Release date: 2025
Version played: PC (via Steam)
Developed and published by Happy Broccoli games, Duck Detective – The Secret Salami is a 2D duck-tective game, full of puns just like that. Taking control of the titular detective, Eugene McQuacklin, players must investigate a local office space and the various surroundings, interview interested parties and make deDUCKtions in order to solve the case of the Salami Bandit. The game is fully voiced and features an array of animal characters — but remember, everyone is a suspect!
+ voice acting is fantastic. I won’t lie, I was not at all expecting this to be good, but every character is unique and voiced in full, with the appropriate emotion, accent and ‘voice style’ befitting their animal-self and designated job at the office
+ character animations are intentionally like cardboard cutouts, moving across the screen in little static hops, and it’s excellent. This almost appears like a diorama or puppet show, and is a fun, intentional juxtaposition to the hardboiled/noire detective fiction
+ the puzzle format comes in two forms: firstly, you must investigate people both visually and through conversation. Then the deDUCKtions themself are like madlibs, with a ‘fill in the blank’ approach. You are told, as a basic example, ‘[A] must be the culprit because [B]’ and you can fill in the blanks with anything you have discovered to that point. As you talk to witnesses, you unlock words such as character names, emotions, actions or locations all of which can be used to make deDUCKtions
– as with all of these sort of games, it is possible (as in my case) to make a deDUCKtion sooner than the game wants you to. I pieced together something from what the characters said, but because it wasn’t the right time to make that connection, I had no way to act on it. Similarly, even when you know the answer, getting the exact phrasing required to trigger the correct deDUCKtion can be frustrating
> our titular duck detective, Eugene McQuacklin, has a crippling addiction to the white stuff of which he just can’t get enough. Obviously, I am talking about white bread.
Should you play this game: This was an absolute joy, and unexpected one at that. Relatively short, but immensely satisfying throughout, this is a very easy recommendation to all fans of mystery/detective fiction, or just duck lovers.
MoshFish Reviews 