Publisher: Happy Broccoli
Developer: Happy Broccoli
Year: 2024
Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux, Switch, XBox One, XBox Series

Rating: 6

The deducktion genre has really come into its own over the past several years, though many of the games, including Return of the Obra Dinn and The Case of the Golden Idol, are incredibly dark in nature. Duck Detective is the antidote, with an adorable cast of characters and whimsical narrative to support the mystery.

Eugene McQuacklin is a down on his luck detective, his love life in shambles and his bank account empty. A call comes in with the case he’s been hoping for to save his fledgling career as a private investigator; a lunch is missing from the refrigerator of a local bus depot. Seven employees (all different animals) are all suspects, and you must interrogate them all while poking and prodding wherever your bill will fit around the office to uncover the culprit.

The giraffe receptionist will greet you coldly, and it’s not until you do some minor snooping to learn about her that she’ll warm up to you and let you in. Using your magnifying class, you will drag it around the screen to zoom in on and inspect clues. Looking in trash, in-boxes, memo pads, etc., you might find a person’s name, personal demographics, or information about their personality. Conversations will also reveal keywords. You can then open up your deducktions notebook. Here you will try to piece together the full names of everyone involved and also piece together a conclusory statement by inserting names, nouns, and adjectives. In this instance, you have to determine the name of the giraffe, identify her current emotional state, and why she’s in that mood.

As the puzzles progress they become gradually more complex. You’ll have way more clues in your word list to choose from when building a case. Some clues will never be used. After gaining entry, there are five more deducktions to make. While determining the lunch box thief is fairly lighthearted and not terribly difficult, the game then takes a somewhat dark turn and the subsequent mystery proves more difficult.

Even when the game turns dark, it remains adorable throughout. Each character is represented by a sticker that sort of waddles around the isometric office. The graphics are simple, crisp, and make it easy to identify objects, though admittedly there are still a couple of pixel-hunting hiccups. The jazzy soundtrack is fully composed and easily fits into the genre. While there are adult themes present, the style of the dialogue (and voice-acting) is on par with a children’s cartoon. While most of the acting is not terribly memorable, Eugene is excellently voiced, his overly dramatic noir speech coming off as endearing and occasionally funny. There are puns galore, and the game often lampoons the mystery genre, pop culture, office life, and ducks. Yet despite the ubiquitous humor, I felt it didn’t lean hard enough into the jokes; it’s as if the writer was pulling punches.

At a crisp 2-3 hours, Duck Detective won’t keep you entertained for a long time. And that’s okay, as any longer and it might have overstayed its welcome considering its limited scope. There’s a sequel dropping soon and I’ll eagerly be playing it. I only hope it’s a bit more challenging.