouncementsJul 22, 2026
A BIG THANK YOU

That is the whole message. Everything below is optional.We just wanted you all to know how grateful we are for all the love and support for The Mermaid Mask around the game's release.The Last Seven DaysReleasing a game is nerve-wracking. Th…

Community AnnouncementsJul 19, 2026
Update Notes 19th July

Hi everyone! Another update for you today, focussing on helping folks find their way through the game. Added icons to indicate when a clue in your casefile might need reading, using or otherwise interacting in order to progress the story Ad…

Community AnnouncementsJul 18, 2026
Update Notes 18th July

Hello everyone, Adam and I have fixed some issues that folks have reported, and a few we noticed after watching others play! Fixed issue with puzzles where the game got stuck between asking for a clue, then asking for a specific part of the…

Community AnnouncementsJul 16, 2026
OUT NOW!

At last, the wait is over: The Mermaid Mask is out now!We sincerely hope you enjoy your time aboard the Mortuga Seafoam submarine. If you do, please consider leaving a review on Steam. It is a small gesture, but an enormously consequential …

Read this patch for

Community AnnouncementsJul 15, 2026
The Mermaid Mask is out tomorrow!

The Mermaid Mask is OUT TOMORROW!!!We are partnering with Convergence Games Showcase for our launch. You can check out their live stream on Twitch on 16th July, 11:00AM PT / 14:00PM ET / 19.00PM GMT / 20:00PM CEST. But there’s only one fina…

Read our dispatch on this

Read this patch for

Community AnnouncementsJul 9, 2026
The Mermaid Mask - Out Next Week! 🧜‍♀️

All hand on deck - it's ONE WEEK TO GO! This time next week we'll be celebrating the launch of The Mermaid Mask, but before we disappear beneath the waves for final preparations, we’d love your help with one final push. We’re incredibly clo…

Community AnnouncementsJul 8, 2026
Gab Smolders' Early Preview

After recently playing Secrets of the Swamp and Tangle Tower, Gab Smolders has shared an early preview of The Mermaid Mask!It’s a Let’s Play, and we’re excited to have her take an early look at the game. Check it out for a sneak peek before…

Community AnnouncementsJul 7, 2026
The Mermaid Mask Release Reminder

Prepare for the launch of The Mermaid Mask with us!Hit the big blue "set a reminder" button to get a ping when the game goes on sale on 16th July.Sign up to our socials for release updates, behind-the-scenes extras, and everything you need …

Community AnnouncementsJun 6, 2026
Release Date Announcement

We’re thrilled to announce that The Mermaid Mask launches on Steam on July 16, 2026.All aboard the world’s strangest submarineSummoned by the mysterious Captain Seafoam, Detective Grimoire and Sally arrive with only a cryptic letter, two ph…

Community AnnouncementsJun 5, 2026
Meet the Suspects: Dirk Dansom, Doctor Zephyr, Mariana Moon and Sinthia Seafoam

In the last post, we opened the case files on Symmetry Silkmoth, Godrik Gripp, J.D. Wirman, and Madam Tadpole. But there are still more suspects to meet aboard the Mortuga Submarine, and they’re just as worth side-eyeing. This time, we’re l…

Community AnnouncementsJun 2, 2026
Meet the Suspects: Madam Tadpole, Godrik Gripp, J.D. Wirman and Symmetry Silkmot

We're revealing the cast of The Mermaid Mask.Over the next few posts, we’ll introduce the characters, the voice actors behind them, and a few clues about what makes each one worth paying attention to.Let’s open the files.Known for: Being a …

Community AnnouncementsMar 23, 2026
Language Update for The Mermaid Mask

We’re happy to announce that The Mermaid Mask will launch with support for the following languages: • French • German • European Spanish • Latin American Spanish • Brazilian Portuguese • Italian • Japanese • Korean • Simplified Chinese • Tr…

Read this patch for

Community AnnouncementsMar 4, 2026
Thank You, Steam Next Fest

A huge thank you to everyone who played the demo, streamed it, shared the game, or dropped feedback and theories. Seeing so many people dive into the mystery is an absolute joy.⬢ 𝘿𝙀𝙈𝙊 𝘿𝙊𝙒𝙉𝙇𝙊𝘼𝘿𝙎 ⬢During the festival the demo wel…

Community AnnouncementsFeb 25, 2026
Competition Time: The Mermaid Mask Mystery Bundle Giveaway!

Steam Next Fest is halfway done.The demo is live.The crew of the Mortuga submarine remain deeply suspicious.It felt like the right moment for a little mid-week pick-me-up.So we set up a competition!StorytimeWe’ve been working away here at T…

Community AnnouncementsFeb 23, 2026
Detective Grimoire has arrived at Steam Next Fest

Happy Next Festmas, Grimoire-fans and Sally-stans!⬢ 𝙎𝙏𝙀𝘼𝙈 𝙉𝙀𝙓𝙏 𝙁𝙀𝙎𝙏 ⬢The free demo for The Mermaid Mask is LIVE ⚓︎If you’ve already played it: good news, we’ve updated it. New tweaks. New polish. Fewer “was that meant to happen…

Community AnnouncementsJan 14, 2026
Coming This Year!

Detective Grimoire and Sally will return in 'The Mermaid Mask' in 2026. Thanks for your patience! I can't wait to share it with everyone. (The first delay was largely due to Crow Country, and this second delay is a normal 'every project tak…