The point and click adventure has seen many changes since it began in the early 1980’s with games such as The Secret of Monkey Island leading the charge. Originally developed during a games jam in 2014, The Darkside Detective by newly established Irish developers Spooky Doorway is the latest adventure game to make a drastic change to the formula, while at the same time offering the experiences we have enjoyed since the genre’s conception.
In the sleepy American town of Twin Lakes, where the occult has been essentially forbidden, mysterious supernatural occurrences take place on a daily basis. The only line of defence is The Darkside Division, an underfunded police department which is staffed by a young detective named Francis McQueen and his partner Officer Dooley. Together with his supernaturally ignorant partner, Detective McQueen must solve the cases that arise, and restore the balance between Earth and a parallel dimension known as the Darkside.
During the six cases that you investigate as both McQueen and Dooley, you will need to travel to several normal and supernatural locations, and utilise the tried and tested method of item combination and puzzle solving. From solving the disappearance of a wealthy heiress, to closing a wormhole that has opened on the subway, each case brings a new element of the supernatural to the table, and offers a set of unique and challenging puzzles for players to enjoy. One of the best puzzles has a reference to a LucasArts classic, and forces you to pass objects between two separate worlds in an unconventional manner.
