“He’s dead, all right. Dead as Pauly Shore’s career. . . . This SUCKS! Like Pauly Shore himself.”
And that, my friends, is what is in store for you if you play A Case of the Crabs. This is one of those point-and-click Flash games, but this one is GOOD.
In general, point-and-click Flash games have one objective: use your wits and the objects around you to achieve your goal. It’s generally escape from some kind of confinement. A quick rundown of all the games of this genre I’ve played:
The Mystery of Time and Space. A very long, good game, but rather difficult. I had to look for a walkthrough for this one.
Crimson Room. Not bad at all, really. It does suffer from some annoying camera movement and “click within a 10 pixel radius” disease.
Viridian Room. It’s the sequel to Crimson Room. More complex, a little freaky, even, but I found it quite random.
Milki W. A little bit TOO straightforward. Entertaining, though, in that sound is really important in this one.
Of all of these, I prefer the Nick Bounty game. It has dialogue, a storyline, and most importantly… a clear sense of direction. You’re never overly lost. You know what you want or need, although you may not be sure how to get it. The steps you take are logical, for the most part. None of this “Oh, let’s use the lighter to burn this hair sample I found for absolutely no reason.” It’s humourous, too, in its dialogue and story. (“Step One: Make sure the victim has hands. Check. The victim has hands.”) The actors did ham it up a bit, but since the game isn’t really serious at all… it worked. The film noir look was very appealing, and it reminded me of the “Detective Story” short from The Animatrix. Except it was funnier, and didn’t have any references to the Matrix at all.
I guess, in short, the Nick Bounty game has personality, and the others… don’t.