TR-49 continues to remain cryptic with a new interactive pinboard this time

• inkle has released an interactive pinboard teasing the first secrets of TR-49
• The project draws on strange WWII-era books linked to Bletchley Park
• TR-49 launches on iOS and PC in January 2026

TR-49, inkle’s next narrative deduction project, is still very much wrapped in mystery, but this week, inkle has nudged the curtain open just a little. There’s now an interactive pinboard live on the official site, presenting six excerpts pulled from a set of strange, WWII-era books. Your task is to link each page to its author, and if you manage that, you’ll unlock the first real secret behind TR-49. No pressure.

The setup is already doing a lot of the heavy lifting. TR-49 is rooted in a real discovery made in the attic of narrative director Jon Ingold’s great-uncle, who worked at Bletchley Park during the war. Among old electronics and forgotten paperwork sat a collection of books that, as far as anyone can tell, don’t officially exist. inkle’s solution was to tear them apart, rebuild them into a game, and see if anyone could make sense of them.

So far, they haven’t. I haven’t either, and I’ve spent a slightly embarrassing amount of time staring at that pinboard trying to convince myself I was one connection away from brilliance. I was not. But maybe you’ll have better luck, and if you do, please feel free to let me know what I missed!

If you’ve played Overboard!, Heaven’s Vault, or A Highland Song, you’ll know the studio likes structure, voice, and clever narrative framing. This time, though, the story seems deliberately fragmented. It’s part puzzle, part audio drama, part historical curiosity box that refuses to explain itself.

TR-49 is set to launch on iOS and PC in January 2026, with a Switch version coming later. Until then, it looks like inkle is more than happy to let players poke around in the dark.

And if this kind of slow-burn, brain-tickling mystery is your thing, our list of the best puzzle games on iOS has many more ways to lose an evening or two.