Cryptozoic Entertainment will release the Castle: The Detective Card Game in January.  Players take the role of their favorite characters from the ABC series (including Richard Castle or Kate Beckett), each of which has a unique ability to use in the game, and try to solve a murder mystery.  They do so by collecting a hand of investigation cards, and playing special event cards to change the dynamics of the investigation.

There are two gameplay modes: a single game, simulating a single episode of the show, in which the person that finds the murderer wins; or a season match, which requires three games to win.   

The game is for two to five players, ages 15 and up, and plays in 10 to 40 minutes.  Components include six oversized Character Cards, 18 Suspect Cards, 90 Investigation Cards, 12 Guilt Tokens, and 12 Scoring Chips. It will retail for $30.   

Originally announced as a board game, this is one aspect of Cryptozoic’s Castle licensed product program, which also includes trading cards (see "'Castle' Board Game").  The game will be promoted in cross-promotions with ABC, including giveaways, content and announcements on the Castle Facebook page, and at conventions/special events.