Here ’s our review for the puzzle adventure biz Duck Detective : The Secret Salami .
The premise of Duck Detective : The Secret Salami grabbed me immediately , as I love teaser - resolution and detective work in video games . But in the end , I felt a little let down by how much I stumble along the way while assay to put together hint that did n’t make as much sense as they should have .
While I do n’t want a game to hold my hand along the total way , which Duck Detective ply as an option in its Story Mode setting , I was surprised by how often I felt lose and inclined to look for help anywhere I could get . There ’s a fate to like about Duck Detective , but I did n’t have the experience I was hoping for .
Putting the pieces together
Nothing make me happier than when I get that eureka moment in a puzzle game . That moment when the puzzle snap into spot in my head and it suddenly all makes sense . That did n’t happen as often as would have liked in Duck Detective , an adorable biz about a crime - puzzle out duck who is task with bring out the identity of the dastardly Salami Bandit , along with several side mysteries . Gameplay lie in of gathering clues by analyzing objects and suspects , check the clues rick into simplified word , then using those words in a fill - in - the - blank puzzle to work a deduction . It feel like a simplified rendering of the puzzle grease monkey from 2022 ’s The Case of the Golden Idol .
While this sort of game tempt me , Duck Detective is at times overly simplify to the point where I hit immediate barricade . It ’s hard to explain , but with most deducktions in which I had all the words quick to post into the blanks , I typically felt up lose on where to place them . There were a few interesting deducktions that I solved on my own by canvas the hint and speaking to suspect with colorful personality , but the words were so simple that I often felt swayed in the wrong direction , as the words were so ecumenical they could be apply to anyone and anything .
I felt well equipped to reckon thing out by analyzing the clues in my notebook by the image alone than through the words used for deducktions , which I felt were supposed to make me better read the clues . In the goal , I revert to Story Mode more than I wanted , which allowed me to see which words were in the correct location . look on how other gamers feel about figuring out deducktions in Duck Detective , I could either be completely alone in my experience and just could n’t put the clues together , or this could be a common occurrence .
Screenshot: PC Invasion
It ’s tough to grade puzzles based on how tough they are since they ’re such a personal matter to experience . There are probably plenty of incredible puzzle game that have a minority of gamers who are stuck and lost most of the clock time , yet the majority of histrion can visualize it out . I ’m not sure where I land in this situation with Duck Detective , but from my personal experience I just constantly felt like the clues were n’t lead me in the correct direction .
A colorful cast
One aspect of Duck Detective that I appreciated was the coloured mold of character you get to fill . Each role is voiced by think of voice actors , all with their own unique personalities and quirks . suspect could be analyzed for clues , you could hand them clue and ask them what they thought to get more clues , and you could but talk to them . Although I know this is a short plot that is n’t imply to be overly complicated , I often felt like I had more questions to ask these suspect than I was allowed to ask .
I ca n’t really fault the developer for not including the ability to require sure interrogative sentence that could give away clue too easily , but there were times when the defendant did n’t give me the solution I want . Sometimes the game would direct me in a direction that made me feel like I should wonder a defendant about something significant , but then I either could n’t enquire them about it or I did n’t get a straight resolution . sure enough , detective work is about translate between the lines , but that was difficult when I was have a knotty time remembering everyone ’s relationship with one another or when I simply did n’t know what to do with the answers given to me .
The case truly make you finger like anyone could be the suspect , so I was never sure who was innocent and who was n’t . I would n’t say there ’s anything incorrect with the characters themselves in Duck Detective , it just felt like they were a little too withholding . Perhaps I ’m alone in this cerebration , but from my experience , I just care I could ask the character more interrogation while also being able to track in my investigator ’s notebook computer the relationship these role had with each other . Often I would hear something authoritative about how one person feels about another , yet that information was n’t write down for me . I approximate next time I should bring out my trusty newspaper publisher and pencil …
Screenshot: PC Invasion
Witty pop-up book aesthetics
Another aspect that I appreciate from Duck Detective : The Secret Salami is the witty dialog and the unique art direction . merge the gifted spokesperson cast with the lightheaded words that came from some of these characters ’ mouths made for an entertaining experience . You do n’t bear this cunning duck’s egg with a fedora to have such a inscrutable voice , but it contrast well with the semi - serious plot line that runs through this game . There is n’t a murderer on the loose , it ’s simply a Salami Bandit who stole someone ’s tiffin . Yet the offence play a set mysterious than you retrieve .
I enjoy that on the surface it was a wacky assumption , but the more deducktions I put together the more I realized just how godforsaken some of these characters are . Nobody is just who they are on the surface , and by the destruction of the game , you ’re leave with some tough decisions . I did n’t await some element of choice in Duck Detective , but the fact that I felt like my conclusion weigh was a coolheaded element to slip in .
I also adored the kill - up book aesthetic of the character . Everyone is a 2D character in a 3D world , and they look like they were just drawn on a piece of paper , shorten out , and placed in this 3D space . This style choice is definitely something to apprise , as it makes the theatrical role stand out more .
Screenshot: PC Invasion
Missing puzzle pieces
Duck Detective : The Secret Salami was n’t a sodding experience , as I often felt lose and compel to switch on Story Mode when the piece of the teaser would n’t fit together . Only occasionally did I feel that eureka moment after solving deducktions , but the plot was still entertaining with its witty fictional character and adorable art style . The story also was cryptic than I opine it would be , and the more I played it , the more I began to treasure the unraveling of the very cute and silly mystery itself while forgetting about the thwarting I had while hear to solve puzzles .
Screenshot: PC Invasion
