The Darkside Detective Review
The Darkside Detective
Publisher: Spooky Doorway
Developer: Spooky Doorway
Genre:
PEGI: E
Comments:
I am a huge point and click Adventure game fan. When I got a review copy of the latest point and click game for the Nintendo Switch, The Darkside Detective, I was really excited. This game looked really good. So is it?
The Darkside Detective, much like King’s Quest and Space Quest from the PC era, does not take itself seriously. There are so many jokes in this game. Some of the dialogue in this game is funny and some of it is just plain silly. I enjoyed both a lot. I also like how each of the cases were presented in the game and how they connected up. I do wish the stories had been longer. The game overall is not very long but it is pretty satisflying. And I’m very excited that another case will be added to this game via a free update! I can’t wait to play it. I’m also very happy to report that Darkside Detective’s gameplay is pure classic Adventure game fun.
There are a lot of puzzles in this game. As Detective McQueen, you’ll be collecting a lot of items, putting them in your magic pockets (how does he fit so many items in there?!), and use them to help you crack the case. Some of the puzzles in this game are pretty hard, while others are not as hard. The Darkside Detective is a lot like old Adventure games in that it won’t give you any real clues on how to solve each case. You will have to use your wits to beat this game. If that fails, hey, there’s always youtube! At least the game’s controls need no explanation.
The Darkside Detective is a point and click Adventure game and one of the coolest things about this game is the touch screen controls. These controls are not always perfect, they are iffy when it comes to selecting dialogue choices, but the touch screen controls are the best way to solve the harder puzzles of this game. I also got so much satisfaction out of clicking on stuff and seeing what happened. I really did feel like I was playing an old PC Adventure game.
That said, if you want to use the analog stick and buttons you can and they work well (especially for dialogue choices). You can easily switch between touch screen or analog controls when in portable mode. I really do recommend playing this game in portable mode but it does look great on the TV too!
The Darkside Detective may fool you with its pixalated retro graphics! You may just look at it and say “well thats like King’s Quest or Space Quest.” Exactly like it! However I think that this game is far more detailed than its predecessors. Each environment in this game is packed with things to click on and even stuff you can’t click on (what?!). The world of the Darkside Detective may be pixalated, but it also feels alive and packed with fun stuff to see. No, The Darkside Detective’s graphics are not the best on the Nintendo Switch, but they are not meant to be. This game is a throwback with style. It also looks good in handheld mode and on the TV.
As for the music of The Darkside Detective, I think it could have been better. The music thats in the game is very good, but this game relies more on sound effects than music. I do wish this game had voice acting like Thimbleweed Park. That would’ve been awesome. Still, this is not the worst soundtrack I’ve ever seen on a game.
The Darkside Detective, overall, is a game that Adventure genre fans will love.
If you miss the old days of King’s Quest and Space Quest, then you should absolutely play The Darkside Detective. Yes, the game is very (bold) short, but they are adding another case at some point and this game is so much fun despite its shortness. The dialogue in The Darkside Detective is especially good too.
The Darkside Detective is a really good throwback to the Adventure games of old and I highly recomemnd it for fans of the genre.
Thanks to Player Two for providing a review copy of this game. The Darkside Detective is currently available on the Nintendo Switch eShop!
Overall Score: 8.0
Visuals: 8.0
Audio: 7.5
Gameplay: 8.0
Trailer
Article By Daniel Fugate
Daniel Fugate has wanted to be a writer since he was seven years old. He has a bachelor's degree in English and he's a huge Animal Crossing fan. The Wii U and 3DS are currently his favorite video game systems!
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