Put yourself in the position of the duck detective, assigned to look into a meal that was taken and other unexplained activities. Use all of your detective abilities to solve this mystery and solve it.
Initial release date:Â May 23, 2024
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, Linux, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, Mac operating systems
Developer:Â Happy Broccoli Games
Genres: Adventure game, Indie game, Casual game, Adventure
Publishers: Happy Broccoli Games, Happy Broccoli Games UG
Engine:Â Unity
In the adventure game Duck investigator: The Secret Salami, a struggling investigator is called in to look into a crime. He just went through a divorce, has a bread addiction, and is having financial difficulties. In addition, he is a duck.
Duck Detective is one of the cutest animal-themed mystery games out there. You play as a bird in a lot of these games, which is surprising. By identifying hints and examining them, you’ll be able to draw “deducktions” that will help you solve—pardon—the case. There is a special quack button for you as well. It only allows you to quack anytime you want; it serves no useful purpose. Ducks are so clever that even the loading screens join in, offering you a series of bizarre duck “facts,” such as the fact that they sleep with one eye open to deter crime. Duck Detective takes its ridiculous idea and runs with it, adding even more humor to a game that’s already entertaining.
The presentation of the characters is reminiscent of later Paper Mario games, with 2D cutouts placed within a 3D environment. The addition of complete voice acting was a welcome surprise. It just requires exploring the area to look around for hints because everything that you can interact with is marked. There are instances where a closer inspection is also possible. When that occurs, you need to use your magnifying glass to scan key locations for a few details about the item or character you’re looking at. You can then add these specifics to your collection of hints for a particular deduction. Other characters can also get evidence or character profiles from you, though not all of it is accessible to them. Although I can see the logic behind it—you can only give material that would elicit a response—it seemed a little irksome to gather fresh information and then hastily seek out potential interview subjects.
Once you’ve gathered enough evidence, you may deduce the rest. In theory, I like this system. It compels you to pay close attention to every tiny detail in order to comprehend what is happening. Nevertheless, it occasionally led to logical leaps. The relationship between your research and the deductions isn’t always as obvious as it could be because the gathered clues work more like a list of keywords rather than providing you with the complete context of the clues you’ve seen recorded for you to check. Furthermore, you may brute force your way through because it indicates the number of keywords you got wrong. In addition to the deducktion system, there are a few conventional puzzles. One of these was a little tough, but after I figured it out, it was quite creative.
With Duck Detective’s integrated hint system, you can analyze the case to get a suggestion for what to do. These suggestions are, however, somewhat broad. For instance, it only advises you to confirm that you’ve verified everything if there are any missing keywords. In addition, the developers have included a Story Mode that offers additional hints in response to incorrect answers. However, at the time of this review, the Switch version had not received the update, so I was unable to test it out.
The enigma itself has a peculiar tonal combination. This is a fun game about a duck detective who no one takes seriously and who is looking into lunch thefts, on the one hand. Every character interaction, including those with the detective and one another, has a healthy dosage of humor. However, the mystery turns out to be more serious than it first seems, even though it is still a little more ridiculous than your typical detective game. Even if there are a few strange details that prevented it from feeling totally satisfying to me, the resolution essentially ties everything together. It’s finished in less than three hours, and I wish it was the beginning of something bigger.
Duck Detective: The Secret Salami is a delightful game that takes an original approach to solving mysteries and has a strong sense of comedy. Though occasionally I hoped it was more explicit about its links to make the clues feel like real clues rather than just a convenient list of keywords, I couldn’t help but smile every time I saw the word “deducktion” or hit the quack button. I’m not sure if Duck Detective’s developers intend to work on other projects, but it would be interesting to watch how these systems develop in the future.
Review Overview
Gameplay – 82%
Story – 85%
Aesthetics – 88%
Content – 80%
Accessibility – 78%
Value – 85%
Overall Rating – 84%
Very Good
Summary: Duck Detective might use additional refinement to improve its mystery-solving gameplay, as it is a touch short and leaves some room for improvement. It does, however, have a dedicated quack button and is adorable and lovely. Playing duck detective is a fun way to pass a few hours if you want a bite-sized engaging experience.