The Adventures of Bertram Fiddle: Episode
1- A Dreadly Business
Rumpus
Animation
A light hearted 2D animated
romp, Bertram Fiddle delivers two or so hours of solid third person
point and click adventuring.
Bertram is our central
character, a self-proclaimed exploratory in search of a bit of
adventuring. With his one-eyed manservant Gavin by his side, taking
Foofy the dog to the groomers is hardly the stuff of memoirs, but
quickly turns into an unexpected encounter with Geoff the Murderer,
albeit initially unknown. Having got the wrong bag, and desperate to
recover Foofy, Bertram is set to cross paths with Sherlock Holmes as he
attempts to apprehend the notorious villain Geoff.
The quirky animated style is an
immediate and obvious high point, and Gavin’s single cyclopian eye leads
to the best line in the Episode. Played in four chapters, with the
exception of two chase scenarios, puzzling is all task and inventory
based, with the last chapter probably providing the most convoluted
solves. Clues exist (fixing the dripping roof is a good example) but
there will inevitably be some doing things with things just to try and
find a solution. It isn’t a hard game though, and the limited number of
inventory items at any one time is a contributing factor. Hotspots too
are large and reasonably limited in any location.
The game world opens out as you
go, but never gets too big. Most puzzle solves have what you need within
a few screens of each other, and backtracking was almost unnecessary.
The first chase involves trying
to catch Geoff. In the second, Bertam is trying to outrun some
malevolent spirits. You need to dodge the bystanders and obstacles which
will slow Bertram down. If the quarry gets too far away, or the spirits
too close, the chase “resets” and you keep going. Stay out of reach, or
close on the tail for long enough, and the chase ends and the game
resumes.
A heads up: use the arrow keys
to dodge.
It isn’t a funny game, but there
is enough wit and silliness involved (the repartee, the other characters
and their events, the jumbledy words, and the sights and sounds) to give
it a jaunty air. Musical pieces support the jolly feeling of the whole
thing. Play with subtitles if you like, and exiting saves your progress
so you can simply continue next time you play.
Apart from apprehending Geoff, story
threads are tied up at the end so it felt like it ended rather than
stopped, albeit there is more to come. It isn’t spectacular or terribly
memorable, but Episode 1 of Bertram Fiddle is an enjoyable slice of
Victorian sleuthing.
GameBoomers Review Guidelines
February 2016
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GameBoomers
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