Best in-game moustache 2009? We think so!
Ah, a nice relaxing Sunday. Sit back with a cup of tea on the sofa and have a little bit of gaming. It would almost seem criminal to frag some teabaggers online, no matter how much they deserve it, no, a Sunday requires a more relaxing approach. Looks like its a good time to grab the girlfriend and have us a little bit of multiplayer puzzling on episode 1 of Blue Toad Murder Files.
So what the hell is Blue Toad Murder Files? Well… its a downloadable episodic murder mystery puzzle game on the Playstation 3, that’s what it is… jeez, I can already tell that you would be a useless detective! So is it like Professor Layton then? Yes and no, let me explain. Yes in that you have to complete puzzles, which then unravel clues to solve a mystery. The puzzles range from a simple memory quiz, logic problems and a few more problematic maths conundrums. Once you have completed said puzzle, you are rated on your performance (based on time and how many mistakes you made) and given either a bronze, silver or gold medal.
Okay, so it sounds rather like the Professor has been made up to look like a Pixar character and slapped onto the PSN, but there are some differences. The unique selling point for BTMF is that it can be enjoyed as a multiplayer experience. Up to four players can play through the episode, each player tackling a different puzzle, one after the other until they are all complete. The game does this rather well and plays out like Cluedo, with everyone (or just yourself if your playing solo) attempting to select the culprit from a line up of suspects.
However there is one other large difference to Layton’s, instead of playing out like a point and click adventure, you are on the rails through the adventure with only a few occasions where you can select the order you visit each location. This does make the game feel a touch claustrophobic for the solo player, but does leave the game much more hassle free for the multiplayer sessions.
The presentation of the game is very well done, the music and graphics are full of charm. The design of the puzzles is very well done and all are rather clear with no frustration with knowing what to do. The voice acting should get a special mention as it is rather brilliant in a very British whimsical way, with all the voices done by one actor.
Although playing through the episode clocks in at around an hour for 2 people, there is very little need to play again unless you are trophy hunting. Playing the once netted me all but 1 trophy available to me. On a second play I received the same puzzles and the villain did not change. For the price of £6.29, this offers both good and little value to the consumer, yes I know, that makes no sense… let me explain… For the solo gamer that will play through once, then an hours entrainment priced at £6.29 is a little steep. Playing with a family, well paying £6.29 for an hour or so is a lot less expensive than a trip to the cinema for four people.
Clearly the game is aimed at families, but is it families with younger children or for a more older audience? While it was simple to point out the correct suspect close to the start of the episode, some of the maths puzzles would boggle the minds of a younger audience without aid from others. However if you’re not a cold hearted bastard, I would recommend playing this instead of the usual board game this Christmas. The only downside to the game is that it has very little replayability, thus the score of…
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[...] highly of Blue Toad as it is a game you can play with anyone, but as Stevie said in the previous review, it does only have one play through life span. Unless you are thirsty to get all of the newly [...]