The Darkside Detective Reviews
The people behind The Darkside Detective obviously know how to make individual parts of a game. The artwork is splendid, the music should be on rotation on my iPhone, and, barring a few bugs, the easy-to-grasp point-and-click gameplay works. Its issues lie in the writing, the element that should be the glue that holds the package together. Its lightweight, cornball comedy opts for cheap and easy jokes I never really find funny. I'm not expecting the brilliance of Rex Stout with every word, but maybe aim higher than something I'd read on a Bazooka Joe wrapper.
Do you already miss the beautiful Thimblewed Park but are you looking for a more relaxing and less challenging graphic adventure? You found it.
Review in Italian | Read full review
A smart series of puzzling occult cases, The Darkside Detective has a very distinct sense of humour that you'll either love or hate.
It may be slight, but it's delightful.
The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark is a gloriously retro nostalgia fix for those who love point and click games. But for those who have never played them before, it's a brilliant introduction to the genre. A Fumble in the Dark is light-hearted, hilarious and often devious when it comes to the game's puzzles. But don't panic – you may get stuck from time to time but the solutions are usually fiendishly simple. A game that rewards thinking outside the box, The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark brings back so many wonderful gaming memories. If you know how to use a rubber-chicken-with-a-pulley-in-the-middle, then you're going to love it.
If you think you'd get a lot out of the referential humour found in The Darkside Detective, you're in for a treat. Its simple gameplay will complement the jokes, the pixelated look continues to impress, and the auditory experience on offer is up there with the best. It's a shame then that if you're more of a millennial, then much of this will be lost on you. The puns and pranks will fly over your head, and in that situation, you're left with the basic gameplay loop that doesn't really do enough to satisfy on its own. In essence, it's only really a choice you alone can make. If you think you'll vibe with TDD is going for then you're in for a good time, but if not, you're almost certainly best left looking elsewhere.
Recent titles like The Sexy Brutale and Rime sacrifice replay value and unnecessary padding to provide an engaging experience from end to end. The Darkside Detective, similarly, does not suffer any baggage. Writing is witty, striking a balance between goofy and dark that never seems to become threatening. Unfortunately, my time with Detective McQueen and Officer Dooley was far too short. While the tone, writing, and characterization are all stellar, puzzles are little more than filler and I closed cases as quickly as I opened them. Hopefully, the game’s episodic approach will allow for more content to be added soon, because the few hours of enjoyment you will get from The Darkside Detective make it worth investigating.
The Darkside Detective is a charming point and click adventure with a taste for the sillier aspects of horror. Expect to see references to 80s and 90s pop culture while solving cases alongside the Darkside Division's finest. It's not the sort of game likely to stump players with inane item puzzles and that's a good thing. Some changes could have been made to further streamline the experience, but it works well enough without them.
Darkside Detective is a quirky, sometimes overly so, adventure game with simple but enjoyable puzzles that's over before you know it.
The Darkside Detective is a entertaining point 'n' click that combines imaginative characters and witty dialogue. Not to be missed for it's creative storyline, variety of puzzles and eerily intriguing soundtrack.
Heartwarming nostalgia and brilliantly stupid humor, mixed with a nice soundtrack and suitable retro pixels in a way too short experience. The handful of chuckles from appreciation just isn't worth the asking price - there's just too little of a game, which is a shame since the world holds so much potential!
The Darkside Detective is a solid adventure for any fan of the paranormal. If you like point and click games and The X-Files, this is one game you should check out.
All of the components – the humour, the horror, the puzzles, and the characters – of The Darkside Detective add up to create one of the most entertaining and rewarding point and click games I've ever played.
I'd say that Darkside Detective isn't the best adventure game on the system but it holds up well in the middle of the pack. The greater the breadth of your pop culture appreciation the more likely I'd say the jokes and references are to connect for you. In general, the game is riding on that understanding. It's a worthwhile romp for genre fans who'd like a chance to enjoy five chapters with a reasonable length, have a few laughs, and not being quite as frustrated as with other games in the genre on the Switch.
The Darkside Detective was a pleasant surprise on Nintendo Switch. I was expecting a fun bite-sized point and click adventure game, but not one as funny and polished as what I got to review. I had a blast playing The Darkside Detective, and I look forward to seeing what the team does next. If you're a fan of the genre, then you definitely need to play this one!
The Darkside Detective is an adventure game that will have you laughing as you solve the mysteries behind the paranormal events plaguing Twin Lakes. With great visuals, music and movie references this is a must play!
Point and Click Adventures live or die by the writing and Darkside is a masterclass. A clever and lovingly-made homage to the genre.
The Darkside Detective is a rather basic game. It is, however, well made, fun and worthy of a look for adventure game fans.
I’m dying for The Darkside Detective 2 already. Now it is worth noting that The Darkside Detective is short, taking about three hours to complete all six cases, but it works so well to its benefit. This is a game that brings the player in on the joke, and lets you laugh along with them – which you will. If you’re looking for an introduction to adventure games, then The Darkside Detective is definitely it. Even those experienced in the genre will find the cases intriguing and the puzzles enough of a mind tease to find enjoyment throughout.
With a witty humor, great artistic direction, and award-worthy soundtrack, The Darkside Detective is a wonderful debut title from Spooky Doorway. While a short-lived experience due to its easy difficulty, it's a great start for this young studio, and I'm eager to see more.