A Hauntingly Good Mystery?
Well, well, well look who’s back. Not even a year after his last outing, not satisfied with just putting an end to the Salami Bandit’s reign of terror, Eugene McQuacklin returns for another round of super sleuthing.
Oh, and his roommate Freddy Frederson tags along for the ride in Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping, which makes for some delightful interactions between the pair.
This is due to Eugene’s mild irritation with Freddy, who is something of an adoring fan and an amateur detective himself. This time around the stakes are raised, as our daring duo visit a local camping site which is supposedly haunted. However, it soon transpires that there is more to the intriguing group of visitors than meets the eye.
Magnifying Glasses and “Deducktion”
As with any good mystery, pretty much everyone’s a suspect. This is where Eugene’s knack for snooping around kicks in as he tries to get to the bottom of exactly what is going on. He can interrogate the suspects directly as well as presenting them with pieces of evidence in an attempt to extract some key nuggets of information.
Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping provides plenty of opportunities to deploy the magnifying glass in the hunt for clues. This involves studying certain items closely, such as laptops and duffle bags as well as casting a beady eye over your suspects themselves. When doing so the rather fuzzy images will come into sharp focus and ping when something of interest is highlighted.
Once Eugene has all the information listed in his trusty notebook, he then has to put it in some sort of order to make sense of the events unfolding around him. This is where the “deducktion” mechanic kicks in.
In Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping it’s very much a case of filling in the blanks but selecting the right words derived from clues gathered during the investigation phase. Longer passages can be tricky to complete, but your notebook contains records of all the information Eugene has found. If you are struggling still, hints can be unlocked to nudge you in the right direction.
Solving the Case
The “story mode” is for the more casual player, meaning incorrect word placement in the deducktion phase will be highlighted to help you figure out which word goes where. For a greater challenge, the “detective mode” leaves it solely up to you, the player.
The deducktions feel a little easier than in Duck Detective: The Secret Salami (the first game) on balance, but having both options should help cater for most players.
Quirky Characters and Dry Humour
Once again, Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping features a delightfully voiced cast with a well paced narrative that will keep you hooked for the two to three hours it’ll take to complete the game. There is also the option to set the text to auto scroll, allowing you to sit back and enjoy the story. It’s a pretty sight too, the hand drawn cut out cast oozing character.
Eugene is something of a cynical character, but I guess being a detective will do that to you. My favourite facet of his personality is just how judgemental he is. When investigating he will make his opinions clear, such as declaring completing sudokus as a boring hobby or someone who uses beauty products as vain. This dry sense of humor runs through the DNA of Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping. This isn’t just with regards to Eugene himself but across all characters and even in the loading screens themselves, thanks to the return of a collection of questionable duck related facts.
A Promising Future for the Duck Detective
If I had one criticism, it would be that Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping doesn’t really do anything to push the series forward with this sequel; it’s very much more of the same. That’s no bad thing in itself, but I’d like to see what else the developers at Happy Broccoli Games have up their collective sleeves.
Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping has cemented one thing in my mind. I still want more. Eugene has the makings of a classic video game character for whom a formidable library of games could be created. Despite only being a couple of hours or so long (there’s no getting away from the fact this is a short game) I can easily see him slotting into an episodic format, even perhaps with an overarching narrative. Or maybe we could dig deeper into his personal past where there are undoubtedly many interesting stories to tell. The possibilities are endless.
An Enjoyable Avian Mystery
Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping serves up another lovable, cozy mystery fronted by rising star, Eugene McQuacklin. It may be a short story, but it’s thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish.
Important Links
Get Your De-DUCK-tions Ready – Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping Waddles onto Console and PC – https://www.thexboxhub.com/get-your-de-duck-tions-ready-duck-detective-the-ghost-of-glamping-waddles-onto-console-and-pc/
Buy Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/duck-detective-the-ghost-of-glamping/9p30wgjmx413
