Frank: Thanks for being willing to recap at the studio, <Player's Name>! Gives me a thrill to pretend I'm in a Western!
Frank and the player visit a Western set to see how a movie is made after they receive tickets from Horace Foster, the movie producer they met in the previous case. Once they arrive, however, they find Horace's body, dismembered by horses.
Tropes:
- Alliterative Name: Luz Lucha.
- All-Natural Snake Oil: Russell tells you that the Utopians offer a so-called elixir to their faithful which does absolutely nothing.
- An Arm and a Leg: The victim was killed by having his limbs tied to horses, which dismembered him after the killer scared them and they ran away.
- Back from the Dead: Brett hints that one of the Utopians' goals is reuniting the living with the dead once their cult has enough faithful followers.
- Bungled Suicide: Eva tries to kill herself only to discover that she just shoot herself with a prop gun.
- Casting Couch: Eva Grant, an actress, slept with Horace so he would give her a role in the Western movie, then wrote her out of the script for no reason. When Eva finds out, she tries to kill herself with a toy gun.
- Church of Happyology: You learn about the existence of the Utopians in this case, a religious cult that, according to Russell, promises eternal life and endless fame for a fee and has become increasingly popular among the celebrities of Ivywood. Their members are also easily recognizable, as all of them carry a badge of the cult's symbol somewhere on their clothes.
- Cult Defector: During the Additional Investigation, you discover that Russell used to be part of the Utopians before he left them for being crazy, which explains why he's so distrustful of them.
- Dead Man's Hand: The killer left this inside the victim's briefcase, which allows Russell to deduce that the murderer plays poker.
- Distinguishing Mark: Luz Lucha has a skull-shaped birthmark beneath her mask, which is why she wears it throughout most of the case.
- Doomed Autographed Item: You find a torn up photo of Luz Lucha signed by her.
- Foreshadowing: Invoked by the killer, who left a Dead Man's Hand inside the victim's briefcase to foreshadow his death according to Russell.
- The Face: Brett Nolan, a popular actor who also serves as the posterboy of the Utopians and is in charge of recruiting its members.
- Gratuitous Spanish: Luz Lucha throws some Spanish words when you talk to her.
- It's Personal: Russell has this kind of relationship towards the Utopians (including his own father) because they forcibly influenced his life ever since he was a child, which led to him acquiring many traumas and insecurities. At the end of the case, he even tells you he'll bring them down with or without your help.
- Kill the Creditor: Inverted. Luz Lucha killed Horace because he refused to paid her the money she won during their poker game.
- Love at First Sight: Frank falls in love with Luz Lucha when you talk to her for the first time.
- Masked Luchador: Luz Lucha, a Mexican wrestler also known as "La Calavera" (The Skull) who you meet as one of the suspects (and eventual killer).
- Nervous Wreck: Leo Brooks, Horace's studio accountant, is always nervous and sweating, specially since Horace was wasting the movie's budget on mundane things.
- Overly-Nervous Flop Sweat: Leo Brooks is always seen sweating and with a handkerchief for wiping his forehead.
- Perpetual Smiler: Brett Nolan is always seen smiling, even when he gets nervous.
- Pulled from Your Day Off: Frank and the player find the body whilst visiting a Western movie set during their free time.
- Pun: Roxie apologizes for "horsing around" before telling you how the victim was killed.
- Shout-Out:
- Jupiter Crane resembles Xenophilius Lovegood.
- In the Food Truck scene, there is a parody of the Luxo Ball.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Russell and his father Jupiter look very similar to each other apart from Jupiter having longer hair. They even use the same colors on their clothes.
- That Came Out Wrong: Frank threatens to shoot Eva if she shoots herself before saying he didn't mean that.
- Thou Shalt Not Kill: According to Brett, the Utopians have a very strong anti-violence policy, hence why he couldn't have killed Horace.
- The Western: The case takes place in a Western movie set.
- You Are Fat: When you find a photo of Luz Lucha with an autograph calling Horace "her biggest fan", Frank jokes that he really was.
- You're Not My Father: You meet Jupiter in this case, Russell's neglectful father who always put the Utopians before his own son. As such, Russell says his only relation with him is a biological one.
