5.1 KiB
| title | date | score | game_release_year | howlongtobeat_id | howlongtobeat_hrs | game_name | game_developer | game_genre | tags | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Darkside Detective: Case By Case Silliness | 2022-10-15 | 3 | 2017 | 47682 | 3.7 | The Darkside Detective | Spooky Doorway | Adventure |
|
As always, one day, on the lookout for worthwhile adventure games, Michael Klamerus over at Mastodon suggested to try out The Darkside Detective. That name rang a bell as it's also briefly covered in my Point & Click Adventure book from Bitmap Books, in one of the last pages, as it's a fairly recent game, from 2017. The GOG.com gods decided that a sale was in order, and three clicks later, I bought and installed the game. Let's put on our paranormal investigative hats and see what's beyond those big pixels.
The Darkside Detective is indeed an adventure game, albeit a very short one, clocking in only about three hours, even further fragmented by the way the game presents its six cases (plus post-game bonus content). In each case, you play as detective McQueen, who, together with his trusty sergeant Dooley, is in charge of "Darkside matters" at the station. His colleagues make fun of his methods---and at a certain point, you get to plan your small revenge---as Darkside matters are rarely seen as important. But in the eyes of McQueen, floating and sometimes bickering ghosts, purple sparkles, and big dinos scared of the government are all in need of his help.
What immediately stands out is the simpleness of this game. Cases are very short. There's only that many screens and inventory puzzles to go through in each case. Even more remarkable: if you point and click, McQueen is too lazy to act on that and just stands still in each scene. You'll have to imagine him picking up something and putting it in his trousers. For most cases, you don't need to pick up more than five or six items, and they're immediately depleted and removed from the inventory bar once used, so no red herrings there either.
Instead, The Darkside Detective can be seen as a laid-back adventure game that's just here for fun and goofs. Click on everything you see to get Dooley or McQueen say something funny. The writing doesn't really bother to work towards a cliffhanger or a tightly integrated story line. Instead, you're served dry humor after dry humor, which might or might not work. This, combined with the paranormal setting---including obligatory purple tentacle sticking out of a toilet---reminds me of Lovecraft knockoffs like Munchkin. If that's not your thing, or you're looking for a gripping story, perhaps look elsewhere. I did have a good laugh during most cases while the game lasted.
As for the adventuring itself, as mentioned before, it's mostly a forgettable affair of using this on that or combining this with that. Contrary to the theme, the puzzle part is far from illogical and perhaps most of the time a bit too straightforward. It's not a particularly hard game, and I don't think it wants to pretend to be. Which is fine, but again: 3 hours; take it or leave it.
Every case comes with a "true" puzzle, like the sliding one in the screenshot below, or a connect-the-dots-on-a-map one. These break up the pace for a while, but felt a bit like "work", and I really detest sliding blocks on a grid. None of the puzzles tried to innovate, they just blended in. Perhaps that's for the better: there's more than enough abnormal stuff going on that McQueen has to take care of.
The game oozes atmosphere thanks to the high-res blown up pixel art combined with a spooky soundtrack that you'll remember long after you've managed to close each case. The thing I remember the most though, is the interaction with my partner officer Dooley, and that time I was invited to have dinner with his sister and the TV started to become evil. More investigative work to do!
The creators behind the game, Spooky Doorway (ha!), did their best to fill each scene with puns and completely optional gags. At one point, McQueen enters a costume shop, and makes a remark on the ones hanging on display there: a pirate costume in Threepwood-style, a bikers uniform (guess the LucasArts game?), and more. There are newspapers to inspect with more useless puns that invoked a chuckle. Clicking on McQueen himself also launches some witty dialog.
After a while though, the funniness wears out, and what's left is a very thematic, short and easy adventure game that doesn't quite manage to win over a spot in my long-term memory. The sequel, A Fumble In The Dark, is said to be longer and more cohesive, but for now, I'm okay. It's time to put away the badge, and to be able to visit the library without expecting a floating ghost in the sci-fi section or go to the bathroom without having to flush tentacles first.