01-07-09
Posted by Ben at 07:59
In the second of our summer backlog reviews we take a look at BeeWorks' adorable DS adventure Touch Detective 2½
As inexcusable as it may be, we at Bitparade never reviewed the first Touch Detective game. Part of the reason for that was that it took an age to reach our shores, which should have acted as a warning because this sequel is never going to get a UK release.
For anyone reading this who didn’t play the original (the majority of you), Touch Detective centres around MacKenzie, a pre-teen detective, and her friends Penelope (who happens to be Mack’s best client) and Chloe (Mack’s greatest rival). Gameplay is fairly standard point & click, with some light adventuring. The touch screen is used to guide Mack around, and select items to touch and investigate.
You’ll also be able to talk to the many weird and wonderful characters littered throughout the game. In gameplay terms this is vital for getting missions and clues, but this should be important to you because it’s these interactions that provide the game with its abundant charm. Even if you take that you’re playing as a 10 year old detective as a given, there’s still her 300 year old zombie butler Cromwell, the self-centred town mayor (a turkey), a big red yeti thing, a surly freeloading mouse, the attractive but atrociously out of shape Inspector Daria, and the hilarious ticket inspector.
The presentation of the game has something of the Tim Burton about it. Characters have shadows under their eyes, the palette is washed out, and the environment is ever so slightly skewed. The top screen is used solely for Mack’s asides, sometimes endearingly naïve, sometimes witheringly biting. It all adds up to make for a game you cant help but feel some affection for, and one that is genuinely funny.
Of course that all means nothing if the gameplay doesn’t match up. The first game was criticised for its obtuse puzzles, it had its own bizarre logic and it wasn’t always clear where you were supposed to be. This is an issue that’s been addressed in Touch Detective 2½ somewhat. Perhaps it’s that playing the previous game acts as preparation for what this game expects from you, but the puzzles this time around seem much easier. Yes you will still spend some time touching every single thing on screen, but those occasions are few and far between.
Condensing the play area for most of the missions, whether a deliberate design decision or not, has really helped the flow of the game. Rather than have to trek through every location in town, instead you‘ll often be faced with a smaller play field. The first of which is the train mission, but there’s also a space ship, both of which are made up of multiple areas, but it’s much more linear than the first game. Helped too are the restrictions placed on which locations are accessible when you’re in town, there’s very little wasted space anymore, and that makes a huge difference.
I thoroughly enjoyed Touch Detective 2½, and would wholeheartedly recommend it on charm alone. However this is supposed to be a critical review, and as such it would be remiss of me not to draw attention to the games flaws. At points it is too easy, and it is conceivable that you’ll never click with the game’s logic. There were times where I was wandering around without a clue what to do, but these really were rare. In short, so long as you don’t go in expecting a life changing experience, there’s very little reason why you shouldn’t fall just a little bit in love with Mackenzie and her insane world.
As inexcusable as it may be, we at Bitparade never reviewed the first Touch Detective game. Part of the reason for that was that it took an age to reach our shores, which should have acted as a warning because this sequel is never going to get a UK release.
For anyone reading this who didn’t play the original (the majority of you), Touch Detective centres around MacKenzie, a pre-teen detective, and her friends Penelope (who happens to be Mack’s best client) and Chloe (Mack’s greatest rival). Gameplay is fairly standard point & click, with some light adventuring. The touch screen is used to guide Mack around, and select items to touch and investigate.
You’ll also be able to talk to the many weird and wonderful characters littered throughout the game. In gameplay terms this is vital for getting missions and clues, but this should be important to you because it’s these interactions that provide the game with its abundant charm. Even if you take that you’re playing as a 10 year old detective as a given, there’s still her 300 year old zombie butler Cromwell, the self-centred town mayor (a turkey), a big red yeti thing, a surly freeloading mouse, the attractive but atrociously out of shape Inspector Daria, and the hilarious ticket inspector.
The presentation of the game has something of the Tim Burton about it. Characters have shadows under their eyes, the palette is washed out, and the environment is ever so slightly skewed. The top screen is used solely for Mack’s asides, sometimes endearingly naïve, sometimes witheringly biting. It all adds up to make for a game you cant help but feel some affection for, and one that is genuinely funny.
Of course that all means nothing if the gameplay doesn’t match up. The first game was criticised for its obtuse puzzles, it had its own bizarre logic and it wasn’t always clear where you were supposed to be. This is an issue that’s been addressed in Touch Detective 2½ somewhat. Perhaps it’s that playing the previous game acts as preparation for what this game expects from you, but the puzzles this time around seem much easier. Yes you will still spend some time touching every single thing on screen, but those occasions are few and far between.
Condensing the play area for most of the missions, whether a deliberate design decision or not, has really helped the flow of the game. Rather than have to trek through every location in town, instead you‘ll often be faced with a smaller play field. The first of which is the train mission, but there’s also a space ship, both of which are made up of multiple areas, but it’s much more linear than the first game. Helped too are the restrictions placed on which locations are accessible when you’re in town, there’s very little wasted space anymore, and that makes a huge difference.
I thoroughly enjoyed Touch Detective 2½, and would wholeheartedly recommend it on charm alone. However this is supposed to be a critical review, and as such it would be remiss of me not to draw attention to the games flaws. At points it is too easy, and it is conceivable that you’ll never click with the game’s logic. There were times where I was wandering around without a clue what to do, but these really were rare. In short, so long as you don’t go in expecting a life changing experience, there’s very little reason why you shouldn’t fall just a little bit in love with Mackenzie and her insane world.
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