Review for Detective Hayseed – The Cloning Madness
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Zima Software’s Detective Hayseed – The Cloning Madness features zany visuals and energetic music, enhancing an ingeniously funny story which is parceled out through interactions with many effectively voiced characters. A classic point-and-click interface plants players in the center of the action, while multiple inventory object challenges require clever solutions. Except for two frustrating timed puzzles, all of these well-crafted elements contribute to an entertaining adventure.
Set initially in the town of Monroe, famous for advances in cloning technology, this game boasts many treats for the eyes. The brightly colored, elaborate graphics are reminiscent of comic book panels, and endow each location with humor. My favorite, the open desert, contains sun-kissed yellow sands, crooked green cacti, and a camel. The humorous aesthetic is also apparent in the character models. Detective Francis, the intrepid protagonist, wears a brown uniform that looks spiffy and clean. He walks with a confident gait and leads with a comically bulbous nose that could outrun the rest of his face by a country mile.
The vivid, visually stimulating environments are complemented by a lively sound design. Inside the police station, the background music reminded me of Miami Vice with amusing cadences. Sound effects bolster the game’s realism further; for example, the click when an axe is removed from the wall, phones ringing, the clink of handcuffs and loud bangs when guns are fired. The voice acting ably assists the music in transporting the player into the game. Detective Francis has a nasal, tough-guy accent. I laughed out loud when he proclaimed: “My Name Is The Law!” while attempting to act authoritatively in the presence of fellow characters.
From this waggish world of graphics and sound, there comes a brilliantly fanciful tale. The town of Monroe has perfected the art of cloning famous people. Clones of Bernie Madoff and Julius Caesar make comical on-screen appearances. A beautiful young clone, Claudia, has been kidnapped and Detective Francis vows to find her. He will need significant help from the player to accomplish his mission.
Fortunately that’s easy because of a simple point-and-click-interface. Left-clicking on an area of interest compels Francis to walk to that location. Rapidly clicking the left-button in succession skips the walking animation. Left-clicking on an object grabs it. Holding down the space bar reveals all the hotspots on the screen. Hovering the cursor over an interactive object reveals what would happen if it’s activated. Left-clicking on a character opens a chat window. Players access the frequently used inventory by left-clicking on the icon in the upper right corner. This will activate a small inset screen that presents the current available items. Players use objects by left-clicking on them, then left-clicking again away from the inset to close the inventory, and left-clicking on the targeted area or character.
The smooth interface makes it easy to focus on the challenges the player must conquer. My favorite puzzle employs a camel as a distraction device to gain entrance to another area – an ingenious use of a camel. Pressing the F1 key presents players with a walkthrough if they want help. Two timed challenges were difficult for me due to slow reflexes. The first puzzle requires disarming a bomb. Although it was frustrating, I understood the reason for its quick timing. The second difficult puzzle involves sticking an item in a door while a guard is distracted so that Detective Francis can stealthily enter. I succeeded through sheer luck. These two conundrums would better accommodate those with slow reflexes or motor difficulties if they could be skipped, or if the amount of time needed to accomplish them were gradually increased.
Setting aside the two puzzles mentioned above, Detective Hayseed – The Cloning Madness is an engagingly droll endeavour. The amusing writing, humorous scenarios, detailed visuals, and catchy music create an entertaining atmosphere that adventurers will want to experience.
