 | Egads, There is Murder Afoot!By Edwin Velez Reviewed on Nintendo Switch Release Date Mar 29, 2018 on Nintendo Switch, also available on PC Publisher: Chorus Worldwide Games Developer: Rumpus Animation |
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Another day means another adventure in the Fiddle household! After a bit of an adventure dry spell, Bertram Fiddle is met with an ultimatum per his spouse: Either take up a daring adventure ASAP or get a full time, normal job. The former is much more up Bertram’s alley, as he considers himself to be among the best. With rival Sherlock Holmes residing in the same town, it’s not always easy to make waves in the field, but when Geoff the Murderer strikes again, Bertram is thrown head first into the case. With his Peruvian cyclops sidekick Gavin at his side (who happens to live under his stairs like a more ethnic Harry Potter), the adventure kicks off in full spin, with bad puns, witty zingers, and heavy cockney accents abound!
Bertram is yet another point-and-click style game to make its way to the Switch. This time around, players set off on a goofy Victorian London murder mystery. What starts off as a normal day quickly becomes one of the high points of Bertram’s career. Players take Bertram through a roughly 2-hour start to his adventure, one that serves as the entry point for its characters, locale, and gameplay. While it is not the most innovative entry in the genre, I will say that I am intrigued to see what is in store for future episodes.
The gameplay is fairly standard for the genre. Players help guide Bertram and Gavin along, collecting necessary items, managing inventory, talking to others, and solving puzzles to guide the narrative along. It handles well enough as expected, and even has some gameplay aspects that stand out, like chase scenes in particular that allow you to freely move Bertram to avoid obstacles while he is running. That was a neat addition, but outside of that the game typically follows the norm. What carries the title is its tongue-in-cheek humor, featuring cheesy punchlines and puns that are really well written. To top it off, the game heavily features voice-over work which helps with the character development and gives it an edge in that department over others in the genre.
The gameplay is fairly standard for the genre. Players help guide Bertram and Gavin along, collecting necessary items, managing inventory, talking to others, and solving puzzles to guide the narrative along. It handles well enough as expected, and even has some gameplay aspects that stand out, like chase scenes in particular that allow you to freely move Bertram to avoid obstacles while he is running. That was a neat addition, but outside of that the game typically follows the norm. What carries the title is its tongue-in-cheek humor, featuring cheesy punchlines and puns that are really well written. To top it off, the game heavily features voice-over work which helps with the character development and gives it an edge in that department over others in the genre.
The look is solid too, with the crudely drawn and disproportionate characters being reminiscent of the designs found in one of my favorite animated series, Flapjack. I thought it worked well for the quirky attitude without a doubt, as did the color scheme being clean but drab all at once. Though some textures or items occasionally fail to transition, the game runs smoothly otherwise.
Bertram is a solid romp around London, and while short, is quite entertaining. It serves as a good jumping off point for hopeful future episodes, getting our characters and story introduced and developed just enough to make you want to see what awaits in their upcoming adventures. Without pushing any boundaries, The Adventures of Bertram Fiddle’s first episode gets the job done, and it gets it done rather quickly if you do not have much time to spare.
*Note: A copy of this game was provided for the purpose of the review.
Bertram is a solid romp around London, and while short, is quite entertaining. It serves as a good jumping off point for hopeful future episodes, getting our characters and story introduced and developed just enough to make you want to see what awaits in their upcoming adventures. Without pushing any boundaries, The Adventures of Bertram Fiddle’s first episode gets the job done, and it gets it done rather quickly if you do not have much time to spare.
*Note: A copy of this game was provided for the purpose of the review.
Final Score: 7/10
| +Solid Animation and Voiceover +Witty Humor | -Short on Offerings |
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