After steadily recovering from too many demos during Steam Next Fest, I took on another one—Five Day Detective—following a recommendation from the developers, Krunchy Fried Games. It seems more than five days have passed since the interaction, but finally, there’s time to talk about it.
As I’ve stated countless times, I’m a point and click adventure fanboy and always try to make time for indies. Honestly, this isn’t a game I’d previously heard of, nor would it be something I’d actively play, as the art style didn’t resonate with me. That’s a preference thing, so don’t look at that as an ‘X’.
Still, as Inspector Dervish, I’ve just arrived for work and must find a place to park my car – there’s no time for looking at the visuals; the Madman(?) will have my head on a plate. That Madman reference is to the boss in Five Day Detective. I may have missed something, as I wasn’t sure if this was an in-joke. Nevertheless, we’re at work, and there’s work to be done – starting with the toilets.
Five Day Detective Demo
Inspector sounds like a high-up job, but in the demo, you’re tasked with wiping cocks off the mirror. That could go the wrong way, but it’s simply graffiti. A menial task for a detective, methinks. It then becomes apparent that a repeat offender is in the holding cell, the ‘Wrong Un’, and you have to pin a crime on them – pending, of course, they’ve done it.
Interaction in Five Day Detective is straightforward enough and simple to navigate. There weren’t any moments of not understanding what to do other than lighting a basement. The method you use – with the lighter you acquire but not… directly- seems a little absurd for a detective. I won’t spoil it, yet I have to point out how mental it is.
The illustrations are pretty nice once you’re into things, though the sound and music irked me a little and downplayed the immersion. I appreciate indies are difficult to make, though I feel there’s probably a tune more suited than the one used throughout the demo, plus the echoey sound effects.
Cocks
What stands out for me most about Five Day Detective is the humour. Going back to the ‘light’ puzzle, cocks on the mirror, and a few other references, this has the scope of being something quite crass (in a good way), but then refers to character names like ‘Wrong Un’ with a bit of naivety and makes me wonder how this will pan out.
As a demo, there’s not enough time to get acquainted with the cast to understand who the audience is, but as a frequent adventurer and amateur puzzle-solver, I’d encourage others to download the Five Day Detective demo on Steam and give it a whirl, though note it isn’t out until 2025. This isn’t Krunchy Fried Games’ first rodeo, so if you like it, check out their other titles, too!
