Looking for 2D stealth detective game from mid-2000s to 2010s

Need help finding an old game I spotted on Steam around 2018

I never actually played this but remember seeing it in my Steam recommendations. It was a 2D mystery game with what looked like point and click controls. The setting was some kind of dark future world with lots of government control.

The graphics were mostly black and white or very washed out colors. All the characters looked like they were made from cut-out paper pieces that could move at the joints. The art style was kind of like Don’t Starve but the people looked more grown up and less cartoony.

You played as this short detective character who wore some kind of hat (maybe a fedora). The gameplay involved sneaking into people’s homes to listen in on conversations and search through their stuff. When you found evidence of crimes, you had to decide whether to turn them in to the government or keep quiet. Making the wrong choice could get you arrested.

There were different ways the game could end - you might go to prison, join a rebellion, or other outcomes. I think there was a murder mystery as the main story but it wasn’t super clear from what I saw.

The stealth parts were important because you had to avoid being caught by residents or police. You could collect items and use them when needed. My memory is pretty fuzzy so some details might be mixed up with other games I saw around that time.

Could be Chicken Police or another noir detective game from that time period. The fedora hat detail makes me think it’s definitely something going for that classic detective vibe with the dystopian twist.

Papers Please fits some of that but you’re an immigration officer not a detective. The branching endings and moral choices sound familiar though.

Sounds like Beholder maybe? That game had the paper cutout style and you spy on tenants in an apartment building.

I’m thinking this could be Orwell or maybe one of its sequels. The whole surveillance angle and having to decide whether to report people to the government sounds spot on. The art style was pretty minimalist and dark, and you definitely had those moral choice moments where you could ruin someone’s life or let things slide. The detective work was more about digging through digital evidence though, not so much sneaking around physically. Could also be something from the same developer or a similar indie game from that era.