PC Critic Reviews

With the same charming aesthetic and just as many laughs and quirky paranormal phenomena as the first season, The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark is definitely worth playing for the comedically inclined.

A ridiculous and funny point and click adventure that anyone can enjoy. The style of gameplay is simple, allowing you to enjoy the art, music and especially the writing even more. It will feed you that good mix of absurd and self-aware comedy that you didn’t even know you were hungry for. I really do encourage you to give it a go, especially if you’re on the fence about point and click adventures in general. It’s a game that doesn’t need a triple-A status or heavy content to be fantastic. Just a few sentient pixels, great writing and some paranormal cases to solve.

The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark is a must play game for anyone who loves point-and-click adventure games, especially with a supernatural mystery theme. If you enjoyed the first game you obviously must play this title!

With substantial gameplay improvements but also some flaws compared to the first Darkside Detective, the second game in the series remains an adventure that would have made a splash if it had been released in 1994.

The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark is an irreverent expression of the paranormal imagery that we usually find in today's TV series. The title's biggest flaw is its longevity, which we would have expected greater given its sequel nature.

The tale’s comedic tone and the dialogue are clever and snarky. Coupled with the supernatural shenanigans manifesting daily in the world of The Darkside Detective, these often lead to hilarious situations and reactions from the characters in them, among whom are skeptics to the authenticity of these happenings. Yet the jokes fall short at times due to unnecessarily exaggerated scenes, such as a squirrel planning a heist to a television station. Conversely, it is when The Darkside Detective takes itself a bit more seriously and embraces its deeper, darker roots, that the brilliance truly happens.

A fantastic follow up to The Darkside Detective. A Fumble in the Dark is even more of the same irreverent action and spooktacular silliness from the best beat cops in Twin Lakes PD.

A Fumble in the Dark may have lost sight of what made the first iteration great in some respects, but for those who want more of the charismatic duo and excellent observational humor, this is an admirable sequel. More is on the way, as well, so for those who worry we’ll be waiting another three or four years for Francis and Dooley to return, fear not. As for me, I’m okay with the break if it means an assurance of quality in the future.