Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller

Last updated: January 9, 2026

Overview

Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller is a four-part episodic point-and-click adventure game developed by Phoenix Online Studios and released beginning in 2012¹. The game follows FBI agent Erica Reed, who possesses supernatural psychic abilities that allow her to see into the past by touching objects². Designed as “a good old-fashioned adventure game like they used to make”³, Cognition was created with story consultation from renowned adventure game designer Jane Jensen, known for her work on the Gabriel Knight series⁴.

The game represents Phoenix Online Studios’ first commercial project⁵ and was successfully funded through a Kickstarter campaign that raised $30,000⁵. Each episode functions as a self-contained investigation into serial killers while advancing the larger narrative of discovering who killed Erica’s brother⁶. The series has been praised as “a gorgeous adventure in the spirit of genre classics like Gabriel Knight, Blade Runner and Gray Matter”⁷.

Game Info

Developer: Phoenix Online Studios¹ Designer: César Bittar, Jane Jensen, Katie Hallahan, Nick Bryan⁸ Publisher: Phoenix Online Studios¹ Platforms: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Steam⁹ Release Year: 2012 Series: Cognition Sierra Lineage: Core Sierra

Story Summary

The game centers on Erica Reed, an FBI agent working in Boston who specializes in serial murder cases⁴. Erica possesses a rare psychic gift that allows her to see certain past events when she touches or focuses on objects². The overarching narrative involves a man with dark secrets who has been murdered by hanging, with a hidden message at the crime scene leading Erica to believe that the serial killer who murdered her brother isn’t actually dead¹⁰.

Throughout the episodic series, Erica learns to control three distinct psychic powers: cognition, projection, and regression⁴. The story features “an uncomfortably dark narrative”¹¹ that explores themes of supernatural investigation and personal trauma. Each episode presents a different serial killer case while building toward the resolution of the central mystery surrounding her brother’s death.

Gameplay

Interface and Controls

Cognition employs a traditional third-person point-and-click adventure interface¹². The game utilizes mouse controls for navigation and interaction⁹, maintaining classic adventure game conventions while incorporating modern design elements. Players control Erica as she investigates crime scenes and interacts with various characters throughout Boston.

Structure and Progression

The game is structured as four episodic releases, beginning with “Episode 1: The Hangman” released on October 30, 2012¹³. Subsequent episodes followed with “Episode 2: The Wise Monkey” on January 30, 2013, and “Episode 3: The Oracle” on May 15, 2013¹³. Each episode offers approximately 5 hours of gameplay⁹ and functions as a complete investigative story while contributing to the overall narrative arc.

Puzzles and Mechanics

The core gameplay revolves around Erica’s supernatural abilities, which serve as both investigation tools and puzzle-solving mechanisms. Her psychic powers allow players to reconstruct crime scenes and uncover hidden clues by interacting with relevant objects⁵. The game incorporates player choices that affect story progression⁴, adding replay value and narrative branching. Traditional adventure game elements such as inventory management, character dialogue, and environmental puzzle-solving complement the psychic investigation mechanics.

Reception

Contemporary Reviews

Publication	Score	Notes
Adventure Classic Gaming	4/5	Praised storytelling and atmosphere4
Adventure Gamers	3.5/5	Noted potential for series achievement14
Arcade Sushi	6.5/10	Mixed reception for gameplay execution6
Softonic	4.9/5	Highly rated for narrative design12
Metacritic Critics	72/100	Generally favorable reviews7
Metacritic Users	6.9/10	Positive user reception7

Modern Assessment

The game has maintained positive reception in retrospective reviews, with MobyGames critics giving it a 90% rating¹⁵. Individual episodes received varying IMDb user ratings, with Episode 3: The Oracle achieving the highest score at 7.6/10, while Episode 4: The Cain Killer received the lowest at 6.8/10¹⁶. Critics have noted that while the game has flaws, “the first episode of Cognition leaves a great final impression and sets up a series that could become a major achievement for episodic adventure gaming”¹⁴.

Development

Origins

Cognition emerged from Phoenix Online Studios’ desire to create their first commercial adventure game project⁴. The development team sought to capture the spirit of classic adventure games while incorporating modern storytelling techniques and supernatural thriller elements. The project secured legendary adventure game designer Jane Jensen as story consultant, lending credibility and expertise to the indie development effort¹.

Production

The game was developed using Unity 3.5 engine⁴ by what has been described as an “indie dream team”¹⁷. César Bittar served multiple roles as CEO, designer, writer, director, and producer¹³. The development utilized limited resources typical of independent game production, with the team using tools like Skype and Dropbox for communication and file sharing⁴. Voice acting was led by Raleigh Holmes as Erica Reed, praised for her “authentic Bostonian twang”³. Notably, Raleigh Holmes is the daughter of Robert Holmes, Jane Jensen’s husband¹³.

Technical Achievements

The game featured comic book-style artwork and was built to run on modern Windows systems (Windows XP through Windows 11)¹⁸. Minimum system requirements included an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0 GHz processor, 2 GB RAM, and graphics cards with 512 MB VRAM⁹. The complete game requires 2.5 GB of hard drive space⁹. A Game of the Year Edition was later released in 2018 for iOS and Android platforms⁵, expanding the game’s accessibility beyond its original PC and Mac release.

Legacy

Cognition established Phoenix Online Studios as a legitimate developer in the adventure game space and demonstrated the viability of episodic adventure gaming funded through crowdsourcing¹¹. The game’s success led to speculation about a potential second season¹, though no official announcements have been made. The series has been recognized with Aggie Award nominations¹³ and continues to be available through digital distribution platforms, ensuring its preservation for future adventure game enthusiasts.

Downloads

Purchase / Digital Stores

• GOG Dreamlist - Community wishlist
• Steam (Episodes available individually and as complete series)
• GOG.com (Game of the Year Edition)
• iOS App Store
• Google Play Store

Download / Preservation

• Available through multiple digital preservation sites
• Game of the Year Edition includes exclusive making-of videos, concept art, and storyboards¹⁵

Series Continuity

• Previous: N/A (First game in series)
• Next: Episodes 2-4 continue the narrative

References

Footnotes

1. Wikipedia – - Basic game information and development details ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

2. MobyGames – - Gameplay mechanics description ↩ ↩²

3. Alternative Magazine Online – - Episode 1 review quote ↩ ↩²

4. Adventure Classic Gaming – - Jane Jensen involvement ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸

5. Hardcore Gaming 101 – - Development background ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

6. Arcade Sushi – - Episode structure description ↩ ↩²

7. Metacritic – - User review quote ↩ ↩² ↩³

8. IMDb – - Full development credits ↩

9. RAWG – - Platform information ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

10. IMDb – - Plot summary ↩

11. God is a Geek – - Narrative description ↩ ↩²

12. Softonic – - Game interface type ↩ ↩²

13. Steam Community – - Episode 1 release date ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

14. Adventure Gamers – - Review score and series potential quote ↩ ↩²

15. MobyGames – - Critics rating ↩ ↩²

16. IMDb – - Episode ratings breakdown ↩

17. Skich – - Development team description ↩

18. Old-Games – - System compatibility ↩