The Darkside Detective

It may be slight, but it's delightful.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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!

A highly recommended game if you grew up with point-and-click adventures of yesteryear and whilst it won’t be for everyone, even if you’ve never experienced one of those types of games before you can do a lot worse than choosing this one as your first. The Darkside Detective was yet another surprising indie title on the Switch in terms of quality. A really funny and quirky adventure that I thoroughly enjoyed playing from start to finish, it just doesn’t last anywhere near as long as I wanted it to. So my advice would be to treasure it and hope this isn’t the last we see of The Darkside Detective as a series, as there is so much potential in any future sequels.

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!