I’m a big fan of quirky games. I like games that take common ideas and tropes and twist them around a little. Point-and-Click games have a tendency to do this a lot and can be more experimental and get away with it. The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark does things a little differently than most Point-and-Click games, in the same way that its predecessor did them.

In The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark, you play as Detective Francis McQueen, the titular “Darkside Detective”. McQueen is an investigator that delves into the spooky, the weird, and cases that no one else is really qualified for. As you play through A Fumble in the Dark, you’ll navigate through seven different cases (all connected) and meet a cast of wild and interesting characters along the way.

As a Point-and-Click, obviously, you’ll interact with the environment, pick up items, talk to NPC’s, and even solve puzzles. There are all sorts of references to pop culture, other games, and even just silly commentary thrown around as well. The puzzles are fun, well thought out, and definitely keep you on your toes.

The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark also has a gorgeous pixel aesthetic that combines colorful environments, handcrafted pixel designs, and a spooky aesthetic to fantastic effect. The game isn’t really scary, but some of the humor is a little on the adult side so I still wouldn’t recommend it for kids. One great thing is that the controls are easy to manage on Switch, and it is easy to navigate through dialogue as well.

I love the sense of humor that is present throughout The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark, it carries forward the funny elements from the first game and has built upon them well. The story is fun, the cast of characters is varied and interesting, and overall the game is just a really polished continuation of the first Darkside Detective adventure.

The only complaint I really have is a minor one. There are a variety of proofreading errors in the game. Sometimes sentences just don’t make sense. It doesn’t happen often, but it happens enough to be noticeable. The developers at Spooky Doorway did a really excellent job with this game overall.

Overall, if you’re a fan of point-and-click games, or games with a spooky, supernatural aesthetic, The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark is for you. This is especially true if you played the original The Darkside Detective game and want to see how McQueen’s adventure continues.

A Nintendo Switch review copy of The Darkside Detective: A Fumble In the Dark was provided by Akupara Games for this review.

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The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark

$12.99 USD

9.5

Score

9.5/10

Pros

• Great Puzzle Design
• Fun References
• Enjoyable Story
• Colorful Pixel Graphics

Cons

• Several Noticeable Proofreading Fails