Darkside Detective review – “With cops like these, who needs criminals?”

Darkside Detective review - “With cops like these, who needs criminals?”

The Darkside Detective sees you investigating strange goings-on around the city of Twin Lakes
Solve puzzles, explore creepy locales and try not to get drawn off the beaten track
And don’t forget to keep one eye on your partner – we’d hate for you to lose him

As a seasoned aficionado of point-and-click adventure games, I must confess that Darkside Detective initially had me scratching my head. The comedic tone seemed like an odd fit for the horror genre, but I was pleasantly surprised to find the humor charming rather than grating.

Hidden in the obscure corners of the night, beyond human comprehension, sinister entities dwell, gnawing at the edges of our perceived world. They bide their time until we lower our defenses, then they strike with a bloodcurdling scream, intent on wreaking havoc upon us and those dear to us.

However, it seems that such supernatural matters aren’t troubling you right now, given the current state of your shift. You’ve got piles of paperwork to attend to, a senior living facility allegedly being haunted by a reverse vampire, reports of a beast causing havoc in the campsite, and your charming but forgetful partner can’t seem to locate the urn filled with mischievous gremlins from the occult shop.

Just another day in the Darkside Division.

Indeed, thanks to Akupara Games, the developer Spooky Doorway has brought The Darkside Detective and its follow-up A Fumble In the Dark to iOS and Android devices. So, now that you have it in your possession, let’s delve into how well it performs on mobile platforms. However, be mindful of the occasional (minor) spoiler as we explore further.

Plot

While relatively light on narrative, Darkside Detective does have an overarching setting. You are Detective Francis McQueen, a member of the city of Twin Lakes’ underfunded and understaffed Darkside Division. As a member of this department, your job is to investigate and resolve cases relating to unnatural phenomena that largely sprout from the titular Darkside, an alternate dimension just one poorly-placed portal away from our world.
Darkside Detective review - “With cops like these, who needs criminals?”

In essence, this implies that you find yourself in unusual circumstances, often initiated by your partner, Officer Patrick Dooley, while going about regular activities. The situations can vary greatly, from searching for missing individuals, to dealing with a haunted library, or even concealing a mythical lake creature from the authorities. Remarkably, the resolutions to these peculiar predicaments are just as unconventional as the circumstances themselves.

While certain characters recur across different cases, such as the arrogant supercop McKing and the amateur paranormal investigator Raxa, each case is largely self-contained. As you and your trusty partner Dooley tackle paranormal incidents with minimal disturbance to routine and a casual approach to protocol, the residents of Twin Lakes can generally rest easy.

Gameplay

Darkside Detective is as bog-standard of a
point-and-click adventure game
as you can get. You move from screen to screen, selecting various objects in the background which your character will either comment on (sometimes with a clue as to your next move) or pick up and shove into their seemingly endless pockets.
Darkside Detective review - “With cops like these, who needs criminals?”

What sets Darkside Detective apart is its polished gameplay experience. Unlike many games, there’s no walk animation here – you smoothly move from screen to screen with a simple tap. Instead of a cumbersome inventory system, all your items are conveniently placed at the top of the screen. To use them, you just slide one onto another. This is quite different from the verb-based menu in Monkey Island, and it simplifies everything greatly, making it easy even for beginners to experiment by tapping things together to see what happens.

Darkside Detective review - “With cops like these, who needs criminals?”

Each case isn’t just a matter of clicking around; there’s usually a mini-game that involves solving a distinct puzzle. This could range from assembling a tin foil hat (yes, really) to sketching symbols to unlock an ancient gateway to another realm. Some can be quite vexing, but they never linger too long and it’s fun to discover the new brainteaser you need to conquer each time.

Graphics

Again, as far as throwback retro games go, you don’t get more standard than this, as the Darkside Detective follows older point-and-click adventure games in a 2D perspective with crunchy pixel graphics.
Darkside Detective review - “With cops like these, who needs criminals?”

As a gamer, let me tell you, every single screen in this game is meticulously detailed and easy to read when searching for hidden objects, which I’d say 90% of the time, they’re spot on. The variety in locations is just mind-blowing! Now, if you’re into super-detailed pixel graphics, you might find the more stylized nature of Darkside Detective a bit off-putting. But for me, it’s visually engaging and quite appealing to my eyes.

The artwork in Darkside Detective is richly hued and boasts a cozy ambiance enhanced by its integrated lighting. Occasionally, it’s punctuated by striking visual effects. If you evaluate adventure games based on the number of distinct backdrops, you’ll be thrilled with the abundance of diverse locations to discover, most of which are unique and seldom reoccurring.

Audio

However, in my opinion, it’s the audio where this game truly shines, at least in a technical sense. The soundtrack is incredibly varied and almost always unique to each case, with varying audio cues as you interact with certain objects in the environment. While Darkside Detective leans heavily on humour rather than horror, it’s still very atmospheric.
Darkside Detective review - “With cops like these, who needs criminals?”

Once more, I’d like to strongly recommend giving the soundtrack a spin. If you’re a fan of tabletop roleplaying games such as Call of Cthulhu or Delta Green, this music will undoubtedly provide an eerie and suspenseful atmosphere for your game sessions or even while reading your favorite Stephen King books.

Performance

The fact that Darkside Detective comes with virtually no sliders for audio or graphics quality should tell you all you need to know about what this game brings to the table performance-wise. It’s as simple as it gets, and the brief loading times – which are practically instantaneous when moving from screen to screen – are the only thing I thought worth scrutinising.
Darkside Detective review - “With cops like these, who needs criminals?”

Put it this way – Darkside Detective won’t stress anything but the most low-end of phones.

What I liked

I think what stood out to me most about Darkside Detective is how straightforward it was. We’ve all heard of, or experienced, the bizarre and often nonsensical puzzles in many adventure games. And while Darkside Detective isn’t short on those, the small scale of each case means that you often only have a small selection of areas to explore, and many puzzles have straightforward components and the occasional a-ha moment.
Darkside Detective review - “With cops like these, who needs criminals?”

Initially, the minor episodes might seem underwhelming, but once McQueen and Dooley’s conversations become repetitive, or the riddles become overly complex, you’ll swiftly be transported to a completely different setting with a fresh mystery to solve. This constant change keeps things exciting, and the absence of excessive retracing steps or cluttered inventory systems makes it an excellent choice for adventure enthusiasts seeking a less intense experience.

In just one instance, I had to consult a guide, which was specifically for the sequel titled “A Fumble in the Dark”. This incident, I believe, underscores the excellent design of the game and its efforts to reduce user frustration as much as possible.

What I didn’t like

So, here’s where the big buyer-beware warning is going to go. If you saw The Darkside Detective and thought, “Ooh, this looks like a creepy retro throwback to old
horror games
of the past,” you’ll very much be disappointed. Darkside Detective is a comedy through and through, and if humorous asides or gentle prodding of the fourth wall isn’t your cup of tea, it won’t be your thing. But that’s very much all based on personal taste, and even though I went in with a bit of apprehension, I found the humour charming enough not to grate.
Darkside Detective review - “With cops like these, who needs criminals?”

But put it this way – you won’t really be spooked at even the most tension-filled of times.

The new touchscreen controls for the mobile version occasionally have small problems. Generally, they’re user-friendly, but during mini-games and specific areas where precise tapping is required, larger fingers may struggle due to small icons or transition points. Luckily, this seldom leads to major issues, yet it remains a concern. Similarly, the dialogue boxes at the top of the screen with their compact selection fields for each question can be tricky to navigate.

These aren’t major issues, but they could still slightly diminish a superb presentation and quality end product.

Addendum: A Fumble in the Dark

It’s not just the original Darkside Detective that’s made its way to mobile. Akupara Games have also brought over the sequel A Fumble in the Dark, and while I didn’t get as much time with this game as the original, it’s broadly more of the same. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as the puzzles remain intuitive and the environments as varied if not more.
Darkside Detective review - “With cops like these, who needs criminals?”

As a fan, I can’t help but notice some distinct variations between the two games. While it might be my imagination playing tricks on me, it seems that the screen view is slightly wider, providing a less claustrophobic feel. Moreover, certain scenarios (such as the opening) significantly expand the narrative, introducing more complex movements and an array of intricate puzzles to tackle.

If you enjoyed playing Darkside Detective and are yearning for additional adventures, A Fumble in the Dark is definitely worth considering purchasing. However, if you’re hesitant or felt that the first game provided enough eccentricity to satisfy your needs, then A Fumble in the Dark might not be an essential buy for you.

Conclusion

While it may seem limited in scope, The Darkside Detective offers quite a few hours of playtime for its price with each case clocking in at around a half-hour or more even if you fly through them, and comes bundled with all the bonus cases the original received. A Fumble in the Dark expands on it even further, broadening the scope, and is perfect if you’re an adventure game purist looking for a bit more of a challenge.

In summary, Darkside Detective shines across nearly every aspect. Its visual appeal is captivating, its soundtrack and atmosphere are impressive, the puzzles remain challenging yet reasonable, and occasionally, it manages to elicit a genuine, intelligent laugh from players.

I think it’s safe to say that for enthusiasts of adventure games, this could be an excellent new addition to your collection. And if you’re hesitant about the mysterious realm of point-and-click games, perhaps this title will convince you to join the *cough* Dark Side.

Interested in discovering top-tier games that have piqued our interest lately? Dive into our compilation of outstanding Android detective games, and get ready to stimulate your mental muscles!

2024-08-19 14:19