Sega celebrated April Fool’s Day by teasing a new game called The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog. The twist? It’s actually real.

Described as a “labour of love from the Sonic Social team”, the point-and-click visual novel adventure is available now on Steam, featuring “fully hand-drawn landscapes and characters”.

The Sonic Social team thanks “a host of amazingly talented people who are just as passionate about Sonic as we are”.

“It’s Amy Rose’s birthday, and she’s hosting a murder mystery party on the Mirage Express!” teases the game’s description. “When Sonic the Hedgehog becomes the game’s victim, everyone is off to get to the bottom of things. However, something feels a bit off – is this really an innocent game or is something more sinister afoot?

“Interrogate some of your favourite characters from the Sonic series as you figure out what happened to Sonic. Play as a new character who is starting their first day working on the Mirage Express, and meet the kind Conductor who is finally retiring from his long run with the train! Happy April Fool’s Day (observed)!”

As for whether or not the game deserves a place in the canon of Sonic lore? “You know what they say: everything is canon”, the team teases, before adding: “This is not a Sonic Team title, but we strongly believe in the power of headcanon!”

At the time of writing, the game is scoring pretty highly, too; almost 8000 players have left a Steam review, leading to an “overwhelmingly positive” aggregate review score.

ICYMI, Hyenas developer Creative Assembly has revealed a new Sonic-cosplaying character has joined the roster. Hero-Ki – “someone who has clearly been inspired by a certain speedy SEGA series” – is described as “a minor celebrity back on Earth thanks to his cosplay and charity work” but now chases “nefarious pursuits”.