Hector: Badge of Carnage – Episode 1: We Negotiate With Terrorists
Straandlooper/Telltale Games
Available now - RRP £8.75 (Through Steam - PC), £2.39 (iPhone/iPod Touch), £1.79 (iPad)
Review by Rob Wade
Detective Inspector Hector – the hard-nosed, soft-bellied lawman of Clappers Wreake, a town that took the "Great" out of Britain. He’s violent, drunken, and has a taste for all things criminal, corrupt, or smothered in curry.When a hostage crisis erupts in the centre of Clappers Wreake, Hector has to make a choice: carry out a terrorist's demands, or let innocent hostages die. Hector’s still on the fence.
Hector is one of those endearing characters that doesn’t come along all that often in gaming. Think DCI Gene Hunt mixed with Dave Lister from Red Dwarf. With some witty one-liners, he’s a great fit for this style of game, and the game’s character comes through that much stronger as a result. It’s a snapshot of modern England which bleeds through on many levels. In terms of gameplay, it’s part of the recent resurgence of point and click adventure games that seem to be returning into circulation. And of the positive things that can be said about the iOS devices, one thing is that those devices (and in particular the iPad) have lent themselves really well in terms of control method to that style of game, which has given developers more incentive to develop more of that style of game.
It’s refreshing, therefore, to see an English one done well. The gameplay is solid, with a level of puzzle difficulty not quite as far out as Monkey Island but at the same time not as straightforward as one would expect from a game set in the real world. The ability to have people in your inventory who are at your command is particularly impressive, while at the same time offering a level of depth that has not been so heavily developed in the genre. The graphics are slick, and while not pushing the limits of graphical complexity do a sterling job of creating a style all their own.
It’s not all gravy, though. The main issue with the game is the voice acting. It’s just patchy as they come. Hector’s voice is brilliant (and puts me instantly in mind of a friend of mine, who actually would put beer on his cornflakes, and actually has in the past), but odd characters are complete toss. It’s one of the symptoms of small development studios, and hopefully as the series gathers momentum and popularity the voice acting will improve. Make no mistake; this game deserves to gather momentum. The ending alone is worth the price of admission, and gets you geared up for the second part.
The Emotionally Fourteen Games Rating
Graphics: Solid cel-shaded style. Nicely done, and has a quirkiness to it.
Sound/Music: Music’s great. Sound effects and voice acting range from pretty reasonable to absolutely God-awful.
Gameplay: Good old-fashioned point and click adventure gaming with a great sense of humour.
Lasting Appeal: There’s unlikely to be a reason to play through a second time, unless you want to relive some of the jokes.
Summary: A strong adventure game, and a great start to what promises to be an exciting franchise! 8/10
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